Some local dude saw us while we waited for the bus, and came over to wish us good luck. Smearing some we-don't-know-what on our foreheads, we had a bit of a giggle, until he cheekily asked us for money, so we politely told him he could find his own luck somewhere else. The joke was on us though, because he 'kindly' doused us with marigold petals, which we were still plucking out of our hair two hours later!
Our bumpy bus ride to the put-in point of river gave us our first glimpse of rural life in Nepal. Dust. Dogs. Roadside shops. Speaking of roads, they're danger-mouse! The drop off is steep, and the cliff side so solid. Flags, flowers, streamers and logos adorn the grumbling trucks as they heave up and over the Himalayan foothills (which are reminiscent of the winding Rimatukas), headed for Kathmandu.
Terraced fields are embedded into the lower slopes, with rice or corn seemingly being the preferred crops. Marigolds dot the landscape, adding a splash of brightness to the otherwise dusty green fields.
Rivers snaked through the gaps in the giant mountains, ooooh, hold on, we should keep that description for another day when the real mountain giants are explored. In any case the road west of Kathmandu pops up and over the side of the basin in which the big smoke sits, then winds down along the rivers. Wherever there are mountains there are rivers, and we headed for Trishuli River for three days kayaking and rafting.
A ute pulled up with a troupe of six boys clinging on to the precariously laden tray. The boys are led by a muscly and smiley man named Dil. Dil looks the part, and it felt great to have some brute force around. The lads busied themselves and we were soon getting our wetsuits on and rafts were being pumped on the sun-drenched riverside. A couple of French clowns called Max and Abu joined us.
The Trishuli River has metallic looking speckles suspended in the water, and looks like fairy dust if the sun is behind you. After fitting our (Blistick!) kayaks, we headed upstream a bit to warm up and for the guides to have a rough idea of how much rescuing they might need to do!
The boys were amazing! Kanchha is 22, his ready smile revealing a perfect set of sparkling white teeth. Kanchha's so at home on the river, he can manipulate his boat better than most can control their cars. His fun-loving side-kick called Milan has an ever present smile, and the biggest heart. The boys made us feel really at home with them, and more importantly, safe.
In the end, some of us kayaked and some of us rafted. The river flowed quite swiftly, and it'd be epic to see how many cumecs would fit through after the monsoons. The rapids were mostly between grades II and III+ ... with a grade IV+ was snuck in to keep the rafters on their toes (us kayakers were glad to walk the larger one!).
Cruising along through the flat patches, we laughed and joked with our guides. The young chaps taught us tricks, like a million different ways to rotate your paddle above your head, and how to whistle with your fingers, and kayaking tips too. Kanchha and Milan showed us some insane tricks in their kayaks. Like flipping their kayak in the air, and trying to land it on the water (it did help that they had a play boat, but still it was super impressive!)
Whenever the sound of a rapid would be heard in the distance, the guides would put on their serious faces and brief us about which line to take. The balance between playful interactions and serious instructions were amazing for such young blokes. Milan is 17, and I tailed his blue boat like superglue most of the time. Milan had the poise of a pro in his boat, and I felt confident trusting my life to him.
Rapids had names like, Snail's Nose (that's imagination!), Upset (which it did and I went for a swim!), Surprise (water rushed from all angles), Ladies Delight (a bit of a smaller rapid, which would give the feminists something to talk about!), and the Pinball Rapid (quite an apt name!). Blandy's in the green boat below.
Paddling all day let us observe local river life. Gold panners. Nudey-rudey children playing along the stony banks. Ladies squatting for hours on end, washing clothes by hand. Men bathing under piped water that emptied like a shower above communal bathrooms on the side of the river. Little dusty people traipsing across the many suspension bridges, with baskets carrying tomatoes and veggies to market. They must have strong necks, because many of the baskets were held by a cloth that went around their foreheads. Oh la la!
Arriving at our campsite around 4pm, the lads quickly started a fire while us travellers sat together and chatted. Hearing a few grunts, we noticed a new guy called Kumar had collected a lot of branches and was bringing them to boost our fire. Kumar was born deaf, looks a bit weathered, and could compete with an ox for strength. He grunts and gesticulates articulately to share his stories. He kept us intrigued for a few hours with all of his emphatic re-enactments of near death rafting episodes! Kumar loves the river, and loves Dil. It was plain to see that the men respected each other, even though they live worlds apart. We were glad to meet Kumar, and watch how hard he worked, cleaning pots, carrying wood, moving stones to create a platform for our deck chairs. Kumar is an amazing guy!
Our campsite magicly sprung up all around us it seemed. The guides were like a merry band of brothers, teasing each other, racing each other to set up tents, and fashioning us a feast. Paddling makes ya hungry, and when Kanchha called out 'Dinner is on the table' we couldn't have heard happier words. Silky smooth hot vegetable soup and papadoms were delicious. Dunno how those guys made it so smooth without a stick whizz, but they did. Perhaps they ground the soup between a couple of rocks?! A short while later the table was again full of piping hot food. Rice, stir-fried veggies, tuna salad, some beef concoction, spaghetti, corn and mushrooms. The guys had prepared all these dishes on two gas burners, on the side of a river, pretty much in the dark. Legends!
After a few stories and marshmallows around the fire, Dil pulled out a bottle of Nepali rum. He said it was really strong, and flicked a capful on the fire to prove his point. Flames burst high into the air. Dil took a pot containing water, canned fruit, pepper and honey, and generously poured his rum into the mixture. Dil's hot rum punch was passed around the circle, and the whole group of us including the band of lads enjoyed the time together. More stories, more laughs. What a happy life!
Tucking into our toasty sleeping bags on the sandy riverside felt real nice. We were lulled into a deep sleep by the gentle sounds of the water.
Waking up we manged on crepes, toast, Nepali hash browns (the most delicious tasting garlic and onion potatoes), eggs and rice. The boys had done it again! We went with Milan over the suspension bridge to his home town. Climbing up to a lookout point, we saw ancient-looking small stone houses, little Buddhist shrines, veggie plots, and the river winding below us.
Just before taking the photo below Milan casually said 'And up over there you will see a spider.' Looking up we winced as our eyes beheld the mother of all nightmarish spiders. With webs of 3 meter width, and about the same height, these colossal spiders are freaky. Milan was quick to add 'oh, we don't need to be afraid, they are not poisonous.' The said black creature had yellow stripes on it, was easily 7 or 8 cm in length, maybe 2cm across the belly, and looked hungry. It kinda ruined the Nepali forest for me, later on I went for a squat and five brothers of that spider perched in the trees behind me, giving me stage fright!
(The photo above was taken from a safe distance because the spider was scary. He was much bigger than the photo depicts. If you don't believe us, we can post you one if you like!)
The river was so fun the second day, we could hardly believe our luck! Somehow Blandy caned over in the first piddly rapid, but came up all grins when she pulled off an Eskimo roll when it was needed! The day before had seen a few attempts, but the skills were pretty rusty, and the roll had been elusive. Glad that our bodies have a memory of their own! Rolls from then on were a piece of cake!
After saying goodbye to our fellow travellers, we hunkered down for another night of camping by the river. More stories around the fire, more heroic tales enacted by Kumar, more fine food.
The last day felt relaxed and happy. With just the two of us and seven guides, we were well looked after! Finishing up with a late lunch, we thanked our new mates, and felt glad the river had let us journey safely. Mostly we thanked our guides though, they'd hauled both us and our kayaks out of the drink a fair few times! If you're wanting a raft or a kayak experience, definitely hunt down Adventure Aves, details below.
We bussed back to Kathmandu for a days rest, before the start of our Everest Base Camp Trek. (eeeeek, are we ready? Will we make it? Are we strong enough?)
Of COURSE you are! Great stories to tell the nephew. Enjoy the adventure. Love to you both. Barbara xx
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing!!! Spider not so much.
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