Anyone who has done any hill walking or serious hiking will know that when you come around the corner of a hill, and you see a town or village, there is an easy way to locate the centre, where the food, drink and accommodation are.
Just look for the church spire or other landmark.
A couple of weeks ago I was travelling through the Kalahari desert, heading for a town called Upington, in South Africa. We came around a bend in the road and I saw a landmark, on a hill. So I knew the town was close and I knew where to head for. The only problem was that we were far , far away from the town, so this landmark must be enormous.
When we arrived in the town, we found a hotel but there was no sign of that massive structure in the town centre and I was puzzled. Where had it gone ?
I found out the next day when we went exploring to the west , along the Orange river. We saw it a few kilometres west of the town, in the desert, not on a hill, but massive. Hulking.
What could it be ? Most things in locations like this are associated with water. That's why most towns in the US or Australia have water names, like Clearwater, Bitter Creek, Sweetwater, Springfield etc, etc.
But it was not a water tower. Not a grain silo. Too hulking for a communications tower. This thing is massive. We joked that it looked like a futuristic solar collector from a sci fi game , like Alpha Centuri.
And that is exactly what it is. 200m high. It is straight out of a science fiction film, taller than the Gherkin, it is surrounded by mirrors which will boil water in a tank. The steam will drive turbines to produce electricity
super heated steam will provide electricity up to 2 hours after the sun goes down
I got these piccies -
Just look for the church spire or other landmark.
A couple of weeks ago I was travelling through the Kalahari desert, heading for a town called Upington, in South Africa. We came around a bend in the road and I saw a landmark, on a hill. So I knew the town was close and I knew where to head for. The only problem was that we were far , far away from the town, so this landmark must be enormous.
When we arrived in the town, we found a hotel but there was no sign of that massive structure in the town centre and I was puzzled. Where had it gone ?
I found out the next day when we went exploring to the west , along the Orange river. We saw it a few kilometres west of the town, in the desert, not on a hill, but massive. Hulking.
What could it be ? Most things in locations like this are associated with water. That's why most towns in the US or Australia have water names, like Clearwater, Bitter Creek, Sweetwater, Springfield etc, etc.
But it was not a water tower. Not a grain silo. Too hulking for a communications tower. This thing is massive. We joked that it looked like a futuristic solar collector from a sci fi game , like Alpha Centuri.
And that is exactly what it is. 200m high. It is straight out of a science fiction film, taller than the Gherkin, it is surrounded by mirrors which will boil water in a tank. The steam will drive turbines to produce electricity
super heated steam will provide electricity up to 2 hours after the sun goes down
I got these piccies -
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