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21 July, 2010: Photos from Lydia
Two more containers arrived in Samoa early this month with materials to complete construction of all the fales and the two amenities blocks. After the usual wrestle with authorities they arrived at the beach ten days ago. Already all the fales are framed up and the plywood roofing completed. Lydia has been in Apia all week but hopes to send the latest photos soon. Meanwhile these photos are taken just after the containers arrived.
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The builders are racing ahead with construction, the interior of the “big fale” is now almost complete, even to the new bar, as the photos show it has a sloping ceiling to large ridge vent which will lead to a cooler environment. Check out the photos uploaded last week to the new site (below)
Two more containers of building materials left for the resort yesterday, this included enough timber, cement and plywood to complete the fales, two toilet blocks a storage fale and an open fale (all the buildings necessary for operating the resort. Meanwhile the foundations and floor slabs have been laid for the 7 fales in the second row.
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Lydia reports great progress with the outside deck now finished as is the bar, kitchen and toilet walls and lining. Timber to complete the fales and ablution buildings arrive in Samoa on the 6th July at which time the foundations and floors will be prepared. So completion is assured.
Installation of the asphaltic bitumen shingles chosen as the roofing for the “big house” and fale's is now completed (in two and a half days!), a fantastic effort that resulted in Lydia and Joe rewarding the team of builders (about 20) with an early knockoff and a fantastic BBQ and umu. The size of the pig was to die for. Corrugated iron has been discouraged as a result of many injuries it caused during the tsunami.
Lydia finally succumbed to the frustration of trying to access the promised aid when their Customs would not allow the building materials we sent up into the country duty free as had previously been promised. So she went and sat in the Prime Ministers offices for an hour and a half unannounced until she was invited in for a brief discussion. The end result after much further form filling and inventory listing, the containers were allowed in duty free. Also the PM visit paved the way for a the promised aid to be confirmed (not a huge amount but very welcome).
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Mail: P.O. Box 2795
Apia, Samoa, Upolu Island
