Sep, 2000 - Rafting down Trishuli

I had joined a Japanese language institute linked with the YMCA. Somehow i been fascinated with the Japanese culture (for that matter Chinese too) and when i got the opportunity, i enrolled for a three months session. We had Japanese volunteers teaching us & it was nice.

The teachers proposed a rafting trip down Trishuli, and we all seconded. Everything got fixed quickly and they contracted professionals for the boats & guides.

Trishuli is a fearsome mountain river connected with many a stories. Every year a few trucks disappear into it after sliding from the highway above. It looks quiet & unassuming at places, yet it is over 50 meters at places. And the under tug can swallow up rafts!

One story i heard was that this newly married couple came from India and went rafting. The wife somehow fell over and could not be found again. The husband returned home a widower.

So the guides told us repeatedly that this is not a game. It is adventure, so life can be at stake - follow the instructions strictly. And then he gives us the rudimentary vocabulary of rafting. The boats r inflated using ancient foot pumps and the first one departs. We take the second one and get tossed in the water before we know it.

And then i feel the loss of control and the panic hits me... i look back and the banks r far away, with tumultuous water in between. this is crazy... who would risk life like this? we hit the rapids and the thrill runs through my body. I hit the floor of the boat, hooking my feet to some anchor, hanging over the side, paddling furiously, shouting, co-ordinating... there is a fury, there is a trill, a challenge to face... where is the fear? it got lost somewhere in the rush of things. perhaps this is what Alexander felt in a battlefield... The boat hitting the rapids, then rising uncontrollably, but somehow surviving... the bolder is right on our path, it will tear the rubber surely, but the water miraculously glide us around it, the floor of the boat is just thick rubber, i wonder how it support us all...

And then it is over, and the girls are laughing uncontrollable. one is clutching on to my pants still and finds it very funny. We have a quite spot and am still in a reckless mood. I slide over... the tug of water is strong, almost pulling me under the raft. I don't know swimming, and i am entirely at the mercy of this life vest. seeing me, three more venture out. I try to pull myself out and suddenly i feel too heavy. another person helps me rise. In a while we will be reaching our destination. All along the Trishuli runs a highway, and every few kilometers r small settlements with restaurants selling the fresh catch of the day from the river, fried and sticked... I have left non-veg food quite a while back. I make do with beaten rice & chola (chik peas/grams)...

When i get back, i tell my family. They shake their heads, knowing the time to stop is long passed...