Into the Himalayas - A Fresh Adventure Begins

[Clean Drink Adventures]

For the better part of two years, I've been spending as much time as I can in Nepal. Last winter my wife and I sold everything, and I do mean everything, and now split our time between Nepal and well...anywhere. Sometimes Peru, sometimes the US, it's pretty liberating.

This last year has been a big one. We now own a fleet of Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet motorbikes, and just took delivery of two Defender 110 trucks. We use them to deliver water purification systems to remote villags and schools in the Himalayas with help from our Nepali partners. It's been incredibly rewarding to launch into something so positive.

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing real overland rigs, doing real overland work, and deep in real overland explorations. Many of the places we visit have never been visited by outsiders. It's pretty great.

Safe travels...Christophe Noel





My friend and one of our porters, Rabindra Pun. Such a great young dude. And that's my new Bullet 500cc.




I had to post that mountain view above. That was shot from the bathroom window of one of my favorite home stay houses where we regularly visit.

Anyway...enjoy the photos. Nepal is an incredible place.

 

[Dilldog]

Very cool man. Youre touching on my two major passions there, being in remote locations and water.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Very cool man. Youre touching on my two major passions there, being in remote locations and water.

You should join us! We have more water trips planned for the spring. On in particular will serve as a platform to launch the most advanced water purification system ever created. We will be the first in the world to implement itbin the field.

 

[Dilldog]

You should join us! We have more water trips planned for the spring. On in particular will serve as a platform to launch the most advanced water purification system ever created. We will be the first in the world to implement itbin the field.

So funny story, after I got a diesel science degree I started studying to get a hydrologic technician degree, and what I thought about doing was combining those two fields of study by helping to build reliable water systems in developing areas. Kinda like what you're doing...

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

So funny story, after I got a diesel science degree I started studying to get a hydrologic technician degree, and what I thought about doing was combining those two fields of study by helping to build reliable water systems in developing areas. Kinda like what you're doing...

Water is just one of those things we all take for granted. Here in Nepal, water is absolutely everywhere. The Himalayas make this the second most water rich country in the world. However, it ranks as one of the worst for water health. For a country with 30 million people (same as Indiana), they lose as many as 16,000 kids to waterborne illness each year. In 2016 than number doubled.

We focus our efforts on water purification at what we call a, last-chance level. Just before the water is consumed. However, we really need to recruit an expert in water delivery and storage. With so much water available everywhere, the trick is to aggregate it at a community access point for further purification.

Now...getting to do all of this in Land Rover Defenders and atop motorbikes is just a fun twist. :)


Today we're building a platform for a water tank placement for water storage and to feed a handwash station.


We will place at least 15 of these tanks this fall. Each are delivered on huge Tata 4x4 trucks like those used in Dakar. This set of six will make their last journey, some more than 2 miles, on foot. These tanks get paired to compact but high-volume chlorine makers. In the spring we will be the first organization in the world to implement a new filtration technology commissioned by the US Military with $5MM in DARPA funding. We're going to revolutionize water treatment at the home level.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

More trucky photos!

Sometimes we have to hire a few extra trucks to help us get supplies to remote villages. That's the Annapurna Range in the background. The peak visible between the trees is Dhualagiri, the 7th tallest peak in the world at I think 26,5000 or so. Annapurna and Annapurna South just to the right.

These are Mahindra Bolero pickups made in India. Tough as nails with strong diesel engines. All with the worst tires money can buy, but these guys out drive anyone in America I've ever met. Some of my "professional driver" friends in the States can't drive as well as some 25 year-old Nepali guys wearing flip-flops.


Okay...it's not all work. We often venture onto side roads like this one. This is Ranimahal, a "ruin" on the Kaligandaki River. This was a palace commissioned for a regional queen in Nepal, just south of the Annapurna Range below the Mustang Valley. I think it was built in the 1920s, but she only lived in it for 5 years. It's a mass of concrete. To get here requires a solid 1-hour drive on a very gnarly road.



This is one of our field teams. Actually, it's our latest setup. Two Defenders and five Royal Enfield Bullets make up our primary tool kit. Those little grey boxes on the hood are MSR SE200 Community Chlorine Makers. Each kit uses a tiny amount of salt, water, and electricity to produce enough chlorine to purify a 50 gallon drum of water, or more than enough to sustain a community of 200+ people at no cost for 5 years. We have placed more than 100 systems. Impact numbers are tough, but we easily reached 15,000 people by now. Probably more. Mostly kids in schools.

By the way, if anyone wants to join us in Nepal, that too is what we do.


Here's a typical shot of one of our travel teams delivering water systems to a remote village. These travelers are from the US, UK, and Canada. They helped us bring 42 water systems to one of the most remote corners of the Himalayas. Then our team carried those systems, on foot, sometimes for 4 days, to get them placed in high villages and schools. Our travel teams were the first foreigners to ever visit this community and experience a culture that has survived for 500 years.

This is actual expedition travel. These travelers are just regular peeps. Now they know what it's like to travel some of the most rugged roads on the planet while leaving behind a positive impact. Pretty proud of the work we do, not just with the water project, bu what we do to empower people to live a trip fitting of a National Geographic story.


Sometimes our trips get a little nutty. This couple might be man-and-wife in a remote village in Nepal. LOL. Some of you might know David Page. He builds the SEMA and project trucks for Nissan as well as handles Nissan product launches and media campaigns, mostly in the overlanding segment. He and his girlfriend were selected by this ancient community and well...we think they got married. LOL. More than 2,000 people walked for 4 days to meet us. The vast majority had never seen a white face. We know for sure no foreigner had ever been to this community. Thanks to my Nepali partner, and my exclusive relationship with the Nepali government and Military, we have access to places no other teams do. This is one of the last communities in Nepal where Magar Rai culture is alive and well. And again....anyone can join us.


I often do much of the scouting for our water projects and our expeditions on Royal Enfields. As much as I love the Defenders, sometimes a bike is much faster. Many of these roads are extremely tough. Far tougher than many "Jeep" roads in America. For the expeditions we organize for our guest team members, roughly 90% of the route is unpaved if not super rough.

This is me with our mechanic Ramdev Raj Kumar Nepali behind me. Helluva rider, he is.


Stay tuned for more.....

And we do have a few slots available if anyone wants to join our next round of expeditions in March and April. The March trip is pretty hard core, so we will need to discuss involvement. No need to "apply" for that one, but we want to ensure everyone knows it's going to be the real deal expedition.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

For the better part of two years, I've been spending as much time as I can in Nepal. Last winter my wife and I sold everything, and I do mean everything, and now split our time between Nepal and well...anywhere. Sometimes Peru, sometimes the US, it's pretty liberating.

This last year has been a big one. We now own a fleet of Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet motorbikes, and just took delivery of two Defender 110 trucks. We use them to deliver water purification systems to remote villags and schools in the Himalayas with help from our Nepali partners. It's been incredibly rewarding to launch into something so positive.

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy seeing real overland rigs, doing real overland work, and deep in real overland explorations. Many of the places we visit have never been visited by outsiders. It's pretty great.

Safe travels...Christophe Noel

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My friend and one of our porters, Rabindra Pun. Such a great young dude. And that's my new Bullet 500cc.
View attachment 125712

View attachment 125713

I had to post that mountain view above. That was shot from the bathroom window of one of my favorite home stay houses where we regularly visit.

Anyway...enjoy the photos. Nepal is an incredible place.

Absolute beauty and serenity. You are blessed to be given this opportunity to serve other and gain such tranquility.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Absolute beauty and serenity. You are blessed to be given this opportunity to serve other and gain such tranquility.

We are very lucky. When I started this project I had no idea how gratifying it would be. The best part, aside from the water initiative, is proving that ANYONE can embark on a massive expedition. And I so hate that word. You cannot take an "expedition" to your local campground, or an "expedition" to drive to an overland event with 20,000 people. But it is still possible to load up Defender, stock it with supplies, recruit the best cooks, porters, and mechanics available, and venture into regions of the Himalayas no other foreigners have ever seen....ever! Anyone can do it. It's all right there, ready for the taking. I just wish more people would stop buying bumpers and TVs, and save up to join our trips. These undiscovered places....are vanishing.

In March I host a PBS film crew in Nepal to document the last of a few vanishing Himalayan cultures. They will see things now westerner has ever seen. I applaud them for their creativity and willingness to chase a proper adventure story.

Last January we completed an expedition to locate a 900 year old nomadic tribe called the Raute. They lived in the Himalayan foothills for 21 generations surviving of hunted monkeys and living with forests ghosts and demons. One of the most elusive peoples in the world, they are now.....gone. We opened an expedition to anyone willing to join. No takers other than my photographer friend Kieth. We were the last professional photographers to document this ancient culture before it was lost forever.

Expeditions. Real ones. I wish more people would join us. I will never understand why they don't.

This is a Raute princess, or was in January. This was the last village of 64 known Raute. Ten years ago a BBC film crew found them and counted 221. Our contacts said this year, there are none to be found. 900 years and....gone. So sad.

Glad I was one of the last to discover them.


And again, anyone is welcome to join us.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

We are very lucky. When I started this project I had no idea how gratifying it would be. The best part, aside from the water initiative, is proving that ANYONE can embark on a massive expedition. And I so hate that word. You cannot take an "expedition" to your local campground, or an "expedition" to drive to an overland event with 20,000 people. But it is still possible to load up Defender, stock it with supplies, recruit the best cooks, porters, and mechanics available, and venture into regions of the Himalayas no other foreigners have ever seen....ever! Anyone can do it. It's all right there, ready for the taking. I just wish more people would stop buying bumpers and TVs, and save up to join our trips. These undiscovered places....are vanishing.

In March I host a PBS film crew in Nepal to document the last of a few vanishing Himalayan cultures. They will see things now westerner has ever seen. I applaud them for their creativity and willingness to chase a proper adventure story.

Last January we completed an expedition to locate a 900 year old nomadic tribe called the Raute. They lived in the Himalayan foothills for 21 generations surviving of hunted monkeys and living with forests ghosts and demons. One of the most elusive peoples in the world, they are now.....gone. We opened an expedition to anyone willing to join. No takers other than my photographer friend Kieth. We were the last professional photographers to document this ancient culture before it was lost forever.

Expeditions. Real ones. I wish more people would join us. I will never understand why they don't.

This is a Raute princess, or was in January. This was the last village of 64 known Raute. Ten years ago a BBC film crew found them and counted 221. Our contacts said this year, there are none to be found. 900 years and....gone. So sad.

Glad I was one of the last to discover them.
View attachment 129023

And again, anyone is welcome to join us.

How do you live, where does your substance come from ? I am to old and about to disappear myself but always wanted to do what you ate doing. It takes money to travel and money when you get there. How do you do it so others may take advantage of your insight. Just wanting to go, help, and be a part of things is mostly just wishful thinking for most unless your pockets are lined with gold.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

How do you live, where does your substance come from ? I am to old and about to disappear myself but always wanted to do what you ate doing. It takes money to travel and money when you get there. How do you do it so others may take advantage of your insight. Just wanting to go, help, and be a part of things is mostly just wishful thinking for most unless your pockets are lined with gold.

We had a 75 year old retired Army Ranger join us last may. I think three of the guys to join us on motorbikes, very demanding, were over 63. As for the costs, that's a tough one. However, just scroll through these pages and you'll see that many people simply chose to spend their potential travel funds on lift kits, winches, suspension upgrades, trips to the local football game, new tools for their new tool box.... It's really just about choosing experiences over stuff.

I'm a great example. For 10 years I was a journalist. Not exactly the path to riches. I'm now the director of a nonprofit, also not the road to big bucks. It's just a matter of deciding what to spend our meager funds on.

 

[Billiebob]

After 25 years in Rotary and a few overseas trips on Rotary projects I have the highest respect for all you are doing. The water systems are the tangible part, easy to understand. The ambassadorship your expeditions bring to people who have never seen our culture is absolutely priceless. I am most impressed with the respect you have for these people which comes thru in your writing. Done right these are the actions which might lead to a more peaceful world.

If you want to do things, rather than accumulate things, travel can be cheaper than living at home. I am envious of those like you willing to chose that road.

 

[Dilldog]

We had a 75 year old retired Army Ranger join us last may. I think three of the guys to join us on motorbikes, very demanding, were over 63. As for the costs, that's a tough one. However, just scroll through these pages and you'll see that many people simply chose to spend their potential travel funds on lift kits, winches, suspension upgrades, trips to the local football game, new tools for their new tool box.... It's really just about choosing experiences over stuff.

I'm a great example. For 10 years I was a journalist. Not exactly the path to riches. I'm now the director of a nonprofit, also not the road to big bucks. It's just a matter of deciding what to spend our meager funds on.

I know what you mean, to an extent. My wife and I choose to spend much of our extra money on experiences that not only benefit us but also other people (we host exchange students year round for various programs), and both of us spend a fair amount of our free time working for non profits and charities. I have tons of respect for the service mentality that you are an example of. Also I will admit that Im not 100% sure I could actually do what you do, taking a leap that big out of your comfort zone is something that would take significant effort for myself, and another reason why I have respect for you and those that you work with.

 

[PapaDave]

I’d like to know more info!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

All that glitters is NOT Gold ! It is a golden opportunity for the young to middle age adventurous type to give of themselves. I don't know many women who would follow their man and live in total poverty for more than a day or two. Would I put my family through this, hell no.

Sorry but I think this sort of thing is for government to provide, lord knows how much we give these places in financial aid to solve things like clean water and sanitation. I would have a long conversation with an Embassy diplomat before I took any leap into a third world country.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

After 25 years in Rotary and a few overseas trips on Rotary projects I have the highest respect for all you are doing. The water systems are the tangible part, easy to understand. The ambassadorship your expeditions bring to people who have never seen our culture is absolutely priceless. I am most impressed with the respect you have for these people which comes thru in your writing. Done right these are the actions which might lead to a more peaceful world.

If you want to do things, rather than accumulate things, travel can be cheaper than living at home. I am envious of those like you willing to chose that road.

Good on ya, Billie. I have heard nothing but great things about the Rotary and hope to find new ways to partner with them. Thank you for your efforts.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

I’d like to know more info!

Message sent. :)

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

All that glitters is NOT Gold ! It is a golden opportunity for the young to middle age adventurous type to give of themselves. I don't know many women who would follow their man and live in total poverty for more than a day or two. Would I put my family through this, hell no.

Sorry but I think this sort of thing is for government to provide, lord knows how much we give these places in financial aid to solve things like clean water and sanitation. I would have a long conversation with an Embassy diplomat before I took any leap into a third world country.

All reasonable feedback. I'll even be the first to agree it is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, not just young to middle age men, to enrich themselves. That's kind of the idea. I started this as a journalist reporting on water health issues in the Himalayas. Then decided to DO SOMETHING about it. Along the way, I found the experience super fun, rewarding, and you bet I'm a better man for it. Then I decided to create opportunities for others without my access to get the chance to live it themselves. And we've had plenty of adventuresome women come with us including an all-women team last month.

As for involving the Nepali Government, we work very closely with national and local agencies. I am on first name familiarity with the highest level officials in the government and know the US Ambassador well. Keep in mind, Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world and gets virtually no money from the US outside of extremely limited work done by USAID. We're not exactly flooding Nepal with funds, but the money we invest, is invested in the people of Nepal so they can, as you say, help themselves. To that end we have a growing team of Nepali doctors, teachers, and facilitators doing work for their people.

I will also add this. Every year 16,000 kids in Nepal die due to foul water. This in a country with the population of Ohio. More than once, too many times in fact, I've spent the day cutting wood to cremate the body of a small child in a Hindu ceremony. These great people suffer. Some of us don't see the need to pass the hat to hope someone else will offer basic assistance. And, for our travel teams, they get to not just help, but apply their own vacation funds to discover one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Doing good - and having fun - is not a bad thing.

It might be a poor nation, but it's also proud, beautiful, and extremely cultured. These are the most polite, giving, friendly, and loving people I have met in my world travels. Everyone I know to spend time with them are better for it. Certainly true for me.


And the use of "third world" is a bit of a dated term. "Undeveloped" is perhaps more fitting. Thanks for your feedback though. If we couldn't accept it, we wouldn't be doing our jobs.

Sure, this kid is poor by every metric. And the governments of the US and Nepal will never come to his aid. But we can. And again, have fun doing it. It's fun for us, fun for them. Win-win.


This team from the US brought enough water purificaton equipment to Nepal to serve 48 remote schools and more than 2,000 people. In exchange, we got to have a fun cultural festival. It gave them an opportunity to practice their ancient dances and songs. Again....everyone wins. They were also the first foreigners to ever visit this community in the Himalayas.

 

[AL.WVSN]

This is amazing. Needs more attn to this... One of these days, I'll travel this road...

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

I am ready wh

This is amazing. Needs more attn to this... One of these days, I'll travel this road...

I am ready when you are. I just booked our flights to Nepal in March....and we have yet to leave Nepal for the season!