Wild Wild West

Last year when I was in Nepal I went on the Karnali River and really enjoyed it. Karnali was on my hit list this year and I randomly bumped into Stan, a South African guide who I met the first time 3 years ago in Zambia then again last year in Chile.

Stan was trip-leading on the Karnali so it was a perfect option so I went with him and Equator Expeditions. Another factor which also shows what a small world it is was one of the kayakers called Patrick actually did some trips for the company I was working at this summer in Norway!

Young girls wanting their picture taken at the put-in

Most of us had a 2 day bus ride to the put-in and some others flew into which meant they just had less than a day ride to the put-in. The hotel we stayed in on the way was pretty dodgey but I actually expected it to be a million times worse as most places out in Western Nepal are pretty dire. I shared my hotel room the first night with an American girl who was absolutely mortifided by our room and all the bugs inhabiting it. I just figured if I closed my eyes and I couldn’t see them they weren’t really there!

The bus ride to the put-in took a little longer than usual because the last section of road was so muddy from the monsoon that the bus couldn’t really clear some parts of it. We arrived in the dark so we ate dhal bhat at one of the local establishments and slept on the beach with out thermarests and sleeping bags.

Small child watching us pack the rafts for the river

This photo shows the elder on higher ground

The next morning we had a large group of onlookers as we pumped up the rafts and got ready to set off for our first day on the Karnali River. The first day had a lot of rapids but is not as intense as Day 2 or 3 of the trip. The river was also higher than last year so some sections were more boily and others were washed out slightly. I guess compared to last year my kayaking has improved a lot without realising it myself because I was no longer apprehensive or uncertain of the river like I was last year and was able to stay out the front and enjoy the river without feeling nervous.

After the first day on the river Joel ( a 20 year old from Tassie) and I thought it would be hilarious to hide the jerry full of rum and pretend we knew nothing about it. We predicted the loss of rum might cause a state of panic and we were right. About 20min later after finding a good hiding spot Patrick came out asking everyone where the rum was and Stan and Patrick came to the conclusion that it must have been forgotten at the put-in. Joel then subtublly put the rum back with the cordial and water and the rest of us pretended that nothing had happened and it was priceless to then see the look on Patrick and Stan’s faces when they realised the rum was there.

Maybe it would have been better to have kept the rum hidden that night as we all drank a fair bit and pretty much all of the rum which was meant to last a week was drunk the first night camping on the river!

Day 2 on the river we started off with a substantially large rapid called Sweetness & Light. I remember running it down the middle last year but because the water was high we ended up all doing a sneak down the right (which wasn’t really a sneak as the line itself was fairly pushy). Jail House Rock was also another highlight for the day and had a few of our knees shaking but the rapid was way easier than it looked when we scouted it!

These 3 photos show Stan taking wicked lines down 'Jail House Rock'

Som preparing yet another great lunch on the river

Day 3 on the river was the most demanding. We started off with God House. This is the rapid last year where I got smashed in a pour over and broke my paddle! This year everyone went fine but Arun the guide of the gear raft decided to portage as he didn’t want to risk flipping and losing all the food and gear. To portage a raft like this it involves attaching a rope to the raft and then holding it from the bank and slowly letting the raft drift down the easier of the two banks of the rapid.

AK taking a sneak down river right of 'God House'

Entry to 'God House'

Entry to 'God House'

Stan taking a great line, missing the huge munchy hole at the bottom of 'God House'

Days 4-6 on the river were fairly easy water, a lot of flat which made the clients on the raft happy as they were able to lay back while Stan guided and Stan had even bought his speakers on the raft so they were able to listen to some music while they relaxed.

AK getting ready for another day on the river

Som relaxing before getting ready for a relaxing day on the gear raft

AK leading the raft down 'Stuffed Pig Surprise'

David boofing the bottom hole on 'Stuffed Pig Surprise', Day 4 of the Karnali

David relaxing on Day 4 on the river

At the end of the trip two of the clients from Scotland and Stan flew back to Kathmandu and the rest of us spent a night in Bardia National Park. We all had an elephant ride in the park but it was a little different to how I expected it to be. The elephants had wooden platforms in which 3 of us sat on top of on each elephant. We didn’t see any animals in the park apart from deer and the guides weren’t very informative about the park or talkative either which was a let down. I remember going to quite a few parks in Eastern Africa and even when we didn’t see any animals the guides would talk about the animals and also give a lot of information about the parks and plants in it which was very interesting.

Joel putting on a juggling act for the kids on at our last camp for the Karnali River

Little girls watching Joel juggling on our last day of camp on the Karnali

As you can imagine with the group we had on this trip we all went out and drank a fair bit in Tom & Jerry’s the night we got back to Kathmandu before we all parted our separate ways in Nepal.

And Back Again.....Nepal, Trisuli River and Kathmandu

I am going to try and be more prompt with my posts from now on as so much happens then I get a back log of adventures to share. I had a impulsive end to Norway with buying a ticket to Nepal the day before flying out of Oslo.

I was unsure what I wanted to do and one of my good friends in India is getting married with a traditional wedding in Himanchal Pradesh at the end of October so I really wanted to make it to India for that. I applied for my Indian Visa and was told it would take at least 3 weeks to process...... I had 2 weeks left in Norway and 2 guides working at Troll in Evje (Jesper from Denmark and Garth from South Africa) were planning on going to Nepal so I decided I would join them if my Visa didn't come in time.

Put in to the Trisuli River (we put in a little further down as the water is still coming down after monsoon)

Put in to Trisuli River. 1 client was on a day trip and 2 clients were doing an overnight trip so we had to load a lot of gear and food onto the cataraft.

In the end my Visa came 3 days before I was meant to fly out of Norway but I was so hyped about Nepal I decided to still go ahead with plans and try and make time to enter India in November before going to Canada for the winter.

I had a pretty big trip over to Nepal. First getting the bus overnight from Sjoa to Oslo Gardemoen, flying into London and spending the night there before flying out of Heathrow the following night.

Trying to cool down the rafts so the air inside the tubes doesn't get so hot it expands

Local porter helping carry gear down to the put-in

I was lucky that Jesper and I were on the same flight to Kathmandu. We didn't think entering Nepal through very rationally. We had to get a Visa on arrival and both had forgotten passport photos and there was no ATM inside the airport to get cash out. I had Norwegian Kroners but the exchange wouldn't accept them (although they took Danish Kr and Swedish Kr!).

It was so nice to be in a pair. Jesper and I took turns of minding the bags while each of us sorted out photos and money.... but unfortunately the last flight came in for the day just as we were about to join the Visa que and we ended up spending about 3 hours inside the airport before we were collected by Nikki from Adventure Aves and taken to Thamel in Kathmandu to check into our hotel and relax.

One of the best freestyle kayaker in Nepal on the 2-day Trisuli trip washing dishes at our camp site

Bishnu the safety Cataraft guide preparing dhal for dinner

Jesper and I spent a couple of days in a daze in Kathmandu. We spent a lot of time with our friend Bishnu Gurung the owner of Adventure Aves sampling thali, local beer and having dinner at one of the local trekking guide's houses. We then got out of Kathmandu for 2 days on a overnight Trisuli trip (Jesper and I both kayaking).

Bishnu showing us how the toilet works!

Jesper and Bishnu setting up the toilet but

Our kitchen

Almost full moon

The Trisuli was pretty easy going. Some say it's comparable to the Ganga in India but I found it pretty relaxing but really fun and beautiful at the same time. We had a middle aged couple from Belgium on the trip and they found it very exciting and really were impressed with all the work that Bishnu put into the trip to make it enjoyable for them.

Ingredients laid out ready for dinner (dhal, mixed veg, pasta, sauce and rice)

Getting the camp fire started

Dried buffalo meat cooked in a tasty sauce that Bishnu bought from the village. Was super tasty and also the first time I have ever eaten buffalo!

The next morning we only had about an hour on the river until we reached the take-out. Funnily enough we missed the tourist bus back to Kathmandu so we took a local bus and the only place available was the roof! I was skeptical at first but it was so hot that we were better on the roof than the inside of a stuffy bus and the view was pretty amazing!

Take-out and lunch spot for the Trisuli 2-day trip

Some local boys playing on a tractor

Tomorrow I am off on an 11-day trip on the Karnali River. I did this river when I visited Nepal last year so have high hopes and am very excited about how the trip will turn out:)

All photos copyright Jacqui Whitehead 2011

Lower Rauma

During the last week of August I went with Jono, Leon, Will and Nathan to take some photos of them kayaking Lower Rauma. It was hard with some of the water falls with all the spray but there are a couple of keepers in there. (All photos are by Jacqui Whitehead)