Winding Down

With the coming of August, things slowed down at Mango Creek. Of course, no one told the fish that. Early in the month, we found two large permit tailing in the water right in front of the restaurant! They must have been checking in to see what happened to all the fishermen.

Permit visiting our front-porch waters

With time to focus on the Mango Creek Lodge grounds, our staff got to work. Their first task was to raise the primary pathway to the main lodge. This stretch of walk had washed out a bit from past rains and was taking on water and sand during showers. To fix it, the guys hauled in sand and raised the area under the stepping stones. Then they replaced the stones and dug a drainage canal to better channel future water flow.

The grounds staff puts the finishing
touches on our improved pathway

Their next task was to build a landscaping wall on the hill above the stairway to the lodge. Manuel, our resident concrete expert, oversaw the construction and cement work. When they were finished, we had a beautiful new planting area to display red ginger plants and control water flow down the hillside.

Manuel also oversaw the construction of a new concrete wall in front of our generator shed. We only run the generator about three hours a day to supplement our renewable power, but when it runs, it can be loud! This wall has helped cut down on the noise by reflecting the sound back toward the shed rather than across the grounds.

And in the midst of all the new construction, the staff still managed to make progress on the ongoing task of revarnishing the lodge. Each year, every piece of wood at the lodge is taken down, sanded, revarnished, and replaced to keep our buildings strong and beautiful. It’s a monumental chore, and it takes months to accomplish!