[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 10 December 2012. Minor edits have since been made from the original post to update some links and info.]

 

19 March 2012, Monday

Morning Call: 5:30am

This morning, I woke up automatically at 5:30am, even before my alarm clock rang. Thankfully the electricity had been restored, so we didn’t have to wash up or pack our bags in darkness this time round. It was cold outside, about 10 degrees Celcius. We checked out of Elbrus Home and walked to Thamel, which was quiet with most of the shops’ shutters still down. There were only a few early risers and taxi drivers waiting hopefully. We popped into the bakery shop that had just opened for business and grabbed some croissants for breakfast.

At 6:30am, we reported to the Adrenaline Rush Nepal office, where we met a staff member and another German couple who was going to raft with us as well. We followed the staff and walked about 15 minutes to the bus park, where he put us on a tourist bus for the 3.5 hour ride to the Put-In point at Charaudi. The bus departed Kathmandu at 7am and drove westwards till 9:45am, when we stopped for a break at Blue Heaven Restaurant. At 10:15am, we resumed our journey and arrived at Charaudi at 10:33am.

Adrenaline Rush Nepal had a small office/shed at Charaudi where they stored their gear, and it was there where we met up with our two river guides, Raz and another man whose name I cannot recall (sorry!). There was another man named Rabin, who had just joined the company as a Sales Manager two weeks before, and this would be his first rafting expedition. He had in fact just completed his university studies recently, and decided to take the plunge (literally) by joining a river rafting company, doing Sales, which was unrelated to what he studied. I remember thinking how cool it was. I wouldn’t mind joining a trekking/rafting/outdoor adventure company in Nepal and get to go on expeditions every week.

After issuing us the gear (helmet, life jacket, a thick water-repelling top and an oar), we headed to the river bank for a short safety briefing, where Raz taught us the commands and what to do in case we capsized. They had a waterproof barrel on the raft, so we were allowed to bring our compact cameras, mobile phones and valuables for storage on board. We left the rest of our belongings (our backpacks) in the office, where they would have someone transport them to the stopover point later in the afternoon. So at 11:30am, we hit the water and began rafting on the Trisuli River.

The scenery was quite beautiful, with mountains flanking both sides of the river for most part. It was quite fun, but I soon noticed that the river was pretty mild. Even the Class 3 and 4 rapids were so-so only. I had expected a lot more thrills, because this is Nepal we’re talking about.

My previous two white water rafting trips in New Zealand and Malaysia were far more exciting and dangerous. I’m not saying “dangerous” as in “life-threatening”, but rather, “thrilling”. There should be a sense of looking at the rapid coming up ahead, and wondering “how on earth am I ever going to get through that?” kind of feeling, but I didn’t get that feeling on this rafting trip. There were no really steep drops or truly topsy turvy moments, so I was kinda disappointed, XY too.

When we later confided this with Raz and Rabin, they told us that it was because it was the dry season, so the water levels were not as high as what it would be in the wet season. Of course, you can’t raft in the peak monsoon season (summer season from June to end August) because it will be really too dangerous to do so, and only the very experienced rafters will be allowed on the river. The ideal time is after the monsoon season, from September to December, when the river is still swollen with water and about to subside.

Along the way, Raz pointed out to us the marks on the rocks that indicated the water level during the monsoon season, and it was quite a difference. With more water, the rapids would flow much faster and there would be more underlying currents, making it more thrilling and dangerous. But too bad, we were there during the dry season, and we didn’t have enough time in Nepal, otherwise we could have picked another river (e.g. Bhote Koshi or Kali Gandaki) that was more exciting, even in the dry season.

At 1pm, we stopped at a stretch of sandy white beach for lunch. While XY and I and the German couple contentedly took off our gear and relaxed on the beach, our hardworking river guides immediately started to prepare our lunch. They unloaded their supplies, spread a mat on the ground and began chopping up the lettuce, onions, carrots, cheese and mangoes. It was a simple lunch – bread with salad, tuna, bananas and plain water, but it was very satisfying, especially after 1.5 hours of working our arm muscles.

After having our stomachs filled, Raz tossed the balance unfinished food into the river. XY and I were quite stunned because it seemed like we were polluting the river, but Raz explained that everything goes back to nature, and the food will in turn feed the fishes, so nothing is wasted. At 2pm, we set off again and continued rafting.

The second half of the river was less thrilling than the first, and after a while, we began to get a little bored. Raz asked if we would like to take a dip in the river, and before we could answer, he pushed the German guy into the water. Rabin followed suit and soon after, I joined in as well. It was a sunny day, but the water was definitely very cold! It was refreshing to swim in the river, though XY later reminded me that this was the same river where they threw food into it.

At 3:30pm, we ended our rafting expedition at Gaighat. The German couple were going back to Kathmandu so it was just going to be just XY and I left. Our original package was to do two days of rafting, but after learning from Raz that the following day’s river course would be more of the same, we asked if we could modify our package and perhaps head to Pokhara that day instead of the following day.

Rabin called Nabin (the boss) to discuss the situation, but he didn’t agree to refund us for the second day, and suggested we try out Canyoning (repelling down a waterfall) the following day, instead of rafting. There was going to be an additional US$10 charge for the Canyoning too. Nabin’s explanation was that they had already catered for the food and hired the river guides for both days, so if we were to cut short by one day, it wouldn’t be fair for them. XY and I weren’t too keen initially because we didn’t know how much fun Canyoning would be, and also because of the additional charge. But we relented in the end, as we didn’t want to create a scene, and decided to just go with it since we were on holiday.

We deposited the gear in another small shed along the main road. Our luggage had also arrived, so we packed our essentials for the night into one bag, and at 4:30pm we made our way to Camp Amsterdam, the campsite where we would be spending the night. It was located in a secluded area across the river, and we had to cross a long suspension bridge to get there. The bridge was very sturdy so it wasn’t scary at all. We trekked for about half an hour before we reached Camp Amsterdam. The sun was about to set so we had a beautiful view of the river while we were trekking across.

When we reached Camp Amsterdam, we were pleasantly surprised to find it very clean and nice. I didn’t know what to expect actually, I thought we would be camping in the wild. But there was a big sheltered shed (like our army training sheds but without the benches) and proper toilets (but no lights inside), and we saw that the sleeping tents were already pitched. Our two river guides had gone ahead before us, so they must have pitched the tents before we arrived. In fact, they were already busy preparing dinner when we arrived at 5pm.

So we “checked in” to our tent, and found that it was very sturdy, with a zip to keep out insects and animals, and there was already a foam groundsheet laid out for us. It was spacious enough for the two of us and our bags. I must say it was nice to be camping in the wild, even better that we didn’t have to pitch our own tent! If we had to do it ourselves, I’m sure it would be saggy and not so well-constructed.

As night was falling soon, we decided to shower before it got really cold. As I mentioned, there were no lights in the toilet so we had to bring a torch along. But after closing the door, there was only a tiny opening where natural light could enter, and even with my torch, it was still very dark, so I showered in semi-darkness. Well, actually more like splashing water around with the hope of washing all the vital parts!

In fact, there was no electricity in the whole campsite, so they put up little translucent plastic bags of sand around the grounds and stuck a candle inside each bag, forming portable lamps. They also propped a few sticks to support the sides of the bag and to protect the flame from the wind. It was a very simple, clever and cheap way to make these portable lamps, ingenious!

After showering, we had plenty of time to kill before dinner was served, so we settled down comfortably in the shed. Even though the river wasn’t that challenging, our arms still had a good workout with three hours of rowing, so it was good to chill and wind down. Rabin brought a kettle of boiling water and made us tea, and we had a good chat about life in general.

Being a young Nepalese who had just completed university, Rabin had high hopes for his country, and he felt a little disappointed that Nepal just wasn’t making it even though they had plenty of natural attractions like mountains, rivers, canyons, and lots of good-hearted, hardworking people. He felt strongly that Nepal had so much to offer in terms of tourism, but perhaps due to lack of leadership and ambition, the country still hadn’t progressed much in the past few decades. I think it is quite true, especially when I recalled how the International Airport was still so retro-looking, like it was stuck in the past and hadn’t moved on with the times. It was heartening to hear him speak about his country with such pride but yet with so much disappointment too. Hopefully more people like him will take up the mantle and drive Nepal to further growth economically and raise the standard of living for its people.

As the sun set fully, the entire campsite became pitch dark save for the scattering of portable candlelight lamps around. Our two river guides were still cooking dinner for us. As there was no electricity or gas, they had to do everything by fire, which was why it took so long. Finally at 8pm, dinner was ready, with white rice, pasta and potato vegetable curry. It was a simple affair, yet super hard-earned.

I really have utmost respect for those guys. They have to multi-task and take on so many roles – river guiding, maintaining our camp (pitching our tents), prepare lunch and dinner manually using the most basic equipment. It was such a tough job! We were already tired out after rafting yet they still had to cook in darkness for more than three hours to prepare food for us, and they never complained once. Needless to say, I enjoyed the dinner tremendously.

After dinner, they finally allowed themselves to unwind. They brought out a guitar some small tribal drums, and began playing some music and singing songs in their native language, while smoking weed. We joined them, not to smoke weed, but to dance around and play the drums. It was a fun night. I think it would have been even more fun if there were more people, but it was still good.

Afterwards, XY and I dragged out the foam mats from our tent and laid them on the grass, and we laid upon the mats, staring at the star-strewn sky above. As it was pitch dark all around camp, we could see plenty of stars in the sky. We were just chatting away when suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky. It lasted for all of two seconds. Surprised by its occurrence, XY asked if I had seen it, just to confirm that it wasn’t an illusion from staring at the sky for too long. We were both just so amazed to have seen a shooting star for the first time in our lives. It was a magical moment, and we quickly made a wish. I can’t remember what I wished for, but it doesn’t matter. That shooting star was all it needed to erase all the small disappointments we had encountered so far.

Lying there and looking at the sky, we both felt grateful and at ease. We were in the middle of nowhere, we were camping out in a tent and it was just a totally different way of living our lives. Normally, there would be a soft and comfortable bed at home, with a roof above our heads, but here, somewhere in Nepal, we were sleeping among the mountains and nature. It was awe-inspiring. XY thanked me for the trip, for allowing her to experience all of this. I myself was thankful that I had gone on the trip too.

As night fell, the temperature dropped, so we reluctantly pulled ourselves into the comfort of the tent and went to sleep. We had brought our sleeping bags along so it wasn’t so bad, but I remember it got quite cold as the night wore on. Exhausted by a day of rafting, it didn’t take long before we drifted into dreamland, happily thinking of the next adventure to follow.