(de) construction

The Commonwealth Games are taking place here in 2010. (if you haven't heard of them it is all the countries that used to be in the British Empire). They are doing tons of construction to prepare for the games including building a metro. I didn't really think much about the metro being built and how it was being done 'til I noticed how houses are built, and torn down, here. Everything is manual.
There is a house around the corner from me being torn down and I see men taking is apart literally brick by brick. They swing sledgehammers to break through the walls. They have nothing electric to help them. I wanted to take pictures but they notice me so I feel uncomfortable doing so. Around the other corner a house is being built; again completely by hand. I saw a guy mixing cement by hand and bringing it in to the house to work. Again, no machines. The nice part is that it is quieter than a house being built up/down back home.
Everything seems very solid and well made but it takes a very long time. Back home you have contractors throwing up developments in a few months but they frequently have lots of problems. I think I prefer the Indian way of slow and steady. The scaffolding is a thing to be seen. That I have only seen on bigger buildings while I'm driving, I'll have to get a picture one of these days, but it looks completely rickety like it could fall down any minute; that I prefer the US way (not that I've ever been on scaffolding but it makes me nervous just looking at it).
I bet an extreme home makeover here would be getting it done in 7 months, not 7 days.
They have some machines for the metro, but not many. What a daunting task to build all that. They say it will be ready for 2010. We'll see. Apparently a ticket will be about 25 cents; it has to be since rickshaw rides are about $1 so you would need it to be cheaper than that.
Final aside: my driver is sick today. There is a wrinkle I never thought about. I'm fine taking rickshaws, I certainly don't want him passing out at the wheel; but you get used to having a driver really quickly that it can be surprise when you need to navigate your own way to work.