Himalayan nights

We spend most nights, gathered round the fire for warmth and light, under crisp Himalayan stars. The crowd changes nightly, the occasional trekker, villagers from the surrounding area, once a politician on tour or just the jeep drivers Santosh and Ram.

Nepal should be energy independent, with abundant sources of hydro electricity. However India which provides much of the investment for dams, also then takes the lions share of the energy generated.  The reality for your average Nepalese is constant power cuts and load shedding.  Electricity is limited and changes daily as to when we will get a few hours  (load balancing and not at all like the systems server load balancing I know from IT days).  The schedule below shows the hours without electricity:

Sun:     09-15:00 and 18:00-23:00

Mon:    08:00-14:00 and 18:00-23:00

Tue:     06:00-13:00 and 17:00-22:00

Wed:     05:00-11:00 and 15:00-21:00

Thu:     04:00-10:00 and 14:00-19:00 (2nd best day)

Fri:     03:00-09:00 and 13:00-18:00 (best day as we get the most useful hours night time electricity)

Sat:     10:00-17:00 and 19:00-24:00

 

So mostly its a case of in bed quite soon after the sun sets. The nights are crystal clear and cold. Easy to spot Venus.  On the opposite sides of the mountain across the deep valley the sounds travel and some nights we can spot hunters on the opposite side of the valley, who use an occasional flash of torchlight.  Not sure what they are hunting, I just get told wild animals and I am not sure if they are serious or pulling my leg again.  A LOT gets lost in translation.

 

 

 

 

 

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