Rafting was equal parts fun and fear. The moments of silliness with the trip leaders and fellow volunteers made it worth while, but it's going to take a few years for me to forget the moments of terror and convince myself to go again.
We launched Thursday afternoon. It was very warm and the 8 of us were suited up and excited. The first legitimate rapid we approached was called Little Brother and looked easy enough. The guides got out of the boat and surveyed the scene to see the best route through the rocks, climbed back in, and we started paddling again. We started down the rapid and the next thing we knew the raft was sideways, we all had (hilarious) looks of terror on our faces, and realized that we were going to flip over. I was on the side that went under first and got stuck under water under the raft for a few horrifying seconds, but easily surfaced, and calmed down quickly once I heard everyone nervously laughing. That was the equal parts of fun and fear. Flipping over on our first rapid made every rapid for the 3 days following terrifying, which wasn't so bad because no one actually got hurt, and we have the memories of the hilarious looks of sheer terror on each others faces, which makes it all worth it. Our guides cooked us delicious meals and pitched tarps for us to sleep under. I froze at night, but the stars were beautiful, and the food really was awesome. Some of the best I've had here. The scenery also made the trip worth it. Rafting down the Kali Gandaki with large hills all around. It was gorgeous and so quiet, at least when we weren't screaming or giggling. For now.. I am happy to be back in Pokhara, and definitely excited for a warm shower.