Ganges back

I've thought about rafting on the Ganges for many a moon
so for my b'day I decided to give it a whirl.

this lovely river is green here
strange how it glows
I can recall it from varanassi being dog shit brown
but over here it still has the charm of its source and
doesn't contain the pollutants that are found further down stream.
I found a very pro outfit who have a joint
venture with a western company
the equip is good and also the people seem to be very well prepared

it was just myself and a south African girl who were on the trip
so I liked the idea of some solace on the river away from the hoards.

we met in the morning and drove north for 45 mins
before dis embarking and being givend the basics for rafting.
they had a neat machine that worked off the battery to blow the
baby up so it was nice to just relax and see the guides
not have to blow it all by hand.

the boat was nice and the tow other folk besides us and the driver
were apprentice Indians who were new to the rafting trade.
so we got on and into the main current.

the Ganges has a strange kinda south American feel to it when you get away from the roads
and folk who inhabit it. Monkeys on the shore and all manner of birds.( I even saw some
hornbills on my way back which is a big first.)

the river is 23kms from our boarding point back to rishikesh
a few grade three rapids and also some shanti small stuff that you can chill on.
so we paddled
we got wet
we got cold
we got warm
we smiled
screamed with fun
hailed the river
got wetter
and eventually I decided to just get in and drift
this green river just let me in and I flowed with the current
for about half an hour.
half an hour of mellow observing and spending time
watching the greenery.

when I eventually got back in we found our way to
some rocks that folk jump off

I felt like a 12yr old again in the rivers of England
when I walked off a 20ft drop and screamed to the river
yummy. Very nice

when we eventually got to rishikesh
I could smell humanity in the river
smell the folk
the incense and they waste


time to have a chai and watch it all
from the banks

I have a cold now and a slight ache
but the price of being reborn and
anew is worth it

om

bo