The land was virtually useless and lacked paved roads, plumbing and electricity.

CNN: 'Protest with a proposal'

Roscoe, Ethel, and their three boys lived in a log cabin that had no electricity, no plumbing, and no heat except for a fireplace that doubled as the cooking area.

NPR: Edward R. Murrow: Broadcasting History

He grew up in a village that lacked indoor plumbing and electricity, but like millions of others throughout the world, he believed in the story of America.

WHITEHOUSE: Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

It took decades for cars to replace horses, electricity to replace candles, and indoor plumbing to replace outhouses.

FORBES: Connecting marketers to the Forbes audience. What is this?

The U.S. military, in addition to carving bases out of Camp Victory's palaces and the vast surrounding farmland, and giving streets and pathways names such as "Washington" and "Lost Lake, " has spent tens of millions of dollars to retrofit the area to its needs, with modifications including plumbing, electricity supply and ice-making.

WSJ: Turf Battle Forms Over Hussein's Palaces

All of the productivity gains and economic growth achieved in the last 150 years, he explained, come thanks to inventions that are behind us: electricity, the internal combustion engine, indoor plumbing and heating, electronics and computers.

FORBES: Would You Rather Have Indoor Plumbing Or An iPhone?

As guests of the custom-tour organizer Shakti Himalaya, we are ensconced in the heart of village life but with plumbing, (occasional) hot water, and (balky) electricity.

FORBES: Feature