From China to India on Raft
Going to this journey, we proceeded from the fact that all rivers flow down from above. And if China is at the top, and India is lower, it means that it is quite possible to cross the territory of Nepal in the mountain rivers. Spring between two giants – China and India, the small kingdom of Nepal has a unique geography: from subtropical lowlands – terrays adjacent to the territory of India, to the world’s highest snow-covered mountain arrays go to Chinese Tibet. These two in the la carte belts, in addition to the roads, are connected by infinite winding serpentine rivers. So we decided to do that before us simply did not occur to anyone: to get to the mountain rivers Nepal from China to India, and then swim on wooden boats along Nepalese jungle.
Adrenalin
Rafting is an alloy along the river on a special rubber boat of increased stability and strength, which is called Raft. In recent years, this sport has become extremely popular on all continents and in all countries where there are more or less fast rivers. Alloy on rafts by rivers, which are slow and smoothly carry their waters, loses any meaning.
Back in China, in the ancient Buddhist city of Lhas, we defined our task: descending on Rafts with the foot of Himalayas on the unpredictable and turbulent River Dutch-Kosi, which flows into San Kosi. Reaching the delta of this river, we move to the west to the west to the shores of Triesul and then only on the water we pass consistently by the Martiandi River, Narayani and Kali-Gandaki, carrying their waters to the most Indian borders. How we all organized all this, being in a high-altitude Tibet, it is better not to tell. I will only inform you that it took three days and about 300 dollars for telephone conversations with travel agencies in Kathmandu.
Intersection in the mountains of the Sino-Nepalese Latest evening was not without difficulty. It seems that no one seems to be in our eyes here: Heart-free Chinese border guards kept his passports to them upside down and, inhabited from bottles of beer, looked at our risks and a shabby leased jeep. But with Nepalese border guards there were no problems: we did not find them and went on without entry visas.
On the picturesque shore of Dutch-Kosi, the camp was already waiting for us: there were empty rafts and tents, a certain little gurungi was kept near them. Perfectly folded, with flexible muscles, slender men outwardly reminded. Gurungi is one of the naplas of Nepal, they work in the most difficult conditions, whether mountains or stormy rivers. There are no best rescuers and instructors. At the same time they are excellent psychologists. At first, we were scared with the stories about those killed on Dutch-Kosi tourists (which, however, pure truth is digested annually), and the boot has fallen in the easiest way, bypassing all the stones and thresholds. But, realizing that we are raftingists with experience, they gladly began to play. When approaching the threshold, Gourung gave the Forward team! – In order for a dangerous place, no one inactive, increasing the risk of falling out of the boat. And at the outlet of the raging threshold, he commanded Stop! And even offered a dry cigarette, which miraculously leaning out of his throat rubber suit. Other Gourung accompanied us on a small maneuverable kayak. This is the insurer. It was he who learn us when, falling into the water, we lost their composure. In the meantime, everything was calm and until the next threshold far, the rescuer demonstrated us his skill. For example, I showed the paddle somewhere up, and when we, not finding anything interesting there, looked again at the rescuer, it turned out that it is no longer no, – only the bottom of an inverted kayak and a bouncing of a baseball cap. In a couple of minutes, Gourung returned the boat into the old position and, without looking at us, took ahead.
There are six levels of alloy complexity. At the first level, you, overcoming light thresholds, most of the way shake on a light wave. At the fifth level with the slightest mistake on the passage of the threshold, you just throws out of the boat, and you fly, licking in the air. And only being under water, feverishly trying to understand where the surface to breathe at least a little air. What happens on the sixth level – I can only imagine, I did not have a chance. One moment must be assimilated at once: at any level of complexity you will return to the shore wet to the thread. Otherwise there is no.
Learning the fifth level along the alloy, we lost a sense of reality. The first rafting is like first love: a person opens for himself an unknown area of being. Delight, which is experiencing rafthingist, overcoming a rude and dangerous threshold, quite comparable to the ecstatic state of in love. And when the next threshold was passed, from the anticipation of the fact that another one, sweet whiche in his chest.
In a state of constant struggle for their own life, we stayed almost a day, having passed the two mountain rivers with all two stops – for lunch and overnight stay. Only when Extreme ended, everyone drew attention to the environment: we sailed through the most picturesque river Triesuli. From the water opened a stunning view of the green hills, reddish mountains, small villages and flashes through the trees of the automotive track.
Normal for rafting approach lasts five to six hours. During this time, you can swim up to 120 kilo meters. It all depends on the speed of the course and complexity of the route. There was a case when on San Kosi our boat turned over and rescuers collected us for several kilometers down the river.
In this unusual journey, I understood one important thing: you can not argue with Gourungs during alloy. They are very proud. I somehow had the negligence to advise the conductor, from which side it is better to approach the threshold. Gurung fell offended, and in front of the threshold made a slight movement. The boat swung sharply, and I flew out of a boat, having lost myself and paddle, and a protective helmet, and sneakers. When in ten minutes, they dragged me back, believe me – I was not up to the councils. There was water in the lungs, the blood was told in the temples, the hands trembled, broken about the knees’ stones were plentifully bleeding, and in front of the eyes the pink Marevo sailed, through which I hardly distinguished the humble smile of our beautiful and wives of Herung.
Invention "Bublik"
Nepal – country of monsoon. The more rainy, the more water in the rivers. When the water is not enough, it is impossible to melt on rafte, they will not give stones lying on the bottom. When there are a lot of water, all stones are under water and the level of complexity drops. For serious men, we need average water (read – dangerous), which, as a rule, happens in October or in April.
Between Trisuli and Martiandi, we met Siberian enthusiasts from Kemerovo, who demonstrated our innovative approach to rafting. These fans of acute sensations are tired of turning together with a boat on steep mountain thresholds, and they created a fundamentally new design of Raft. I saw her in action – this is something stunning! Externally, it resembles two tires from a giant truck bonded with a stick. This is ridiculous with the formation does not turn up upwards under no circumstances. It is dropped into the water with a steep mountain slope, and it rises in the right position, like a children’s toy-nevashka. Siberians called their invention "bagel". It is controlled by three raftingists. "Bagel" It can turn around in water around its axis by 360 degrees, can stand on the ass, may even shake the saddles, but, thanks to special suspensions, it will inevitably return to a horizontal position. With a good vestibular apparatus and physical training of rafthing player, its safety in "Bublik" Guaranteed. The design of this focus provides a light assembly, so his delivery from Siberia to Nepal did not require much effort. Our Siberians conquered their "Bublik" considered previously impassable thresholds on the Nepalese rivers of Carnali and Arun, we did not solve. It was necessary to see the amazed faces of Gurungs and Rafthingists from other countries when "bagel" with an inscription "Russia" On board, making a double pirouette with a turn of 180 degrees, disappeared on a stormy threshold in the cloud of water splashes, and then, as if nothing had happened, appeared on the surface of the water. At this point, the power was not hurt.
Temple
At the end of the trip, the Kititude jungle was waiting for us, in which British and Indian aristocrats once hunted. King George V and his son, Crown Prince Edward, once in 11 days safari killed 39 tigers and 18 rhinos. Now hunting is prohibited: for killing an elephant, a tiger or rhino – the death penalty. Interestingly, the same punishment relies for hunting for a snow man.
Because of the tropical heat and humidity in the jungle, it is better to go to the milestone: any excess item will be a heavy curb after half an hour. But the torment pays off with pleasure from communication with nature. The air is granted by spicy flavors of plants and unknown for Europeans the sounds of wildlife. Come on the memory of romantic Kipling stories about the inhabitants of the jungle, who live in their unshakable and fair laws. A few hours later it is already difficult to imagine that there is a civilization somewhere with its rolled and crowded streets, bustle and hurry.
In a four-hour walk on the jungle, we were accompanied by a two-hundred-tie rhino. Poachers recently killed his mother, and he was evacuated from the jungle into the cultural part of the reserve and became practically hand. Nerebornik with joyful grunts took from the hands of bananas and sandwiches, silence in a quiet delighted when he was watered with cool water.
We completed our journey again on the water – in narrow and long wooden boats. They fall under the severity of passengers so that their flights are becoming in water. With slowly swimming along the quiet river boat, the bright birds sitting on the branches of coastal cousins waiting for production. Bird with a long and thin beak – Kingfisher (Royal Fisherman) – still sitting on the shore, then sharply rushes on the water and soars already with the fish in the beak. The river flutter the unprecedented beauty of the butterfly. It seems any of them can decorate the collection of the entomologist, but it is not. In Nepalese jungle, there are really several types of very rare and expensive butterflies, but they, as we were explained in the Khitan Museum, are externally not very inconsistent, and the inexperienced tourist simply will not pay attention to them.
From the river, drowning on the surface only the nose and eyes, look at the crocodiles. The fact that these are not alligators, and the Garyla, who feed on fish, does not very soothes – they have long and sharp teeth. In the air there is a wet charo. I want to lower your hand overboard boats to feel cool water coolness for a moment. But the conductor warns: Blowing past the crocodile can be thrown by hand just from curiosity.
