No matter how many cold showers you have, you never get used
to them. Even the funny dance of one arm…
other arm… one leg.. other leg… splash the body .. still does not prepare your
body for the shock of full immersion
.
So I finally had enough and decided to tackle a job that I
have been putting off for ages.. to chop down the forest of twenty foot tall
bamboo that is blocking the sunlight from reaching my solar water heater!
I bought myself a shiny new panga (a big machete) from the
market, sharpened it on a stone like I’ve seen the locals do and started to hack
away. Thirty minutes later, drenched in
sweat and a blister on my hand I had succeeded in felling the bamboo… well one
stick/cane/tree – whatever you call it. I had just started on the second one when the
gardener who works for my neighbour came over and offered to help.
Usually I would do the very British thing of “no, I’m fine” “I
can manage” “Thanks but no Thanks”.. but clearly he could see me struggling and
before I could say anything he set to work with his panga. With less than ten strokes he had chopped one
down and was on to the second then the third whilst I’m still hacking away with
my not very sharp panga. I look round
and he is standing on the stump of another cane chopping above his head at his
fourth or fifth one. As this one fell it
narrowly missed smashing into the solar water heater (which would have been an
ironic defeat of purpose) but got the fence instead. After no more than 20 minutes I’d finally
managed to chop down my second one and he’d finished the rest!
So what did I learn?
1. I need to buy a file to
sharpen my panga.
2. I need to buy a new panga with a better handle.
3. I need
to build a new fence.
4. It’s much easier to ask a local to do
something they do everyday and help them out a little with a few shillings than
to struggle yourself
and finally 5. Hot showers
are AMAZING!
