Kayaking on the Ganges

The last few days have been spent at a beautiful camp up about 15k from Rishakesh learning the ins and out of river kayaking, and I'll let you know anytime you see some flipping and rolling and generally showing off on the river, that person has a skill. It is way harder than it looks.

The first day we spent mostly learning the basics, paddling, reading the currents, getting into the eddy's and generally getting used to being on the water. The second day was when the real fun started. We went up the river a few K's and paddled down. Since I am in a place that isn't America, the just throw you in there, no waiver signing, no liability or anything. It was pretty calm until I got to a rapid called 3 blind mice. My instructor, Vikram said, "see that big hole in the middle, don't go into it, but right before it go left and avoid the big wave." This was easier said than done, I smashed right into it, flipped over, I had to pull the skirt cover, that covers where I sit, so I was able to escape and swim over to the eddy. This happened a few time in the days I kayaked, either in a big rapid, or sometimes just in the current. I would lean the wrong way, and before I knew it I had water up my nose and I was swimming out of the kayak. There is a little skill called the eskimo roll where you can rescue your self and keep on paddling with out missing a stroke, But being the amateur I never picked up that skill. It's another thing that looks so easy by some, but incredibly difficult and uncoordinated by others. I spent hours trying to learn the move. There are so many things to learn. Like where to put the paddle, when to twist the hips, when you pull your head up. But I could never get the pieces of the puzzle together. The instructors said I had weak hips. Too weak to flip the kayak. So it was great to have Vikram there to grab the kayak when I rolled.

When I wasn't in the water, I was usually lounging on the white sand beach, relaxing in my tent, or playing volleyball. The food was amazing too. There were a few Nepalese guys there that would cook up some mean momo's and dal. At night was campfire time and relaxing with the fellas who lived and worked on this little slice of a paradise.

The last day we took the ride back to Rishakesh via the Ganges, I was feeling a little more solid on the kayak and I had a great ride back. We negotiated some pretty intimidating clas3 3+ rapids (see attached video below). One was called the golf course because there are nine holes you can get trapped in. This was the one big rapid that actually navigated successfully. I thought I was becoming a little more proficient, but then I tipped on the next smaller rapid, so i guess the saying, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while." is fitting. It was great time though, and getting through you're first big rapid is like catching a wave in surfing, it's hard to describe, and you just want to go back and do it again. But when you don't make it through, you feel like such a fool, if you would have leaned a little more, or put one more stroke in you would have been ok. But it's great to have this skill. It's something I want to continue in the future.

On a side note I did see my first dead body on the trip. There was a yellow, black and red leg sticking out from some big rocks on the side of the river, I could see from the thigh down to the heel. As a I was saying, a side note, it was my first dead body, but I doubt my last on this trip.



This is the one rapid I made it through successfully!