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.
Posts
2 comments:
Wonderful report Anna, I'm quite exhausted just reading it! Do you think you could carry skis with a headband? keep safe and enjoy your time working in Nepal. Give my love to Will. Jan Clark
My Goddess, Anna Pauline, you are on a true adventure!
As you consider understanding and intergrating the differences in cultural perspectives, you might have gotten one thing wrong---we Americans DO carry alot on our heads, you just don't see it!
Wishing you safe, fun and joyous adventures,
Love,
MerMel
Post a Comment