A non-swimmer fell into Bhote Koshi..and enjoyed it!!!!!!!

I have always wanted adventure in my life. And travelling has been one of the many things I wanted to do. Not so long ago, I went for white water rafting in Bhote Koshi with my colleagues. We had wanted to go for bungee in the first place but not so many people seemed to be enthusiastic about it. Many of us thought it was a decision no one could make at the spur of a moment. I was among that group. Although I would have loved to take that leap, I was going to have to see it happening right in front of my eyes before deciding if I could do it. But the booking had to be made before the trip so, everyone settled for rafting.

We left Kathmandu early in the morning and got there early enough to witness the bungee and another adrenaline- pumping sports called 'swing'. Bungee looked fun but swing looked more like a nightmare. In no time, we were ready to do 'our' thing. We got our rafts into the water after getting a detailed safety instruction. It was my second time in the river and I was the only experienced rafter other than the guides so, it should've given me some confidence but being the non-swimmer that I am, I couldn't count on being anywhere near confident when I was about to throw myself into that torrent.

Our rafts hit the water and we were rowing like crazy in no time. The Bhote Koshi River is not as big as Trishuli but the current is so much bigger. Rafting in Bote Koshi made rafting in Trishuli seem like a child's play. I was seated last on the right of the raft. The river's level had gone down at that time around and the boat would get stuck between the rocks often so, we would have to jump when the guide asked us to. It was fun actually but the fun turned into the nightmare experience when I feel off the boat in one such instance. It was totally unexpected and I think my mind must have switched itself into "I'm-not-gonna-remember-this" mode because from the moment I fell off the boat till a hand grasped me back into it, I didn't live it. What I remember of it as more like a dream. A dream and not a nightmare. I fell off the boat and I was surrounded by the feeling of being pulled down, pushed up and thrown everywhere. I remember thinking about what the guide had said, 'Help will come, do not panic'. Surprisingly, I did not panic. I shudder to think what would've happened to me if I had. I stayed afloat and managed to hang on to my oar. A kayak came to my rescue and before I knew it I was on board. The first thing I said when I got back to my feet was: "That was fun." Everything went smooth after that, expect another boy feel into the water again and looking at his expression, I bet he enjoyed it too.

The rafting experience is one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. On my time, the guide had said to us, "If you're not living on the edge, then you're taking too much space." And he is right. We should live our lives in the best way that we can and not just exist.