Just got back into Kathmandu after almost two weeks on the river- first 10 days on the Sunkosi with the Nepali girls, team swede, team kiwi and Inka- it was a good, if long and very sandy trip- ill be sure and do a full write up soon once i get a chance to upload some photos- and from the end of the Sun Kosi almost straight away to the Trisuli for the Himalayan River Festival.
The Festival was a three day event- starting off with a slalom course, a freestyle event the next day, and the last day ended with a 10k downriver kayak race and a 15k downriver raft race. Organized mainly by Peak UK and Paddle Nepal, the festival was a huge success, with tons of competitor; both Nepalese and International. For the first time ever there were 3 Nepali Women competing as well- with lots of motivation to do well as first prize for ladies was a Jackson Kayak. Unfortunatley, most of the ladies from the Sun Kosi trip werent quite ready to compete this year- but after sitting, watching and cheering for three days, i think they all gained heaps of motivation and said they were excited to compete next year.
For the international ladies, first prize went to Christine Glissmeyer, an American chica from Oregon- Sophie Hoskins styled it for second place, representing the Nepali Girls trip, and Lili White from Switzerland took third. All of us ladies from the Nepali Girls trip were pretty on form after ten days on the river,and made a massive showing. There were at least 20 girls competing in all three events- which is huge! I've never experianced something like that before and hope it will inspire the Nepali ladies even more. All of the girls put in an awesome showing- some of the competitiors had only been paddling for a few months, and one for a few weeks! Emi- one of the Kiwi ladies who came out for the Nepali Girls trip hopped back in a kayak for a few days on the Sun Kosi, ran some rapids, did a few rolls, and went out for the freestyle festival. She took one swim- but was out there having fun and setting an awesome example for the Nepali girls. Malin Bergman, another NRG trip participant styled the slalom course, beating all the other girls by almost 10 seconds with a time that would have been competitive with the men. Two of the women competing for Nepal had been on the river trip with us, brushing up on their skills- and it definatley showd. They wowed the crowds and tore it up in the competition to finish first and second.
I did allright- taking sixth in the slalom course (i forgot how much fun slalom is- its an entirely different way of looking at the rapids and features on a river) and ending up in third for the freestyle after leading the ladies until the finals. It was my second freestyle comp, and my first attempt at having fun surfing a creekboat in a hole. It was funny to watch us all try- biggest beatdown was the way to go, with points awarded for each change of direction, as well as any trick pulled. During finals Christine pulled off a huge ariel loop (front summersault ) in her creekboat to take the win. Nothing like seeing the girls go as big as the boys! Unfortunatley, I put myself out of the running in the down river race after a slightly slow start and rescuing two swimmers, making sure everyone got down safely. In the end its all about the humor- which there was a lot of to be sure. Good laughs, good kayaking and good parties. Can't ask for much more than that.
After a strong start in the Slalom course, with Anton finishing 2nd and Will 4th, the boys didnt get great rides in the pre-lims of the freestyle comp, missing out on key points for the overall win. They did well in the downriver race, but missed out on the top three places. Im not sure about the end results for either the Nepali Men or International men, but will be sure to try and update when i can. The competition had tons of sponsers, meaning loads of gear prizes for the Nepali winners, helping contribute to their ability to work on the river. Robson paddles, Predator Helments, a Riot Kayak and other odds and ends were among the prizes for the Nepalis. Its great to see that kind of support for all the local boater out here who obviously work hard at what they do.
Im busy finalizing a write-up of the Sun Kosi trip, and trying to find some photos to post, but there will be an update soon. Will heads back to Uganda tomorrow, and i head off to back to Pokhara either for a brief trek in the Himalayas with some of the Kiwis, or onto some more paddling missions with Anton and Josh Neilson.
It sounds like the boys mission on the Bhote Khosi and Upper Seti went well- if slightly more hectic than anticipated. For details- be sure to check out Wills blog- http://www.thenileprogression.blogspot.com/ he hasn't put an update on yet, but will once he gets some photos sorted.
cheers!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Marshyagndi trip
After a few days rest in Pokhara, Will and I decided to head up to the Marshyagndi for a quick mission while Anton headed into Kathmandu to meet up with some friends and hit the casino for some free fried tofu.
The Marshyagndi is described in the guide book as one of the classic runs of Nepal- and afer doing it, it is easy to see why. Like most of the rivers here, the water is clear and cold. The rapids are steeper and more continuous the higher up you go- gradually slowing down to a flat water paddle out.
To get to the river is a bit of a mission in itself- though nothing compared to the Kali Gandaki! Will and I took a bus to Beshishahar- 5 hours of bouncing around whilst being enterained by Bollywood films- amazing! Upon arriving in Beshishahar, we had lunch, hired some porters, and began walking up to Ngadi, where we would eventually put on the river.
Its funny to see the river from the road as you drive up- it offers you a different point of view as you attempt to scout the rapids from the road. Because Will had been to he river 2 weeks previously with Anton, he was busy trying to orient himself while i was looking at the the rapids going, they look alright. Again- perspective from a bus window driving by a river several hundred feet below you- all the rapids will look smaller and more insignifigant. Sill- its fun to look.
When Will and Anton went two weeks ago, they hiked to Ngadi from Beshishahar in two days- stopping in Bhul Bhule because it had gotten too dark to see. It turns out this was actually a good thing- because the boys were able to sneak past the border post of the Annapurna national park to get to Ngadi without needing permits. A group of British paddlers out here later went a week later and were stopped by the park rangers; even though the river isn't technically in the park. The ended up putting on a little lower down. As a result, Will and I decided to try to repeat his and Antons trip by leaving later, walking as far a Bhul Bhule and continuing to the put in the next day. We were successful- it was dark by the time we got to Khudi and there were no rangers in sight.
>
Last Light on the Annapurna range of the Himalayas as we hiked to Bhul Bhule
The walk took about 3 hours at a slower pace. Will and I carried our paddles, while we hired porter to carry our boats. Amazing. The have a little headband attached to a piece of string which goes through the grab loops of the boat. Then, they place the boat on their backs with all the weight in their neck and heads and start walking. After struggling on the Kali Gandaki- i want one of those headband things! You see them everywhere in Nepal, it is how most things here get carried. It is incredible to see smaller people managing these ridiculously heavy loads. Funny how in most places in the world, heavy things are carried on your heads. I wonder why not in the states?
our porters heading out of Beshishahar
Nepali Women carrying baskets using the same headband /basket carry method. I think our boats were a slightly heavier!
We made it Bhul Bhule, found a tea house to stay in, had some dahl bhat for dinner and prepared for the next day. The river runs right along a 21 day trekking route meaning that we found plenty of places to stay and resupply. It also meant that we had plenty of spectators as we made our way down the river the next day.
Crossing one of the bridges just before dark.
The river itself, as i mentioned before is a classic. Clean water, pretty gorges, and fun rapids. We put in next to a little tea house in Ngadi after about an hours walk that morning. The river started up right away with continuous, larger volume style rapids with some good sized eddys. The first hour or so had limited visibility- meaning a lot of eddy hopping, but no real scouting was necessary. By this time Will and I have a good litle system worked out- he goes first, and i either catch a different eddy, the same eddy, or if the line is good to go, follow or watch him down. Its a bit like being babysat on the river- so its great. It means that i feel a lot more comfortable on rivers that make me a bit nervous, and give me the confidence to paddle at my level. In the end game, Will is ahead, and he is mostly choosing the lines, but i still have to recognize them and either make them- or not make them- myself. You still do the work, and the more you paddle the more you start to recognize and become comfortable.
After about an hour and half, the river started to open up a bit, and we weren't even eddy hopping so much as reading and running. Lots of big volume wave trains, and some large pour overs and holes- most of which i managed to find. Ive gotten really good at side surfing a creekboat!For some reason i find it a little difficult to read the water here- i often only see the pour overs at the last minute- or i end up in them. Im getting better. There is a lot to take in i guess.
Me near the end of the day- photo by Will Clark
When Will and Anton ran the Marshyangdi, they paddled it in one day- even though it is advertised as a two or three day trip. Read Wills blog for the full story of their mission- something crazy about hopping a bus around a dam, hiking in and out a gorge, pulling boats up cliff faces with ropes, etc...
We got to the dam and decided to call it a day- short and sweet, and hopped a bus back to Pokhara for one last day before heading to Kathmandu where i will meet up with Inka and the Kiwis to begin working with them, and Will and Anton head up to the Bhote Khosi- trying to paddle it from the Tibetian border.
In all, i'm really glad i had these two weeks to paddle and acclimate myself to both the river and to the country. I feel a lot better equipped to help train up these women on their local rivers having had some experience on them- and seeing how some of the rafting trips are run. Its an interesting thing, coming in from somewhere else to "teach" locals about their own rivers. One thing i have found is that everywhere you go, it is a different story- things run and function completely differently. I have been fortunate enough to work in PA, Maine, and on the Nile, and while things i learned in each came in handy- no one experience fully resembled the other. How could i begin to imagine that i am in any way qualified to come in to work with these women without knowing where or what they are working on? I can tell them all about how things worked in Uganda, or about how my company ran things in Maine- but how does it pertain to what they are doing here- especially if i have never experienced their country and their rivers?
I think that's what will make these next few weeks so interesting- gaining perspectives on the whitewater industry from people from all around the world, who have worked all around the world. We will just have to wait and see how it all goes.
The Marshyagndi is described in the guide book as one of the classic runs of Nepal- and afer doing it, it is easy to see why. Like most of the rivers here, the water is clear and cold. The rapids are steeper and more continuous the higher up you go- gradually slowing down to a flat water paddle out.
To get to the river is a bit of a mission in itself- though nothing compared to the Kali Gandaki! Will and I took a bus to Beshishahar- 5 hours of bouncing around whilst being enterained by Bollywood films- amazing! Upon arriving in Beshishahar, we had lunch, hired some porters, and began walking up to Ngadi, where we would eventually put on the river.
Its funny to see the river from the road as you drive up- it offers you a different point of view as you attempt to scout the rapids from the road. Because Will had been to he river 2 weeks previously with Anton, he was busy trying to orient himself while i was looking at the the rapids going, they look alright. Again- perspective from a bus window driving by a river several hundred feet below you- all the rapids will look smaller and more insignifigant. Sill- its fun to look.
When Will and Anton went two weeks ago, they hiked to Ngadi from Beshishahar in two days- stopping in Bhul Bhule because it had gotten too dark to see. It turns out this was actually a good thing- because the boys were able to sneak past the border post of the Annapurna national park to get to Ngadi without needing permits. A group of British paddlers out here later went a week later and were stopped by the park rangers; even though the river isn't technically in the park. The ended up putting on a little lower down. As a result, Will and I decided to try to repeat his and Antons trip by leaving later, walking as far a Bhul Bhule and continuing to the put in the next day. We were successful- it was dark by the time we got to Khudi and there were no rangers in sight.
>
Last Light on the Annapurna range of the Himalayas as we hiked to Bhul Bhule
The walk took about 3 hours at a slower pace. Will and I carried our paddles, while we hired porter to carry our boats. Amazing. The have a little headband attached to a piece of string which goes through the grab loops of the boat. Then, they place the boat on their backs with all the weight in their neck and heads and start walking. After struggling on the Kali Gandaki- i want one of those headband things! You see them everywhere in Nepal, it is how most things here get carried. It is incredible to see smaller people managing these ridiculously heavy loads. Funny how in most places in the world, heavy things are carried on your heads. I wonder why not in the states?
our porters heading out of Beshishahar
Nepali Women carrying baskets using the same headband /basket carry method. I think our boats were a slightly heavier!
We made it Bhul Bhule, found a tea house to stay in, had some dahl bhat for dinner and prepared for the next day. The river runs right along a 21 day trekking route meaning that we found plenty of places to stay and resupply. It also meant that we had plenty of spectators as we made our way down the river the next day.
The river itself, as i mentioned before is a classic. Clean water, pretty gorges, and fun rapids. We put in next to a little tea house in Ngadi after about an hours walk that morning. The river started up right away with continuous, larger volume style rapids with some good sized eddys. The first hour or so had limited visibility- meaning a lot of eddy hopping, but no real scouting was necessary. By this time Will and I have a good litle system worked out- he goes first, and i either catch a different eddy, the same eddy, or if the line is good to go, follow or watch him down. Its a bit like being babysat on the river- so its great. It means that i feel a lot more comfortable on rivers that make me a bit nervous, and give me the confidence to paddle at my level. In the end game, Will is ahead, and he is mostly choosing the lines, but i still have to recognize them and either make them- or not make them- myself. You still do the work, and the more you paddle the more you start to recognize and become comfortable.
After about an hour and half, the river started to open up a bit, and we weren't even eddy hopping so much as reading and running. Lots of big volume wave trains, and some large pour overs and holes- most of which i managed to find. Ive gotten really good at side surfing a creekboat!For some reason i find it a little difficult to read the water here- i often only see the pour overs at the last minute- or i end up in them. Im getting better. There is a lot to take in i guess.
Me near the end of the day- photo by Will Clark
When Will and Anton ran the Marshyangdi, they paddled it in one day- even though it is advertised as a two or three day trip. Read Wills blog for the full story of their mission- something crazy about hopping a bus around a dam, hiking in and out a gorge, pulling boats up cliff faces with ropes, etc...
We got to the dam and decided to call it a day- short and sweet, and hopped a bus back to Pokhara for one last day before heading to Kathmandu where i will meet up with Inka and the Kiwis to begin working with them, and Will and Anton head up to the Bhote Khosi- trying to paddle it from the Tibetian border.
In all, i'm really glad i had these two weeks to paddle and acclimate myself to both the river and to the country. I feel a lot better equipped to help train up these women on their local rivers having had some experience on them- and seeing how some of the rafting trips are run. Its an interesting thing, coming in from somewhere else to "teach" locals about their own rivers. One thing i have found is that everywhere you go, it is a different story- things run and function completely differently. I have been fortunate enough to work in PA, Maine, and on the Nile, and while things i learned in each came in handy- no one experience fully resembled the other. How could i begin to imagine that i am in any way qualified to come in to work with these women without knowing where or what they are working on? I can tell them all about how things worked in Uganda, or about how my company ran things in Maine- but how does it pertain to what they are doing here- especially if i have never experienced their country and their rivers?
I think that's what will make these next few weeks so interesting- gaining perspectives on the whitewater industry from people from all around the world, who have worked all around the world. We will just have to wait and see how it all goes.
Photos from the Kali Gandaki
Will after we successfully unpinned his boat
Only to have to abseil down the cliff face to a recirculating eddy where a part of the splits washed down to.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Kali Gandaki
So on my last post i mentioned that Will, Anton and I were off to a three day adventure on the Kaligandaki River out here in Nepal. Lets just say that our three day excursion turned out a bit differently than originally anticipated. The regular rafting put in for the KaliGandaki is about an hours paddle south of a town called Beni. The regular rafting trip down the Kali is advertised as taking three days. Our plan called for us to drive to a town further north of Beni, called Tatopani (which, in Nepali means hot water- or hot springs), run the section of river from Tatopani down to the first, maybe second day camp of the rafters to meet up with a rafting company to get transport back. Right. In hindsight, this plan was a gross overestimation of our abilities/ underestimation of the river and the roads.
The road to Beni was alright- though the bus from Pokhara left at 615 from a taxi park on the other side of town. As we scrambled to get all of our gear on the bus in time, i was left on the ground fighting the taxi driver for change while Will and Anton were still on the roof of the bus tying down the boats. The bus was pulling out of the lot as i jumped on board grabbing Wills camera- the boys were still on the roof, securing gear while dodging power lines. The drive to Beni was about 5 hours down a long, windy, bumpy road. After 3 and a half hours crammed n the back of the bus, we decided to sit up on the roof- a better view, but more importantly- a better exit strategy in case of a crash. The roads here carve up the sides of cliffs and mountains with the river looming far below. Will was perched high up by the boats, and Anton was crouched on the side closest to the cliffs, getting ready to backflip off if necessary.
After Beni we had to hop another bus up to Tatopani to get to our put in for the Upper Upper Kaligandaki- a section of river definitely not run commercially. The road from Beni to Tatopani is probably one of the worst roads in Nepal. Packed in a tiny bus, swaying and fishtailing up dirt roads that are more mud then road- with major rapids jut below you. I think i hit my on the window, the sit, the roof, at least 27 times. The general consensus was we are never taking this road again.
The river itself is one of the dirtiest in Nepal- partly because the road is new, and everything they have blasted out to make the road has gone directly into the river- and partly because the Kali is one of the holier rivers in Nepal- and the Nepalese burn their dead and put the ashes in the water. In our four days on the river we saw at least three funerals.
Thats right. i said 4 days on the river. We finally made it to Tatopani to put on at 3 pm. As it gets dark here around 6, we only had 2 hours or so of daylight to paddle. The upper upper section of the river is steep, with lots of turns and some big boulders, meaning we spent about half our time out of the boats scouting a line down the rapids. Granted, if the boys had been on their own here, they probably would have made it down a bit faster, as i am a lot slower to recognize a line a decide if i want to run it. After about an hour and half, we made it approximately one mile, and decided to stop for the night at a local tea house.I got to try carrying my boat on my head for the first time-not easy,let me tell you. 8 foot kayak, girl about 5'3''....
the Next day we got out bright and early, putting on the river at 7 am in hopes of making it to Beni by lunch time, to still catch up with our Rafting transport. The river ended up taking loads more time than expected- we were making good time until we got to the first major rapid of the day. I ended up swimming out of my boat, and Will got his boat pinned when he went down the line we had scouted out trying to chase after my stuff. Anton went after boat and paddle while Will and I set up a Z drag to get his boat out. An hour later we were sucessful, and i swam across to the other side of the river to get to my boat downstream.
Lucky for me, my paddles showed up about an hour downstream, and i no longer had to struggle with the breakdowns. In the end, we made it as far as Beni that evening, stayed in a hotel and has a relaxed morning before finishing off the river- the section normally run on raft trips- the next two days.
The upper upper kali had some of the most technical rapids with potentially some of the largest consequences that i have ever run. The water is cold, the rapids fairly continuous, and the rocks are undercut. (meaning that the underneath part of the rocks are often shaved away, creating cave like spaces where people, boats, trees, etc can become stuck because of the force of water leading to them.) What made the river even more difficult was paddling with a fully loaded boat- my creekboat probably weighed around 70 lbs, making it much less responsive, and a lot more difficult to control. It also took a lot more energy and effort to move around, meaning that i was more tired, on rapids where i really wanted to be fully functioning. With aboat that heavy, i didn't even want to have to roll up. (The portages were also a lot more difficult- you should see hte bruises on my legs!)
Still, that section of river was an amazing experiance. The second half of the river (the part commerically run) was a much more chilled out big volume experiance. IT was back to big waves, and a few really large holes. There were still a couple of cool rapids, and one or two that we decided to scout, but on the whole, the second half of the river was much more relaxed and scenic, with beautiful waterfalls feeding into the river down the sides of the gorge walls, sunshine on the rivers, and beautiful beaches, one of which we camped on, finally making use of all the food and camping equipment packed in our boats.
(between the three of us, we had 2 tents, 3 sleeping pads, 3 sleeping bags, 3 throw ropes, 3 slings, 4 prussiks, about 6 carrabiners, 1 pot, 3 sporks, lots of choclate bars, some other food, 6 packs of ramen noodles, and other various items- 2 cameras, breakdown paddles, first aid, change of clothes, etc... Its a lot to fit in the back of 3 creek boats!)
Don't know if I mentioned before, but one of the reasons Will is out here is to source out a future trip for Love It Live It- meaning we are trying to fit in as many rivers as possible, and find the best ways of doing them- including places to stay, etc... I think Nepal is amazing, and has amazing potential for a more expedition style LiLi adventure, i can't wait to see the final product the boys come up with. I know LiLi has been going well, with sucessful trips on the Nile and the Zam, and i would love to see them branch out a bit here. Unfortunatley, it sounds as though Sam is having a rough go of it with his shoulder, so best of luck to him- hope he heals up quickly and can keep stuff going.
Tomorrow its off to paddle the Masygandai (sp?) with will, before meeting up with Inka and the Kiwi girls in Kathmandu on the 15th...
photos to follow!
The road to Beni was alright- though the bus from Pokhara left at 615 from a taxi park on the other side of town. As we scrambled to get all of our gear on the bus in time, i was left on the ground fighting the taxi driver for change while Will and Anton were still on the roof of the bus tying down the boats. The bus was pulling out of the lot as i jumped on board grabbing Wills camera- the boys were still on the roof, securing gear while dodging power lines. The drive to Beni was about 5 hours down a long, windy, bumpy road. After 3 and a half hours crammed n the back of the bus, we decided to sit up on the roof- a better view, but more importantly- a better exit strategy in case of a crash. The roads here carve up the sides of cliffs and mountains with the river looming far below. Will was perched high up by the boats, and Anton was crouched on the side closest to the cliffs, getting ready to backflip off if necessary.
After Beni we had to hop another bus up to Tatopani to get to our put in for the Upper Upper Kaligandaki- a section of river definitely not run commercially. The road from Beni to Tatopani is probably one of the worst roads in Nepal. Packed in a tiny bus, swaying and fishtailing up dirt roads that are more mud then road- with major rapids jut below you. I think i hit my on the window, the sit, the roof, at least 27 times. The general consensus was we are never taking this road again.
The river itself is one of the dirtiest in Nepal- partly because the road is new, and everything they have blasted out to make the road has gone directly into the river- and partly because the Kali is one of the holier rivers in Nepal- and the Nepalese burn their dead and put the ashes in the water. In our four days on the river we saw at least three funerals.
Thats right. i said 4 days on the river. We finally made it to Tatopani to put on at 3 pm. As it gets dark here around 6, we only had 2 hours or so of daylight to paddle. The upper upper section of the river is steep, with lots of turns and some big boulders, meaning we spent about half our time out of the boats scouting a line down the rapids. Granted, if the boys had been on their own here, they probably would have made it down a bit faster, as i am a lot slower to recognize a line a decide if i want to run it. After about an hour and half, we made it approximately one mile, and decided to stop for the night at a local tea house.I got to try carrying my boat on my head for the first time-not easy,let me tell you. 8 foot kayak, girl about 5'3''....
the Next day we got out bright and early, putting on the river at 7 am in hopes of making it to Beni by lunch time, to still catch up with our Rafting transport. The river ended up taking loads more time than expected- we were making good time until we got to the first major rapid of the day. I ended up swimming out of my boat, and Will got his boat pinned when he went down the line we had scouted out trying to chase after my stuff. Anton went after boat and paddle while Will and I set up a Z drag to get his boat out. An hour later we were sucessful, and i swam across to the other side of the river to get to my boat downstream.
Lucky for me, my paddles showed up about an hour downstream, and i no longer had to struggle with the breakdowns. In the end, we made it as far as Beni that evening, stayed in a hotel and has a relaxed morning before finishing off the river- the section normally run on raft trips- the next two days.
The upper upper kali had some of the most technical rapids with potentially some of the largest consequences that i have ever run. The water is cold, the rapids fairly continuous, and the rocks are undercut. (meaning that the underneath part of the rocks are often shaved away, creating cave like spaces where people, boats, trees, etc can become stuck because of the force of water leading to them.) What made the river even more difficult was paddling with a fully loaded boat- my creekboat probably weighed around 70 lbs, making it much less responsive, and a lot more difficult to control. It also took a lot more energy and effort to move around, meaning that i was more tired, on rapids where i really wanted to be fully functioning. With aboat that heavy, i didn't even want to have to roll up. (The portages were also a lot more difficult- you should see hte bruises on my legs!)
Still, that section of river was an amazing experiance. The second half of the river (the part commerically run) was a much more chilled out big volume experiance. IT was back to big waves, and a few really large holes. There were still a couple of cool rapids, and one or two that we decided to scout, but on the whole, the second half of the river was much more relaxed and scenic, with beautiful waterfalls feeding into the river down the sides of the gorge walls, sunshine on the rivers, and beautiful beaches, one of which we camped on, finally making use of all the food and camping equipment packed in our boats.
(between the three of us, we had 2 tents, 3 sleeping pads, 3 sleeping bags, 3 throw ropes, 3 slings, 4 prussiks, about 6 carrabiners, 1 pot, 3 sporks, lots of choclate bars, some other food, 6 packs of ramen noodles, and other various items- 2 cameras, breakdown paddles, first aid, change of clothes, etc... Its a lot to fit in the back of 3 creek boats!)
Don't know if I mentioned before, but one of the reasons Will is out here is to source out a future trip for Love It Live It- meaning we are trying to fit in as many rivers as possible, and find the best ways of doing them- including places to stay, etc... I think Nepal is amazing, and has amazing potential for a more expedition style LiLi adventure, i can't wait to see the final product the boys come up with. I know LiLi has been going well, with sucessful trips on the Nile and the Zam, and i would love to see them branch out a bit here. Unfortunatley, it sounds as though Sam is having a rough go of it with his shoulder, so best of luck to him- hope he heals up quickly and can keep stuff going.
Tomorrow its off to paddle the Masygandai (sp?) with will, before meeting up with Inka and the Kiwi girls in Kathmandu on the 15th...
photos to follow!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Never Ending Peace And Love (Nepal)
Sorry for the lack of updates- spent the last week before heading out of the country running around trying to get things sorted, watching the Phils games, and attending the McGarrity/Curran Wedding, which of course, was unreal.the best part of the wedding by far was seeing everyone, and getting to spend some quality time with all of my good friends from home- ballroom dancing with Nick, dancing and being riduculous while all dressed up with the boys, and spending quality time with Lizzy, Peri and Jill, AKA- Woman town. We dominated.
All dressed up, but still not classy- dancing at McGaritys Wedding with Nenno and Josh.
I spent my last nite in the states in a bar in Manayunk with Chewy and Lizzy watching the WORLD SERIES- note, part 1. I was devestated when the game was postponed due to weather, but gratified to learn via text message that the phils won 4-3- and even more excited ot hear about the parade and resulting insanity. I wish i could have been there, but i was busy with a mission of my own- getting a creek boat to nepal.
Me and Chew showing some Philly Love
For those of you that don't know, a creek boat (mine is a pyranha m3) is around 8 feet long, and weighs around 80 lbs fully packed. Not light. To get to nepal, i had to drive to jFK airport in New York, where they made me shrink wrap my boat before i was allowed to load it onto a 15 hour flight to Delhi, India. After an overnight in Delhi, where i stashed my boat in the airport luggage room and stayed in a hotel, i had to re-check and security screen my boat to get it on a 2 hour flight to nepal, drag it through Nepali customs, put it on a taxi to a hotel in Kathmandu, and then load it onto a 6hour bus ride to get to Pokhara, (pronounced PoKara), the final destination. Luckily, a only slightly hungover Will and Anton were on hand at the Kathmandu airport, and managed the boat from there. In jfK, there were some funny moments with a push cart trolley, Delhi i found poters to carry/wheel my boat for the cost of a dollar, and in Nepal, a rickshaw to take it from the lodge we stayed to the bus station the next day. When it came time to load the boat, anton simply picked it up over his shoulder, and threw it on the roof of the bus. Oh to be a boy. and 6 feet tall. Well, at least ill be sure to travel with one.
Kayak on a rickshaw in Kathmandu.. sorry! i forgot to rotate it
On first impressions, nepal is different than expected. The country side is beautiful- multi layered rice paddies- different, contrasting shades of bright and dark green - decorate the hillsides. The houses are whimsical in appearance, multi storied, tiered houses painted vibrant shades of bubblegum pink, teal, mint and lime greens. It made me wonder if elsewhere in the world there was a huge sale on neon/pastel paint and it all got sent to nepal. On top of the paint, there are also intricate bits of iron work on the stair cases, wi ndows and doors, as well as elaborate designs in the tile or stone work of the houses. They almost all have balconies on everystory- including the roofs. Ive been doing yoga on the roof of our hotel, which provides a spectacular view of the himalayas.
So far ive gotten out with Will and Anton on the upper Seti, the closest river to Pokhara, which was around a 3 hour paddle. I have to admit- paddling a creek boat, opposed to my little play boat was much different than anticipated! (not to mention slightly more challenging!) I felt like a total gumby paddler as i got used to having a longer, heavier boat with less edges.
The water is cold, and the rivers narower, with lots of rocks and boulders, meaning that we run the rapid eddy to eddy, with Will in front, and me following, him telling me where to go, when to go and when to stop. As you can't see too far in front of you, it is nerve racking to say the least!
For the Madi, Anton ended up trip leading for 6 people, leaving Will and I on our own. the road out was interesting to say the least- we drove through a river bed, and up and down these narrow, windy roads strewn with rubble. Once we arrived at Lahmarket we put on and paddled down far ahead of Anton and his clients, leaving us with some entertainment as we tried to sort out where we were going to stay. We took out below a s uspension bridge (they are everywhere in nepal) at a rice paddy, hiked up to a village, and spent an hour trying to explain that we wanted a room to stay in and some food. After being shown a dodgy room, we found a nice room and had a delicious dinner of Dahl Baht (rice and lentils). There was some confusion the next morning, but it all worked out after having a huge meal, and we managed to catch up with Anton for the second half of the day. the end part of the Madi was chilled out, with loads of flat water. By the end of it, i was more than ready to get out of the boat, and tackle some harder rapids for the next mission.
Me on the Lower Madi Khola
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
