Six weeks ago, after two years of stuttering progress, the new shop and cottage were finished and we moved in. Five days after that I was bitten by a snake.
Rather than continue with the original contractor, we poached his Filipino carpenter and two labourers and took possession of all the woodworking tools on site and sent the crew down to the restaurant site to start building the cottages.
Whereas before their morale had been rock bottom (it was not unusual for them to wait months for their salaries), they are now a really cheerful bunch. Four weeks into the new job, now working for us, it was pay day and they were paid. The materials they need arrive on time and they get fed.
Normally I would be all over them, all but living on the site but because of this festering foot I can only visit occasionally. Running around on site giving them detailed directions is out of the question so they have largely been left alone to get on with the job.
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| Four cottage bases and the walls going up. Eventually there will be twelve. |
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| This will be an en-suite air conditioned double bedroom with sliding glass door leading onto a veranda |
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| Charlie likes the windows. Who says windows should be square? |
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I was hoping my young quantity surveyor would give it the thumbs up
but he was still in Ninja mode |
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All the wood is raw from the sawmill and must be planed and thicknessed on site.
This takes time, of course. |
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| A view to the restaurant. A bit of gardening in order as soon as I can walk again! |
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| This is what it is supposed to look like when it is finished. |
What a great place for a bloggers convention.
ReplyDeleteNow there's an idea!
DeleteLooks like a wonderful place....................minus the snakes!
ReplyDeleteI am sure the snake that bit me has already died of blood poisoning!
DeleteLooks like you're getting there! I love the computer drawn image of what it will look like in the end. And I guess you're fairly free to build what you want over there without the plnners breathing down your neck?
ReplyDeleteAlso do you want to buy some Tetris style shelves to export out there?
You do need to submit plans for approval which is time consuming but once you have your permit to build, they pretty much leave you alone,
DeleteThanks for the offer of the shelves, Kev, but I will just show your photos to the Filipino carpenter and have him knock some up! :-)
its going to be lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt will be!
DeletePoached Filipino carpenter and 2 labourers. What spices did you use and did it involve any peanut butter paste? Sounds good as usual.
ReplyDeleteMy mini ninja warrior still struts and poses at 9 years old. Make the most of it. You don't want them to grow up too fast.
They always do, though!
DeleteThis new resort of your is going to be fantastic. It is a huge project and must be costing a huge amount of money to construct. Adding to the cost must be the time factor drawing it all out so I can imagine it is exciting to see it finally emerging and completion looming close. When it is complete where will you draw your customers from?Are you expecting any international interest? Going to look on Google Earth now !!
ReplyDeleteI have sunk everything I have into this project. Having it over run the way it did very nearly broke me so don't remind me about the total amount I have spent! It has cost me many, many night's sleep and if I knew then what I do now, I would never ever have gone for it.
DeleteThe clients will mainly be day trippers and overnighters from the capital, Luanda, with the occasional international overlander.
Ah I see a place called Kwanza Sui Lodge there. Is that anywhere near you?
ReplyDeleteFor the restaurant site, Fat Hippo's, go to
Delete9°20'27.61"S
13° 9'11.94"E
There's something there that looks like a bomb crater. That is the pond I dug. NW of that you can see the thatched restaurant building and some other buildings. There is also a boat hauled onto the land. This is Fat Hippo's.
Then go to:
9°19'29.71"S
13° 9'3.68"E
This is the cottage and shop location. The images off Google Earth are over a year out of date so much has changed. You cannot see any of the new cottages at Fat Hippo's and at the other location only the cottage under construction, they hadn't even started the shop yet.
SW of the bomb crater you can see the cottages of a tourist lodge. This is Kwanza Tarpon Lodge, Rico's place. My neighbour.
I didn't realise that the shop was so far form the house. I imagined it was almost joined - about 50 meters away (but on higher land). For those that are new to you blow - they should read some of the earlier ones when you had the flood on day three of moving there and look at the satellite again to put it into perspective
DeleteAh my dear friend the computer geek into the cellar of whom in the National Directorate of Angolan Customs I would often retire for a dose of sanity!
DeleteThe new cottage and shop are co located on a 3,600 square metre plot and are, indeed, about 50 metres apart. The restaurant and cottages are located on a two hectare plot next to the river and sea. The two locations are about two kilometres apart. As you have figured out, I was just dividing my eggs between two baskets.
dividing my eggs between two baskets - that could be on the menu - one basket with poached eggs on top of smoked river fish and a bed of spinach (you would need to come up with a better name than that!!), the other basket with huevos rancheros (spanish I know) http://recipes.coles.com.au/recipes/1027/picture-700x255/mexican-eggs.jpg
DeleteI remember the cellar well. It was large, cool and a quarter of it was behind bars - to secure the computer equipment of course ;-)
Fabulous, and I love those different-sized wide planks; so much nicer than the standard tongue-n-grooved cladding that is sold in most DIY stores. Hip Fatto's is lookin' good!
ReplyDeleteComin g from you that is a real compliment!
DeleteAs I said, all the timber is raw from the sawmill so has to be planed and sized by hand. We do not want to waste good wood and, as you can imagine, with a tree being round, the planks coming out of a sawn log vary in width, so we work with it rather than try and trim them all to the same size.
In six weeks one Filipino and two labourers have achieved more than the whole of the contractor's crew achieved in a year! I just have to try and forget that the work I am paying these guys to do I already paid their ex boss to do!
It looks like it will be an idyllic leisure village in the end. You should call it Gowansville with a huge twenty foot high picture of yourself at the entrance. Fingers crossed your workers will finish the job to your satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteIt will be called Hippograd and will be run on strict Soviet lines as a Worker's Co-operative with me, as Commissar taking the lion's share for the benefit of the Party, (the frequent parties I will enjoy from the sweat of the labourers and the filthy lucre I will extract from decadent Capitalists). If it all works out, I shall definitely keep the red flag flying and celebrate Christmas by lining all the workers up and making them sing, 'O Tannenbaum' before giving them their annual yuletide bonus: an afternoon off.
DeleteSounds heavenly Mein Fuhrer, could I perhaps secure a post as entertainments manager with all night readings from "Das Capital" and Che Guevara lookalike competitions?
DeleteEntertainments Manager. Excellent, a good cover for a Propaganda Minister. On my book shelves I have Comrade Ché's Motorcycle Diaries and The African Dream, you can start with those.
DeleteBy the way. Mein Fuhrer uses the possessive, You are not a Party member yet so just a respectful Herr Fuhrer will suffice,
DeleteHey Tam is that my fly fishing lake in the middle? dont have far to roll out of bed to start fishing if it is :)
ReplyDeleteAll yours, mate and there are pan sized fish in it now.
DeleteI'm a bit puzzled about the last picture - how Hippograd will finally look. Did you have to photograph a plasticine model of the proposed complex? It must have taken you ages to make it! Especially the delicate palm leaves! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI have to confess, it isn't me who deserves the credit for the design, it is Comrade Architect Alberto Speer. I cannot understand a word he says in Portuguese so we make do with German. Old bloke but seems to know his job.
DeleteI do not mention it to him of course, what's in a man's past is his alone but I know he has done some porridge, In his plea of mitigation he admitted he was once a Thatcherite but now professed his loyalty to King Scargill so you two should get on like a wooden house on fire.
DeleteThe only problem I have with him is that he is very keen. He is very fond of long tree lined boulevards, massive areas enclosed by domes and parade grounds.
DeleteOnly yesterday I had to pull him up and remind him that we were only dealing with two hectares here. What does he expect me to do, invade the neighbours for more living space?
Wow, that is so impressive! It's going to be lovely. I can't wait to watch it unfold on your blog.
ReplyDeleteBest regards (and I hope the toe is coming along!)
It better not bloody unfold, there are more nails in there than the Ark!
DeleteThe toe is shit but I still have my sense of humour!
It's good that you are permitted to own land in Angola. Here foreigners are not, although many put it in their (Thai) wife's name, spend millions on building a house of their dreams and then not surprisingly a few months after completion, the relationship goes sour, and the foreigner is left with nothing. Well, he's left with a house, but not the land on which it's built. Many have just demolished the property and walked away...a few baht poorer. Happens time and again, their head ruled by their dick.
ReplyDeleteErm. Everything I own is in Marcia's name.
DeleteOh dear.
DeleteAh well. I am still going to cook your recipe on Marcia's cooker, in Marcia's kitchen in Marcia's house built on Marcia's land and then, over a glass of Marcia's whisky, consider how I allowed my dick to rule my life before drawing the Mess revolver and leaving an open tab on the bar.
DeleteThat's the spirit. Fall on your sword, like a good samurai.
DeleteGlad there's progress. Having to pay for it twice is a bitter pill to swallow but no point in keeping the resentment. As someone once told me, it's like drinking the poison yourself and expecting the other person to die from it.
ReplyDeleteHating someone is like giving them free lodging in your head.
DeleteButlins?
ReplyDelete....or Four Seasons?
I'm so impressed with your efforts and ambitions...it will be a real achievement when it's all done and then you'll be able to kick those snakes into touch...
I'm knackered. Seriously. Very tired. I am jealous you can ride three thousand miles every night before taking your family out to a show.
DeleteI would be grateful if I could just post comments on your bastard blog.