Trishuli River White Water Rafting

---

---

Day 5 & 6 - Trishuli River Rafting

For the next two days we will be paddling down the Trishuli River towards Pokhara, located north-west of Kathmandu. A hearty breakfast and early start today to reach our distination by noon where we exchange our 4WD and driver for a blue rubber raft, paddle and helmet.

Travelling on the main road leading to Pokhara is a mixture of narrow sealed tar/ cement, fine powdery dusty cutaways, huge potholes that practically swallow up the vehicle entirely. There are many bike, buses, trucks and tourist vans/cars all trying to leap frog each other to reach their distination early, it is not uncommon to come across many breakdowns, as the road winds down into the valley.

Once arriving at the ECO White Water Rafting location it is important to wear clothing suitable for rafting (Swimming costume, Rashie, Reef shoes) as we will be guaranteed we will be getting wet, whether by rapids, or from horseplay by other enthusiastic rafters.

I'm going to try and capture some of our trip by video camera (GOPRO) which is strapped to my pooly fitted helmet, with any luck it will give a first hand view of some of the many rapids we will travel through on our adventure down stream. After a general briefing about safety we headed to the river bank of the Trishuli River to board our rubber raft. Aleks, Noel have been positioned in the front two position, followed by Breuta and I (Francine) in the middle position then two Nepalise girls directly behind us, and lastly but most importantly the rafting guide, who will help control the raft and yell instructions at us (paddle, paddle fast, back, right, left and rest).

Its not long before we experience the first of many rapids we will tackle over the next two days. The river is lower than expected but still deep and running very fast and perfect for beginners. The landscape is every changing, from steep cutout cliffs, rice fields, huge boulders, narrow cable bridges strung from one side to the other as the only means access for the many small villages that dot the hillside. There is much activity along the rivers edge as we past by, fishing, washing of clothes & cooking utensils, water collection, young and old bathing, kids playing etc.

Four hours of paddling have past and we finally pull into shore to set up camp for the night, two tents are soon erected, and our dinner is being prepared over a small wood fire by one of the locals living just above our campsite. It's here we say goodbye to the Nepali girls. I'm unsure how much action I've been able to capture via video, as we were bobbing all around and from side to side, I only hope with a little editing there will be some good footage.

It has breen noticed by us that our cooking, and coffee/ tea water is taken from the river, and a comment made to one another about the two dead rotting cow carcases we had just pasted a short distance before up stream on the rivers edge. General train of thought was "OH WELL, the water is boilng!", then quickly forgotten.

We have been eating like kings and queens, and it's no different here on the river bank, with our one man cook with his large silver pot, frying pan and leaky kettle, a feast is soon served. Our table has long past its time but with a bit of red cloth and small rocks in each corner makes up our dinning table and two rickety bench seats.

Candles in plastic drink bottles, are positioned in front of the tents to light our way. Clouds are gathering above looking very black and threathening, its not long before large drops send us rushing for our tents. Our bedding is vey simple, a thin 5mm ground mat and old well worn sleeping bag.

It's up for another hardy breakfast and continuing rafting down the river to where our driver awaits us at Kurintar. Once again the river provides us with a mixture of river life, purple garzebo in readiness for a local cricket match, village funeral, farmers watering their bufflo and several more rapids.

Its all too soon and we are pulling into shore at Kurintar - known for Manakamana Temple Cable Car Station, second most sacred Hindu site of Nepal. A great time was had by all and would gladly do it all over again and again.

A quick change of clothes and we are back on the road heading for Pokhara. We have been very lucky with the weather so far, with most evening raining and the days bright and sunny,only today we experience yet another change with small hale peppering the ground and flash flooding across the street on route to Pokhara.

Finally we pull into Hotel View Point, Pokhara our place of accommodation for the next four nights.

---