Marsyangdi

We scout the next big rapid from atop a giant boulder. My guide looks at me: “What do you think? It’s ok?”

I shrug: “Well, I might hit that hole.” I point at the crux of the rapid which I figure is the most likely point where I will flip. I pause thoughtfully, then add: “Well, I might hit all those holes…” I point at the rest of the rapid. That’s why they call me hole bait. (Just for the record, I didn’t hit any of the above mentioned holes and I ran that rapid perfectly).

I laugh and hop-skip my way back to my kayak, careful not to slip on any rocks. I’m surprised at how unafraid I am. I must be gaining confidence because though this is one of the most technical rivers I’ve ever run, yet none of the rapids we’ve scouted has worried me so far. I don’t even feel the slightest bit nervous, just excited.

As I approach the spot where I left my kayak, I chant: "Kayaking is fun! I love kayaking! Kayaking is fun!" The rafters sit quietly in the raft awaiting our return – they have no idea what is waiting for them around the corner and it’s better they don’t know. I look at them with a glint of mischievousness in my eyes. I don’t talk to rafters very often but I decide to make an exception this time. “You can tell how big the rapids are that are coming up by how excited I am when I get back from scouting” I tell them. They laugh nervously. I proceed to empty water from my kayak only to fill it up again when I try to sit in it and it shoots out from under me and I fall in the water sideways. This time everyone laughs – see how much fun we are having!

I messed up the first big rapid we ran and flipped twice, but still came out smiling. The next one went much smoother and by the third one I was starting to really have fun. I spent most of the day with a big smile plastered on my face and finished most rapids laughing with glee. Kayaking is the best! And Marsyangdi river is hands down the best river I have ever paddled; Technical and challenging but with a lot of really fun drops and some great moves. I am so grateful and excited to be here. This is probably the most fun I’ve had since arriving in Nepal.

We almost didn’t get the chance to run Marsyangdi. My friend who I hired to be my guide and I set out on Monday to go to Marsyangdi. I had been waiting for a long time to go run this river and kept missing out on trips going there, so I finally decided that if I was going to go I had to take matters into my own hands. I talked one of my friends into taking me for a couple of days this week then talked the company that he works for into letting me “borrow” him for few days. By the time we arrived on Monday, it was too late to do any runs that day – we would have to wait for tomorrow. We found a local “hotel” to stay in (the only one in town) owned by a lovely woman who took it upon herself to overfeed me for the next few days. She also taught me quite a few new Nepali words as she didn’t speak any English but was super pleased to hear me speak a few words in Nepali.

That evening while we were feasting on dahl bhat with some other guests and drinking roxy (everyone but me), someone informed us that a strike had been called for the next 3 days which means no buses, no shops, no work, no nothing. We were stuck there. At first, I thought it really isn’t a bad place to be stuck so long as I can still go kayaking, but I was told that there would be no kayaking. With the strike on, there is no transport so we have no way of shuttling back from the river. We could run the lower section, but we would have no way to get back to our hotel after. I thought we might be able to hire a private car to take us but it would be expensive and anyway, we couldn’t find any one who was willing to take us…I was crushed. I came all this way and now I wouldn’t even get to paddle. What a waste of time and money! And who knows when I might get another chance to come back here!!! What a disaster!

The next day, my friend and I went for a walk along the quiet deserted road closed down by the strike. After lunch, I was napping in a dahl bhat coma when my friend shook me awake: “Put your gear on. We’re going kayaking!” Like music to my ears, a rafting company had just arrived with some clients to do 2 days of paddling on Marsyangdi river and they have their own private transport! It turns out the guides from that company didn’t have much experience on this particular river and they were uncertain which lines to take so they seized the chance to have my guide and I come along so long as my guide (who has more experience and knowledge of the river) agreed to lead the way. Everybody wins!

We ran the lower section the first day which was fun but not particularly challenging and the upper section the following day which was where the real action took place. At the end of the day, the company even gave us a ride back to Fishling where we started. One friend told me that Marsyangdi is the nicest river in Nepal with the exception of the Tamba Koshi. He tried to talk me into doing a trip to the Tamba Koshi, but I think it will have to wait a bit. The Tamba has continuous class 5 rapids for 3 km and is still a bit above my skill level. I may need a bit more practice before I tackle that one, but I am getting there.