Aug 27, 2018, D-minus-24

Slow Boat Down the Ganges Update 4

The potatoes are chopped, blanched and ready to go into the dehydrator. I have 3kg ready to go, but I suspect I will need a couple of kilos more to last me the duration of the journey. I have dehydrated potatoes before, and I have not blanched them. They came out quite well, actually. This time I am going to blanch them just a little bit to get the starch out. Let's see how things turn out. It will likely take all night to have them go flaky and entirely dry. Once the potatoes are done, the onions go on. And after that, the tomatoes. These three items will take me the better part of three days. Dehydrating vegetables is not a fast process, it takes time and it takes patience. But the best thing about dehydrated foods is the tremendous reduction in weight and volume. The 5kg of potatoes will ultimately come down to less than 500gm. Same for the other stuff. I do need some protein, so once the veggies are done, I will get myself some diced chicken and dehydrate them. I hope to put up some pictures of the potatoes once they are done.

I've taken another go at the Goal Zero inverter. Took out the battery, reconnected the cables to the terminals, took out the fuse and checked it ... it is fine. Pushed all the other cables into where they are plugged. It is now connected to the wall. The charging light is flashing, but I will know it is working when the indicator shows, first 20%, then 40%, all the way to 100%. Might take a while. If this does not work, then I will have to rig up another inverter, with a lot of help from my friend Dhruv Dudeja. Fingers crossed. I was in touch with the Goal Zero people in the US last night, and their techies are looking into the issue. Hopefully they will be able to diagnose the problem and come up with a solution.

The good wishes continue to come in through Facebook and Whatsapp. People in the media or connected to it, are offering some coverage. I need all the coverage and publicity I can get. This is not only an awesome adventure for me, but is also the very first time a canoe is going down the Ganges. Sometimes I wonder why the level of interest is so low among people. Am I barking up the wrong tree, or is there something wrong in the way I am trying to get the message across. Let me know what you think.

My nephew sent me this link today ... https://indianexpress.com/article/india/in-cpcb-map-on-ganga-water-quality-more-red-than-green-5305354/. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to put up a map of the Ganges clearly indicating where along its stretch the water is fit for drinking and bathing. Apart from Uttarakhand and a couple of other places, the entire stretch is RED ... unfit and hazardous. Well, I am adding my voice to this issue through this expedition.

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