You can see here that the first step, with the exposed brown concrete, looks rough, while the step above it looks smoother. These were stripped using the chemical stripper and a power washer, no abrasive agents. Yet, the first step has the same surface texture as the test area done by blasting. We were told that this Stupa, the first one built, did have an uneven surface with rough spots. The Stupa crew back then had no idea what they were doing, they were simply following instructions from their Teacher. Ani Rene reports they got all their advice on how to work with the concrete over the phone, from a contractor in another state (sorry I forgot which, I'm thinking Tenessee, but I might be wrong). Evidently he considered it a miracle the Stupa was built at all, as he knew how little the crew knew about concrete. And it still stands strong and inspiring! Just needs a little TLC to get it back into prime condition!