I Feel Electrically Helpless

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I Feel Electrically Helpless
Lome, Togo West Africa
Thursday, March 15, 2007

I turned on the air conditioning, just long enough to cool down the room and to give myself a cool easy feeling.

Then the electricity drops to an unbelievably low level, I can feel it as the air conditioner comes almost to a complete stop, I can feel the compressor, the fan, the movements inside the air conditioner. I know it is hurting, there is a continually edging away at its ability to function. How long can this air conditioner tolerate the abuse?

It causes me great inner frustration as I know I am helpless to help the air conditioner, I can only leave and go to another city, where maybe the electric workers do a better job, the is nothing almost ok in this small quadrant of the city of Lome, there is a need to fire some workers for negligence. I am in places where the electricity goes off, and on, but not where the voltage is so radically variant in nature.

I do not know the theories why exactly, I will slowly endeavor to learn why, however my astronomically mechanical mind knows there is problems being caused.

I know the small black box in the computer electrical line is also squealing a complaint, and my portable cell phone is already damaged, small, continues to regroup and try again to function, and is presently ok, yet I know just a few more straws and the smallish camel inside the cell phone will breaks its back, it will go over the edge.

The enjoyment or bright side of this, I now can go into the depths of the Encyclopedia Encarta and learn about things like Generators, Power Stations, Resisters, Volts, Voltage regulator and try to learn what those big masses of glass, wire and purple looking glass mounds surrounded by a fence outside my home town is doing?

I am in a place where what is supposed to happen, does not happen and I can see the why-it-is-needed, but that does not mean I understand.

Now with GPRS Cell Phone connection, when the Encyclopedia drops the ball and can tell me no more, I go to the internet and it will take me on to step two for learning. I normally need to quiz a professional to go to step three.

I have never heard of this before, however, there appears to be a need to buy a large voltage regulator for the Hotel complex.

Time to make instant coffee water with my one-cup cooker before I need to use alcohol to cook. Addictions require maintenance.

I Feel Electrically Helpless

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Reader Submitted Comments | Deleted Comments (0)

Edward said on Friday March 16th, 2007 06:47:00 AM

You need a solar cell :p

goingeverywhereslow said on Friday March 16th, 2007 07:55:00 AM

I looked online at nationmaster and apparently Togo gets their electricity from Ghana next door.Ghana energy base is 95 percent hydro. Ghana generates just slightly more electricity than it consumes, about a 5 percent margin. Near as I can tell, Togo sucks up about two thirds of all Ghana electric exports. If true, thats quite a dependency.

Andy HoboTraveler.com said on Friday March 16th, 2007 08:48:00 AM

That nationmaster is good.A man said the got the electricity from Ghana, this is the dry season as best I can tell, the rainy season I guess will start soon.I then hope the elctricity is better.No matter if I had solar cells or not, the problme is the design of the room demands enough electricity to run a fan. I had a small 15 Volt computer fan, I left it in Nepal, it would be better than nothingIndia took my 16 rechargable batteries. I do have one solar panel for AA batteries, now I do not have all the parts.I do not know how well one small 15 Volt Computer fan will keep me cool. The best system is to have some hammock set up, instead everyone lie around on the ground or in very uncomfortable locations.

hotspringfreak said on Friday March 16th, 2007 11:15:00 AM

A hand-crank or windup Cell phone charger would be nice for unreliable local power. Many varieties available now, some are dedicated phone chargers, others built-in as a feature of some LED flashlights, still other multi-LED lanterns with little radios or bigger and better potable radios with a single LED light and phone charger combination ...all windup sorts. Freeplay's Phone Charger, also includes a barrel DC cigarette lighter charging adapter, an AC charger (either 110V, 220V or both on request) and the phone connector of your choice (also on request). Their customizable parts are free on request and are sent postage free as well. A wonderful company and the originator of dynamo hand-cranked gear.- Chris