For someone who doesnt know swimming, trying my hand at white water rafting was one of those moments when you listen more to your heart than your head..all the apprehensions (and the quite genuine fear about drowning!) were not quite comforted by all the info I managed to gather...was especially sceptical of those life jackets which were said to allow one to float completely (which in my case was my only line of defense if I were to fall into the water).
Inspite of all these thoughts 'swimming' around in my head, I thought what the heck???...you dont get to do these things daily...so I finally made the leap of faith required and went forward. You can register yourself with one of the innumerable agencies offering rafting facilities in Rishikesh, for around Rs.500 (you can bargain on that). We set out at around 9.30 in the morning - a group of 8 people. Had a fun loving group of college students from Delhi and a retired couple...Actually was calmed down quite a bit when I saw the aunty n uncle joining our group...If they could do it, then so could I...
We set out to the 'base camp' which was like 20km upstream in a jeep with our raft sitting rather clumsily on the roof..the way is absolutely breathtaking n gorgeous...we reached, inflated our raft completely, donned our life jacket n safety helmet...n....got a class from our instructor on things to follow...n also on things to do if one were to fall into the water...he assured us that he didnt know swimming!! n that the jackets are unsinkable...
Inspite of all these thoughts 'swimming' around in my head, I thought what the heck???...you dont get to do these things daily...so I finally made the leap of faith required and went forward. You can register yourself with one of the innumerable agencies offering rafting facilities in Rishikesh, for around Rs.500 (you can bargain on that). We set out at around 9.30 in the morning - a group of 8 people. Had a fun loving group of college students from Delhi and a retired couple...Actually was calmed down quite a bit when I saw the aunty n uncle joining our group...If they could do it, then so could I...
We set out to the 'base camp' which was like 20km upstream in a jeep with our raft sitting rather clumsily on the roof..the way is absolutely breathtaking n gorgeous...we reached, inflated our raft completely, donned our life jacket n safety helmet...n....got a class from our instructor on things to follow...n also on things to do if one were to fall into the water...he assured us that he didnt know swimming!! n that the jackets are unsinkable...
Thats our team
Thats meWe set off down the river soon.. I must tell you that the Ganges is absolutely gorgeous here...not polluted but crystal clear icy water, surrounded by mountain slopes on all sides...we encountered 5 different rapids of varying intensities, rated on a scale of 1-5 for difficulty...
From the stretches with the gentle flow of water, you suddenly encounter the rapids...honestly they are something to be really experienced!! the raft is tossed into the air one moment and the next you go right down..all the while you are desperatly holding on for dear life n trying to row in between... seriously, theres no substitute for the adrenaline rush!!!
The waters are notoriously swift and strong...yet, you finish one rapid and look forward for the next one, secretly hoping that it'll be bigger than the last!! on the longer stretches of calm water, the other guys in the group jumped into the water and 'floated' along with the raft. Well inspite of not being entirely convinced, I also jumped overboard...n felt the bitting cold of the water!! Well it was quite enjoyable, and as they said the life jacket actually works!!
Thats how the rafts are transported to the base camp...looks funny though
The base camp for setting off
Jumping off the cliffWell after over 3 hours, we reached back to our starting point near Ram Jhoola and..... was left wanting more!!
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