Splish Splash
Gorkha, Nepal
December 23, 2014
We both woke up very early and spent some time posting to the blog and packing. We had a leisurely and delicious breakfast. We are surprised that we still have not run into any other guests at the hotel.
At 7:30 we departed for Gorkha with Shayam and were able to get ahead of the heat traffic in Kathmandu. Nissan had called us just before we parted to let us know that some of our required travel documents were in the car along with a snack basket containing water, juice, peanuts, dal, cookies, chips and chocolate. What a nice treat for our long drive today!
We traveled on winding road through the foothills Breakfast from the Roof. We were met many buses, vans, motor bikes and trucks loaded with goods from Southern Nepal and India. The buses and trucks are gaily decorated with lots of colours, tassels, paintings and sayings such as "See You", "Drive Slowly", "Live Long", "Road King" and "First Love".
Today we saw people in towns and villages all along the route to Gorkha. They were fishing, panning for gold, hauling rocks and sand, making bricks, selling goods, fruits (oranges are currently in season) and vegetables.
After a short rest stop and a 3 hour drive we arrived at the start of our rafting tour. We had three guides who provided us with a lenghty demonstration about paddling techniques - forward, back, forward fast, forward right and back left, etc Close, if Colourful, Call. We were also given a demonstration about what to do in case you fall out of the raft. Then we put on our giant suits, life jacket and helmets, and cast off.
This is low season for the water, so for the most part the rapids were pretty tame, but there were a couple that were exciting and got us both soaked. Our rafting skills were a bit rusty and several times I found myself trying to paddle in thin air as we crested, and once I caught Bill resting instead of paddling. At one point our senior guide did not want to risk the biggest rapid on the river as we were only the one boat, plus he had clients he didn't want to upset, so we portaged past the potentially dangerous rapid.
During times when there were no rapids we were able to relax and enjoy the view of the foothills that were topped with clouds and covered in lots of lush green trees and shrubs Setting Sail. We were able to see many small birds, butterflies, cormorants, and an eagle. For the first half of our tour it was overcast, but thankfully the sun came out and it warmed us up enough that my toes were just numb and not blue.
We landed on the rocky shore more than 2 hours later and were greeted by Shayam at the River Shore Resort with our dry clothes. We were able to use the change rooms and shower with some warm water before putting our dry clothes on.
We had a wonderful lunch on the balcony overlooking the river. It was nice to sit in the sun and by the end of lunch my toes had thawed out.
It was another hour drive to Gorkha Gaun (Village) Resort near Gorkha Breathtaking Sunset. It was recently built and opened this Spring. This place was very similar in style to camps that we have stayed at in Africa. They are focused on conservation and 80% of their power was solar and they recycled 80% of their water. The majority of the material used to construct the buildings and furniture were sourced locally. Manish, our French trained Nepali chef, told us that they grow and purchase all the food that they make for guests locally too.
Our room is very minimalistic, but has all the modern amenities and a huge bed. I don't see any source of heat and am concerned that I will be very cold tonight...
We walked to the dining hall and were treated to some tea while we watched the specatular sunset. The real show begins when the sun ducks behind some mountain and reflects off the Annapurna Range Passing by the Many Shops. At that point the mountains begin to glow in shades of red and pink like the mountains were reflecting the red . It is breath taking!
Bill had a long nap after the sun went down and I stayed by the fireplace in the dining hall and worked on the blog for a bit, then chatted with our guide, Bimal, and driver. The fire felt so warm and amazing after our chilly rafting trip.
We had the whole place to ourselves, except for the attentive staff! We enjoyed an incredible meal - Bill had roasted chicken and mashed potatoes and I had the traditional Nepalese meal. I think I will have to go on a massive diet when I get home or buy a new wardrobe!
Bill was amazed with the stars, no clouds, no moon he had a tough time identifying many constellations because of all the extra stars that he wasn't used to seeing.
Pictures & VideosTheresa takes ControlWell earned LunchOur Room At Gorka GaunThe View from our RoomComments!
