Life at the work site

Sleeping:
Any villages along the transmission line when they were available or small camping tents when there were no nearby villages.




Eating:
One cook for all. All in one table.


Going to work:
By feet, by truck or bikes
Washing up:
Streams, rivers, lakes, ...no water from water utility

Entertainment:
singing with no guitar or other instruments. Short wave radio (SW). No FM.
Beerlao, the most popular beer in Loas, is available in many villages but villagers' favourite drink is Lao khao - the local made sticky rice vodka. Sometime they put some herb into the bottle and they called it Lao Ya or Lao Bong Ya. Usually it is stronger than Russian Vodka.



Birthday with no cake but water melon.


Toilet:
any place that was convinient. No public or private restroom.
Hospital:
Many deseases from mosquitoes, diarrhea..Hospital was so far away.

Other service:
Barber drove his motorcycle around from one village to another.



The ice-cream man does the same but on his bicycle.

tag to os555, August

from bottom to the top

After surveying I had a few months to spend in the city, but after that we had to return to the site. The jungle had been changed, along the transmision line trees were cut and cleared. Every man had hi own work. But for me I had to make foundations for steel towers, tower erection and stringing work, in fact I had participated in every works from bottom to the top of steel towers and from the beginning to the final stage of Banna - Attapu 115 kV transmission line.

Real jungle

After sitting long time in the office doing paper work I went to the real jungle in the end of 2004. My new work was to check survey of high voltage line in the South of Laos under the name of Banna to Attapu 115 kV transmission line construction project contracted by Indian company - Jaguar. I was the team leader. Our action zone was in the boarder of two districts - Pathoumphone, Champasack Province and Sanamsay, Attapu Province. Our team had 6 men, 4 local villager, 1 Soviet Uaz (jeep), 1 diesel genarator for lighting and battery charging, 3 walkies talkies, 1 handheld GPS receiver and 1 set of Trimble total station.

As I mentioned above that was real jungle, no road, no vehicle, no communication...
Our Soviet Uaz could not cross Xekhampho River which was full of water but villager could walk through, there were stones underwater. So we walked across river in the morning, took Tok Tok ( local vehicle) to nearest point and after that walked into the jungle. In the jungle of the South there were deep forest, wild birds and sparse Laotheung villages. After work we walked across river again to our Uaz and drove to our camp at Thongsay village. That work lasted for 1 month.
(crossing Xekhampho River)

Introduction

My name is Phanomsinh. I am lao (laotian). 37 yrs old.
My job is an electrical engineer. I work for government enterprize in Laos. My company name is ECI or Electrical Construction  and Installation Enterprize. It has just separated from th biggest electrical utility company in Laos - Electricite du Laos (EdL). I started working for EdL since 1994.  
For the first time my work was in 115 kV transmission line construction from Thalat 
(the location of Nam gnum dam) to Luang Prabang. 
After completion of transmission line construction I continued working in Luang Prabang 
at 115/22 kV substation. I worked there for 3 years.
In 1997 I joined ECI, at that time ECI was one of EdL branches and its location is in Vientiane - Capital of Lao P.D.R (Laos).
In the same year I was in Singapore for training on the topic of Electric Power management.
I thought the training was useful I have seen GIS system (Geographic Infomation system) and the country's power control center but very hard to bring singaporian experience to be used in Laos. 
Singapore is rich and Laos is in the list of the poorest countries in the world. In Singapore the substaions are unman, 
every things are controled from the control center. 
In Luang Prabang substaion where I used to work there are 2 people on duty all the time, 
2 in day time and 2 in night time and every operation is carried out manually at the substaion.
After joining ECI I learnt to use AutoCAD for drawing and designing 22 kV distribution line.
I was among the best draftmen of ECI.
My job changed when the French gave the assistance to Lao government and the Vientiane Network Rehabilitation Project was Lauched by ETDE - the company from France, in 1999. 
I gained a lot of experience from working with the French before I became the head of Project
Managing Unit for Power Transmission and Distribution Project under ADB loan. 
ECI was the contractor for Distribution (22 kv and 0.4 kV electrical network) from 2000 to 2005.
I think it's enough for today
To be continued Please come back