Two Years in Bangladesh

Holly and I have just passed the two year mark here in Bangladesh yesterday. We arrived to the crazy Dhaka airport (with thousands of hajj pilgrims) on November 5, 2012. It has been an interesting and exciting period getting this new hospital project up and running. There has been many challenges that seemed larger than we could handle over this journey, thankful we know the God who is in control of all. Our original term ended at the two year mark, however no new project managers have stepped up as replacements for Holly & I. We have recently agreed to stay on for the remaining structural works (approximately the spring) or suitable replacements can be recruited. Thank you to all those who have been praying and supporting us and the work here in Bangladesh.

A few photos of the project's progression over these past two years:

 Original project rendering upon arrival
(November 2012)

Updates after value engineering
(April 2013)

 

Site prior to construction - demo & clearing

(February 2013)

Cleared site with ongoing piling works

(July 2013)

Basement works - East wing foundations

(January 2014)

Ground floor casting

(March 2014)

  

First floor cast - Second floor shuttering

(June 2014)

Second floor cast - Third floor shuttering

(August 2014)

Completed West wing casting -Interior brick wall installation ongoing

Ground floor East complete - First floor shuttering

(October 2014)

Jon Barrett

India Part 2: Sikkim and Jaldapara National Park

It took some extra time and paper work for special permits, but the views, cooler temperatures and lessening crowds were well worth the effort to get to Sikkim.  Sikkim is a small Indian state (since 1975) with borders to Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet (China) and is located in the east Himalaya foothills.   Kangchenjunga mountain is the third highest peak in the world (8,586 m) and can be viewed from several places throughout the state. 

 

From Sikkim we headed towards Northeast India with a stop at Jaldapara National Park with the hopes of spotting some Indian One Horn Rhinos.  We were unlucky in our aim but saw a few deer, birds, and (trained) elephants. 

 

 

Views of Kangchenjunga Range from Pelling, West Sikkim

 Full double rainbow on the road from Pelling to Gangtok, Sikkim

Buying walnuts from the source (on the way by Jeep to Gangtok, Sikkim) 

Sunrise view of Kangchenjunga from our bedroom in Gangtok, Sikkim 

 Pedestrian Street in Gangtok, Sikkim

 

 

 

 

 Travel in the Unreserved Trains (not bad for shorter distances)

 

 Jeep Safari at Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal

 

 Trained Elephants at Jaldapara National Park

Baby Elephant at Jaldapara National Park

Holly

India Part 1: Kolkata to Darjeeling

We recently took the opportunity to travel to India while the contractor was off the construction site for the holidays (Eid al-Adha).  Originally we had hoped to take a train to one of the borders, however trains and long distance buses were fully booked.  Below are a couple photos we snapped from the local newspaper of the general travel chaos. 

 

 

 

 

We flew to Kolkata from Chittagong.  This year the Hindu festival Durga Puja coincided with the Eid holiday (which shifts every year and is dependent on the moon) meaning the busy time to travel extended across to India.  Thankfully, they have a tourist quota for train booking.  The hordes of people and vehicles in Darjeeling were particularly disheartening but the hills were still lovely. 

 Holly at the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata

 

 We declined the daily special but our order was delicious, Kolkata restaurant

 



Belur Math Shrine, Kolkata

Hanging by the River by Belur Math Shrine, Kolkata

 

 Overnight train Kolkata to Darjeeling (with top and bottom bunks for sleeping)

 View from window of Darjeeling Restaurant

Hills and Tea on the road from Darjeeling

Holly

Bangladesh Stone Supplies

Quality building stone in Bangladesh is a relative scarcity. There is no quality stone quarries in the entire country as Bangladesh is more or less a flood plane of mud and sand. For concrete construction however quality stone is a must. This means all stone must be either imported from India via truck or pulled from riverbeds that border the Indian hills. Following collection or import the stone is then crushed and shipped by road as required throughout the country. For the new hospital project this means trucks must move the stone over 24 hours by road to the hospital site. With the scarcity of stone and transport costs combined this makes the price of stone unusually high ($65 USD per yard).  See the photos below of the typical way stones are harvested, crushed, moved and used.

Boulders/Stones harvested from the rivers that border onto India (Jaflong, Bholaganj, etc.)

Trucks collect the stone along the rivers. The hills in the background are India where the stone have washed down from.

Boulders are sorted into size and color then crushed

(black stone & white stone have different characteristics)

Crushing and grading into sizes - 3/4", 1/2" & 1/4"

All stones and aggregates are moved and loaded by hand

 

Jon reviewing quality and pricing of stone with a field owner

Google Earth view of the Boulder collection & crushing areas in Bholaganj during the dry season. India/Bangladesh border can be easily seen by the change of vegetation and stone collection.

  

Stone stockpiled on the MCH site in use during casting

Jon Barrett

MCH Project - Photosphere - Sept 27, 2014

Yesterday was the last day of work before the contractor labors take 10 days of holiday during Eid ul Adha to go to their homes. The laborers come from all over the country with the majority from the Northwest of Bangladesh (roughly 15-20 hour travel this time of year). Holly and I are heading to India tomorrow to get away for a few days and hopefully make it to the Sikkim area of the Himalayas for some hiking while the contractor is off site.

Photosphere of the Project on September 27, 2014.

Views: MCH New Building Project by Jonathan Barrett

South view of the West Wing -

Basement - Laundry/ Storage/ Mechanical

Ground - Radiology/ PT/ Cast/ Surgery Clinic

First - Surgery/ PACU/ CSR

Second - OB Surgery/ Delivery/ OB Wards

Third - Male Ward

Jon

West Wing - Structure Complete

On Saturday (Sept 27th) the West Wing roof (4th level slab) was completed.  This is another major milestone for the project as all the shuttering will now be moved to the East Wing after Eid, at which time the exterior brick work can be started and the interior brick walls completed. Once the brick work is completed then Phase II interior finishing will start once funding for this next phase becomes available (electrical conduit, wall plaster, flooring, etc.). Structural work on the East wing will continue over the next 6 months.

Site Overview - Sept 27, 2014

West Wing Roof Casting - (4th Floor Slab)

A Sudden Thunderstorm During Casting (Construction workers taking shelter on the 2nd floor)

Jon out in the downpour

 Over 80,000 sq feet of slab casting completed

Working well into the night

Jon and Holly Barrett

MCH - GF East/ 4th Floor West / Interior Walls

Sunset just out in front of our house in Malumghat - everything is so vivid green during the rain season

Surgery team walking through the new surgery wing to confirm layout

Surgery team in the new Surgery Wing

 

Site overview - Sept 15, 2014 - 4th slab ready for casting this week - Interior walls going up on Ground and First Floor (West Wing)

Ground Floor East Wing - Slab casting complete

 

After a couple weeks of good weather the rain has returned with great intensity over the past 10 days.

Caught out on site during a rain storm

 

Jon

MCH - Interior Brick Walls

The interior brick walls have started on the ground floor (West Wing) this past week. These will be built up to 7' before moving on to the first floor and so forth up the building. Once the top level is completed work will move back down completing these walls to ceiling height.

 

Starting the interior brick wall partitions

Ground Floor (West) - Surgery Clinic, Cast, PT, Radiology

 

Wall layout

 

Rains have subsided somewhat so fill work has resumed. Plumbing and filling on the North East wing will be complete this week

 

Water snake found on site (Checkered Keelback) 

A worker removing the snake from the site

 

 

Jon