The launch point for rafting is located about 110km's from the city of Thamel, Kathmandu's main area for people. The river we went down was called the Trishule and it's host to class 3+ rapids with some 4+'s along the way. After a few S-bends, steamrollers and large rocks known as Upsets (flipping your boat is a 50/50 chance) we finshed the first day off with a wicked car ride back to camp. We rode in an old Isuzu pickup truck with all our gear, 13 people and some wobbly back tires a whole 18km's back to where we were staying for the night along the highway at a local village. My buddy and I had to sit on the roof of the truck as there were no seats inside the cab or in the bed of the truck, just on the steel cage welded to the box. The kid sitting next to us brought out his MP3 cell phone and started playing some James Blunt then some Bryan Adams and we began belting out the lyrics as we sped down the highway!Speaking of the highway, this isn't like hwy 1 in Vancouver, nor is this like a fire access road up to Cypress Mountain - imagine the road to be similar to the old Sea-to-Sky highway but sharper corners, potholes the size of storm drains and nothing but dirt, all the while being no less than a 500 foot sheer drop if you fall off the edge! So with the music we tried to put that out of our minds and be at ease...
The family we stayed with cooked dinner and breakfast for the 3 of us as well, made up out tents beside the river for the night. A few bottles of beers later and off to bed. Day 2 of rafting took us down the same river but since it rained the night before, the water was heavier and faster! Each section we hit the day before was twice as big today making for a really fun ride. After the raft, we were about 125km's from Kathmandu and needed to get back to the city to the hostel. Back onto the sketchy road and off for another adventure.
As the busses in Nepal are hop on hop off, we waited on the side of the highway for one that could fit the three of us, out guides and their gear. About 30 minutes later we got one and were on our way. Fast forwarding to the people on the bus and the drive itself... If a 10/10 for scariest driving experiences meant that you crashed and were dead, this bus ride was about a 9.5/10 ! In this country their roads are like raceways - very little rules and a horn honking system that lets the car/truck in front of you know that you're passing. The bus that we were in (and all cars for that matter) pass at every possible chance they get. Up hill, on blind corners, on the tail of another truck trying to pass already, nothing stops these drivers. There were many times we had to slam on the brakes because we were about to have a head on collision or were about to take a corner too fast and go straight through the barrier, but luckily we didn't and I'm home in one peice.
So besides that driving, a drunk teenager picking as many fights as possible with those on our bus, a woman that seriously was on the verge of death and indian music that was being played at the stereo's loudest setting, the ride was one to remember to say the least.
This week my friends Ryan and Shauna have started their placement at their volunteer centre so I have the week off to explore local hikes and check out what Nepal has to offer. I've checked into my guest house where Nicole and I will be staying for the next 2 months and so far it seems like a 5 star hotel compared to what I've been living in the past 2 weeks.
Before I forget, I just wanted to throw in a tid bit about a local bar in Thamel called the "Rumdoodle." It's famous for climbers to plan out their expedition when choosing to summit Everest and has been around since the Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay summited in 1953. Inside the bar is a picture, framed for longevity, with signatures of all those who have summitted the highest peak in the world. It was kind of cool seeing this as that's a part of climbing history, something that very few people get to see first hand.... That's all !
