How It All Goes Down
Building Bridges
- Hoerni comes through and gives Mortenson an additional ten thousand dollars, so Mortenson travels back to Pakistan to build a bridge.
- Changazi helps Mortenson purchase the steel cables necessary, and the Balti men band together to carry them, ten men at a time.
- It starts to rain, and the concrete won't set while it's wet, so the men organize a hunting trip for ibex.
- They climb super high into the mountains, sleeping in caves, and finally, four days in, they find an ibex. But it's dead, so Twaha, Haji Ali's son, gives Mortenson the creature's skull as a present.
- On the seventh day, they capture a live ibex and bring it back to Korphe for a feast.
- Mortenson is amazed at how Hussain, the teacher, is both an educated man and someone with hunting skills. Mortenson realizes that he will soon be able to "bridge both worlds" (10.71).
- One night, Twaha and Mortenson talk about marriage in each of their cultures. While they have many differences, they agree on one thing: Mortenson better hurry up and marry before he grows "too old and fat" (10.91).
- As the bridge is being strung up, scouts report that an American is approaching.
- It's George McCown, who is on the board of the American Himalayan Foundation. He gushes about how amazing Mortenson is, and Mortenson recruits him to look official and act like Mortenson isn't just operating by himself.
- Finally they finish the bridge, and Haji Ali lays the last plank.
- Before he leaves, though, Mortenson makes plans with Hussain to come back and finally build the school.