Wednesday, August 14, 2019

The first water impeller generator I ever saw was in the Himalayas in 1986

We had trekked at least 10 miles that day up further into the Helambu region of the Himalayas which is fairly close to Katmandu relatively speaking and also very near the Nepal-Tibet Border.  We were tired and our guide brought us to a hotel run by his relatives. Though he lived in Boudanath which is a section near the big Stupa in Katmandu some of his relatives ran this hotel on a river in the Himalayas about 20 miles from the nearest dirt road and across many suspension bridges we had already crossed. I asked what the source of the lighting was there since most places had sort of Aladdin Lamps instead of electricity. I was told it was a direct current impeller that they had set into the river next to the hotel that ran on the river 24 hours a day.  They didn't need a battery because the river would never stop running. However, it was also starting to rain and the room they gave us didn't have a window installed so they gave us plastic to keep out the rain. It wasn't cold there just cool during the night and we also had our down sleeping bags so far from civilization. Literally everything had to be carried by porters to build this place and furnish it which was interesting too because the nearest dirt road was at least 20 miles away. This was likely in February or March 1986 we were there as a family. I was 37 and my wife was my age and our children were then 10, 12, and 14 years of age (two boys and a girl). Because we were closer to the equator than here it was warmer there than it would be on the east coast in February or march even at 10,000 feet elevation. Though we saw snow when we stayed near 10,000 feet in elevation we also saw bananas growing in a valley at about 6000 to 8000 feet in elevation as well. So, mostly in February the weather reminded me more of California in the mountains in February or march more than anything else.

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