Kayaking and Safari

Group of kayakers and our instructor
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Well after spending several days relaxing and recooperating in style after the Annapurna Circuit trek, we decided we were ready for another adventure or two.  Now when I say in style, I mean in style.  We spent three days laying by a pool,  watching movies on HBO and ordering room service (when we were too lazy to go into town and get $6 steaks which could rivel Morton's back home).

Our next adventure was a four-day learn to white water kayak clinic.  The first day was an orientation day on the lake in Pokhara.

Tony ready to go!
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Now Tony and I have both done a little kayaking but it was always recreational kayaking and the boats are very different.  Our first task on the lake was to paddle to the other side; however going straight proved to be very difficult and our instructor told us that back-paddling was a no, no.  Needless to say we spent a lot of time going in circles.  It took us awhile to learn that central balance (mainly the hips) and leaning forward was very important.  Failing to keep your balance very centralized resulted in either left or right hand turns (depending on which direction you were leaning).   I'm sure you can picture us and hear us saying . . . this freakin' boat keeps going left . . . as we give up paddling and turn in yet another circle.

Tony learning the eskimo roll
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On the other side of the lake we practiced self rescue (how to remove your skirt and get out of your boat), T-rescue (how to use another person's boat to turn yourself back over) and the eskimo roll (how to roll over yourself).  Basically we spent a lot of time swimming and emptying the water out of our kayaks.  One guy got the eskimo roll right away but the rest of us just drank water.  After several hours they assumed we knew the basics and the next day it

was time to hit the Seti river.

Carrie waiting on the shore
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Now the Seti river is the most mellow and warm river in Nepal.  However, it was just after monsoon season (June to Sept.) so the river had class II and class III rapids.  All that snow and rain we got on the Annapurna Circuit was now running down the river.  Actually the spot where we put in was very quick moving.   It probably couldn't be considered an actual rapid but to people who had never been in a kayak in moving water it felt like a class V.  In addition it was one of those currents that ran right up against the rock.  I was scared to death, but somehow made it through okay.  Tony on the other hand . . . I looked back and his boat was upside down and he was swimming toward the rocks.  This was just the beginning.  Tony ended up swimming a total of six times that day.  Now I'm sure your probably relating this to rafting where if you swim, no problem, you just get back in the boat.  With kayaking its totally different.  When you flip over, you have to pull your skirt and get out of your boat.  So not only does the instructor have to rescue you, they have to rescue your boat and get them back to the same spot on the beach.  Once together you have to empty all the water out of the kayak, climb back in and put the skirt back on.  With a fast moving river and rocks, it can be quite tiring to swim six times especially when we only kayaked a distance of about 15 miles . . . something a good kayaker can do in 15 to 30 minutes but took us about 3 hours.   I managed to stay upright all day.   But if you are thinking skill, think again.  It was just dumb luck.

Camp on night one
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That afternoon we practiced our eskimo rolls again near the shore where we were camping.  Both nights we camped on the river on a sandy

beach.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The guides cooked amazing meals and normally we just washed our dishes in the river with some sand. The table, tents and bathroom (hole in the sand) were lite by candlelight.  The first night there was a huge thunderstorm on the otherside of the mountain.  Although we got to see the valley light up from the lightening and hear the thunder, we got lucky and never got rain.  The river did raise about one foot that night from rain elsewhere though.

Carrie kayaking the rapid (not even a class II)
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On the second day we had our first big rapids.  Tony continued to have problems and after swimming for the third time on the second day he decided to give it a rest and ride in the raft.  The eddies simply weren't his friend.  He did great in the rapids but leaning the wrong direction going into or out of an eddie will make you upside down before you knew what happened.  I took my first swim on the second day in a class II rapid.  It was okay when the white-water waves came straight at you but when you started to get them in all directions (called chopping waves) it got hard to maintain balance.  Although I only swam once, I ended up riding in the raft before the end of the day.  Because the river had risen, the last two rapids were class III+ and I simply wasn't a strong enough paddler.  To give you an idea, when a kayaker was in the bottom of the wave, you could barely see the top of their head in a picture.  That means the waves/rapids were about 3-4 feet tall.  Plus you had to avoid rocks and eddies and keep in the correct current line.  We had fun on the raft though!  That afternoon we practiced the eskimo roll again.  We both did really good.  Both of us got at least one.

The class III+ rapid Tony and I enjoyed on the raft. These are a few of the other kayakers in our clinic. Most of them swam before the end!
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On our last day, we kayaked for the first half and then rode in the raft for last four class III+ rapids.  It was the instructors call and we trusted his judgment.  Today was a paddle raft since a group of rafters had joined us the second night.  The other people in the clinic rode the rapids and all of them swam at least once.  With only three guides and four people (there were six including Tony and I), they had lots of people and gear to collect.  If we were also in kayaks and guaranteed to swim, it just becomes too hard for them.  On the raft they left me ride cowboy (on the front of the boat) through the last rapid.  I did fine until we came to this really shallow part in a mellow section of the river.  The raft caught on some rocks and I went for a swim.  Bruised up my knee really good.  At least I had something to show for the adventure.

Camp on night two
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Immediately after we got out of the river, we loaded onto a bus and headed for Chitwan National Park in the very southern part of Nepal near the Indian boarder.  The park is known for the one-horned rinos (of which we saw several) and the bengal tigers (of which we saw none).  We stayed at a lodge inside the jungle.  To get to the lodge, we had to take a boat ride across a very large river and then a rough jeep ride on an extremely muddy ride.  Just after arriving we  climbed on the back of an elephant for a safari ride.  Tony and I joked about the fact that we had used so many means of transportation in a single day . . . kayak, raft, bus, rickshaw, car, boat, jeep and elephant.  A total of eight.

Toilet in camp on night two
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During our elephant safari treks, we saw lots of rhinos, a group of hog deer, peacocks, owls and a boar.  It was amazing how close the elephant could get especially to the rhinos (who are known for charging).  On our second day we also got to learn about the elephants and feed them and go for a trek through the jungle where we saw monkeys.  The whole place was amazing.  It was litterally a group of huts in the middle of the jungle where people escorted you back to your hut at night to be sure you made it safely.  There was a fantastic viewing area from the front porch of our hut and we spent several hours there watching the rhinos in the water and also viewing numerous different varieties of birds.  It was a very relaxing and pampering experience.