Taking on the deadly Bhote Khosi
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2005
1
17
158
Trip End
Jul 21, 2007
Kathmandu,
Nepal
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Calm composure in a crisis
.Day one was pretty sedate really, we were given a 15 minute talk to teach us about the instructions he was going to yell at us; all forward! all back! left forward! (which automatically means right back and vice versa which I finally realised half way through day two!) and ALL DOWN! (when the raft is going into a massive drop). We put in halfway up the river, eight of us in one boat and seven in another, took on a few grade 3 rapids which were exciting and glided in between, marvelling at the outstanding scenery of forests and mountains and loads of cool Eagles and Hawks flying above us and people waving from the banks. These Nepalis, they're just so nice, you want to say 'can't you stop being so damn happy all the time!' I suppose it's easy to be happy when you live in these awesome surroundings.
Anyway we had lunch by the river, did about another hour of rafting and then jumped back in the coach and trundled off along some pretty precarious roads to our bed for the night which was at the Last Resort. It's just below the border with Tibet and sits on one side of a huge gorge. It's surrounded by jungle, beautiful flowers and is actually really comfortable. The tents are warm and they provide a snuggly duvet. There's also a smart stone bar and eating area, get in! There is one more fact that makes the place just that little bit more special or if you are Kerry, a lot more terrifying
Not everybody enjoyed it
. To get to the Last Resort you must first traverse the massive gorge by crossing a suspension bridge which is the highest one in Nepal over 200 metres above the river! Kerry has vertigo. Harsh. I am proud to say however that she took it on with verve and strode across it like she was walking down Mansfield Road. Well not quite but she faced her fear and conquered it. (Photographic proof in previous entry) I couldn't convince her however to throw herself off it the morning after. The highest bungee in the world is situated in the middle of it with a drop of 160 metres. I couldn't convince myself to do it either i'm afraid. One of the Scottish lads John had paid the 70 dollars to do it and stood on the edge looking down for about five minutes before turning round although all the German doctors took the dive.We ended day one feeling like we could have done more rafting but my appetite was soon to be quenched. From the get go it was white water all the way with little break in between the rapids which were more or less constantly grade 4. It was a rush, we had to try to work as a team to make it through without getting grounded on the rocks. One rapid we went into and were left high and dry stranded on a rock. We all had to get out of the raft in the middle of the river and stand on a slippy rock to lighten the raft so we could rock it free, then back into the raft and on it again. You'd be going along and could see the next one 50 metres ahead and as you went into it the raft would be at 45 degrees and then SMASH, into the wall of water and the guy's screaming "all forward!!, all forward!!" and a few seconds later "all backwards!
Oh my god
! all backwards!!!". It's really hard work to paddle when you're in such violently flowing water but a proper rush when you're in the middle of it and before you know it you're going into the next one. No time to relax at all and your arms are burning. We actually had to put out at one of the rapids called the Great Wall as there had been a landslide which meant that it was now grade 6 - certain death. All the major rapids have names - like frog in a blender, one of them is called carnal knowledge of a deviant nature, which alludes to the compromising position you find yourself in on the other side! We were halfway through one of the rapids and before we knew it were stuck sideways between two rocks and the flow had forced the raft fully under water. Picture it, the full force of the river is pounding down on you, freezing cold, hands numb with the cold and holding on for dear life, and the captain is cool as you like. He decided straight away we must abandon ship. So theres me and Kerry, the 4 Russians, Steve from Washington State and Scottish John all perched precariously once again on a slippy rock and the safety kayakers are circling all looking calm and professional. At the same time as the river is raging around us and as we are all being slowly rescued onto the rock, Kerry is utilising the underwater camera to get some shots of the action and also seems pretty calm! What was wrong with these people? We were on the brink of death damn it! One of the kayakers had made it to the side and our captain threw the safety line to him. We then had to grab hold of the line and be thrown into the water and dragged to safety one by one. Thoughts of course turn inevitably to Deliverance and banjos but all the guys are laughing and joking, emotions which I feel belie the inherent danger but they seem to know what they are doing. So we're all standing on the bank as the captain stands in the boat and tries to wrest it free from the rocks. Next thing I know the rock that i'm stood on gives way! I'm in the middle of a fucking landslide now! It takes one of my toes out on the way down and I scrabble for a handhold to stop myself ending up sleeping with the fishes! Anyway I obviously made it as I am writing this but I can tell you it was a close call. Anyway we all grabbed the line which had been tied to one end of the raft and heave hoed it free and then jumped back in and undaunted took on the river once again. We made it back to the headquarters in one piece, had some snap and coached it back to Kathmandu. All in all the trip was fantastic, we both resolved to try it again soon, if only back at the water sports centre.
