LANGUAGE

Monday 25 April 2016

Lower Tons - India......


After surviving some serious rock falls on the drive up to Purola it was a relatively quiet drive over to the Tons Valley.  The weather had not broken and when the clouds did disperse from the valley we could see fresh snow up on the mountain tops.  We finally got to the border town of Tiuni after drinking a fair few warm, sweet chai’s along the way.  Tiuni is a strange place, situated on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh it very rarely sees tourists so when I arrived with Laxman we were the talk of the town and of course everyone wanted to come and see the latest attraction!!



The following day we had anticipated that the weather would break but again the cold front was stuck well above us.  As we put-in people started to appear at the beach and by the time we ran the first rapid a huge crowd of people were standing on their rooftops watching and waving as we made our way down.



It was cold, dark and we were paddling constantly trying to keep warm.  As it’s been raining for the past 48 hours the river had come up and we were kayaking some great pool drop pushy whitewater.  The water temperature was not great and Laxman was saying he had not been this cold since he was up in Ladakh!  The rapids continued, including the biggest drop of the day.  The last gorge was absolutely stunning and as we reached the take-out the sun began to break through and the clouds started to slowly disperse.


By the time we tied the kayaks to the roof of the jeep the temperature was warming up and I looked to Laxman and said we should run this section again tomorrow.  He looked as though I was crazy but with a smile on my face I explained that the weather had now broken, the temperature would only increase and the section was so good it would be worth the 3 hour drive back up to Tiuni.



The next day did not disappoint!!!  The sun was out, the temperature had certainly warmed up and with feeling in my fingers I could finally open and close my camera dry bag.



It was a great day kayaking down to Minus, we managed to get some great shots and really enjoy the beauty of this river and the quality whitewater that the Lower Tons has.




Once we met up with our driver and we headed straight back to Rishikesh.  Along the drive we saw just what the Himalayan roads can do with plenty of car wrecks along the way.  After some 6 hours of driving we arrived in Rishikesh with the International Yoga festival in full swing…..



Kayak School Arlberg
Austria
www.gokayaking.at
0043 (0)676 5303878

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Lower Yamuna - India....


It was time to make a move, the Winter was a bit of a disappointment and with the process of getting a visa to India becoming easier I decided to go kayaking in the Indian Himalayas for a month!

Landing at New Delhi airport in the middle of the night does have its advantages.  Ganesh had organised my taxi and we were charging through the deserted streets of central Delhi on the way to Rishikesh.  A few detours and chai stops later I was in Rishikesh.


Within a couple of days I was heading to the Yamuna Valley with Laxman.  I had seen the Lower Yamuna on the drive up a few years back while kayak road tripping with Ute.  It has a stunning location and from the road the deep gorge looked to be unspoilt.

Our camp was below a big portage and just as we finished off our dinner the rains started to fall. But this was just the start of things and by the middle of the night it was hammering it down.  The next morning saw the river slightly higher.  With the sun starting to come out everything was fresh, clean and very green.




The Lower Yamuna is not a river with difficult rapids or monster portages but a great paddle through some fantastic scenery.  With the road high up it gives you a great feel of isolation and the villages you pass have no road access so they are very traditional.




By the time we were getting to the take-out the clouds had appeared and the rain started once again to fall.  With the boats fixed to the jeep and a few hot, sweet chai’s taken to warm up we headed back up the valley to the River Tons.


The drive was by no means easy since a big cloud burst had happened just before the village of Nagoan and a landslide had taken some of the road away.  Luckily there was already a digger at the location as they were trying to repair the last big landslide from the previous monsoon.  A bus was stuck in the mud and the traffic was beginning to queue up in both directions.


By the time we got through it was getting dark so we stayed the night in Purola, the Tons would have to wait until tomorrow.

Kayak School Arlberg
www.gokayaking.at