Stu, this post is just for you, as I know what a fan of heights you are! Yesterday, I was sitting in our office which faces away from the main city and looks out over the hill in the middle of the island. I was busy coding away when suddenly some movement in the background caught my eye. These guys were putting up bamboo scaffolding on the top of the building next to ours. I tried desperately to see if they were wearing harnesses, but without my Harriet the Spy binoculars (which nobody has gotten for me yet, making me assume no one supports my spy habits) I just couldn't tell. I guess the fact that I couldn't tell is telling enough.
Just so Stu can get a sense of how high up they were......
The guys were so nimble, it was amazing. They would constantly reposition themselves by straddling the bamboo poles in different ways. I used to do that when I was a kid, when I had reached my destination at the top of the tree, but wanted to reach out and grab something. If you could assure it was safe, it would really be a fun job to have. Despite having to be outside 24/7 and braving weather elements, they get to climb around for a living! Talk about being a kid at heart. How many of us get to act like a kid at work (without fear of getting fired for it?)
These guys had long ties hanging from their belts, which they would use to secure every intersection, and that's how it all staying in place. By a few ties. Amazing. I guess that adds a lot of pressure to their jobs. If they don't tie a tie right and it breaks later while someone is on it, things could fall quickly into disarray. Get it? Fall quickly? Ha!
I'm leaning back in my chair as I'm reading this... and valuing my education that allows me not to have to take that kind of job :)
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