⌛ How it's done here

The City is digging a new "canal" in front of our store/resurant/karaoke place. For those unfamiliar, a canal is an open concrete storm sewer. There is an access road to a family compound adjacent, so we are at the T. the project requires that they build a small bridge across the point. As there was a telephone pole in the way (I thought) I was curious as to how they would proceed. No problem, just dig around it and encase it in concrete! Wood and concrete don't mix. When I asked them out of curiousity, they just shrugged and said Noreco had the problem. OK...

The guys are very nice and since we have a store, they hang out at lunch and break time. We even arranged for a little exchange of concrete for Redhorse. Shhh.
Anyway, as the bridge progressed I was wondering,(curiousity again),after putting down the Coco lumber form, how they would prevent the concrete from seeping through the large cracks. In my former life we would have used plastic sheet or tar paper.

Not when there is a banana tree nearby. Very resourcful if not somewhat incongruous.A perfect and free solution. That was fine, but then there was this pesky drain coming from adjacent property not low enough to exit under the bridge. Once again banana to the rescue! they made an elbow from banana trunk. Seeing this, I ran into or store room and thinking I was helping, offered a variety of orange plastic fittings for them to use. The response was "Dili" I guess once done they saw no need to goback and re design it.

If anyone wants a lesson on how to do more with less, come to the Philippines.

 

It gets better

Since I am stuck here until the concrete cures, (yes there is no provision for us to get out today), the story gets even better. After pouring the concrete, it was evident that since they kind of made a big speed bump that any run off would get trapped in front of the store creating a big lake. I mentioned this to my hun, she asked the engineer about that. Hmm.. yes I suppose that would be a problem.
Solution, one Grande Red Horse, the orange pipe I originally offered in lieu of banana leaves, and digging up all that fresh concrete to make provisions for a drain.
Pics are not in order. The fourth one is what they originally proposed.Second pic is my hun supervising.

Last pic is Red Horse solution.

Just a rainey day in Dmgte.

 

Making do with what's available. Can't be bad

 

i dont know if we can call it pinoy ingenuity, hehehhee

RHB, thats how powerful REDHORSE kick is, problem solve,hhehehe

 

Funny story RHB. Thanks for sharing. Next time I am there I will know enough to STOCK UP on Red Horse to solve any problem that develops. LOL!

When I bought a used stereo amph player and DVD player from some people that my friend referred me to then after I had paid them my friend said they asked for us to celebrate and for me to buy the beers for us all to hang out and drink. It seemed odd for me to do over such items. hehehe.....now after this story maybe it isn't so odd.