This note a couple of very challenging geotechnical projects illustrating the varied nature of the issues involved. In both the cases, geotechnical data is scanty due to the location of the projects. Only the damage or consequence of both natural and human induced actions are known. It became necessary to conjure and diagnose the causes and arrive at relatively conservative solutions. In the first project of stabilization of a steep slope in Lower Himalayas, access to the site itself was difficult if not impossible. In the second project involving serious coastal erosion that was progressing at an alarming rate, it became imperative to develop a quick fix solution that had to be implemented in tidal waters.