River Rafting? Say Hi To Rishikesh

“Can’t we just sleep today? We did the Kedarkantha summit yesterday and traveled all the way here. Do you think it’s not enough for you?” I was yelling at my over-enthusiastic friend.

“No. We can’t afford to miss the evening aarti in Ganga. Do you hear chanting voices, too? I think it's already started. Are you coming or not?” my friend shouted back at me by saying that he’s going alone.

“Yeah, yeah! Got it! Let’s go!” I agreed(because I don't want him to have all the fun).

The first impression of Rishikesh was quite prodigious. The indiscreet nature of the city made us flabbergasted every time we turn our heads. When we eventually touched the shores of Ganga, it was a sight to behold. She was flowing through the Himalayas, flickering like glitter on this holy land. The city is covered with many temples and is bisected by the Ganga river with several bridges. In that, the 2 most acclaimed ones are Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula.

While we were crossing the river by Lakshman Jhula, we saw illimitable temples on the shore of the river and they all started to bring their idols, layered brass lamps, incense sticks, flowers, and other ritual elements for the aarti. The Poojari’s in charge of performing the aarti were wearing kurta and dhoti, holding long multi-layered brass lamps in hand. As the sound of conch shells echoed overhead, the aarthi began.

The chanting of mantras, the lamps lit, the sound of bells and conch shells filled life to the aarti. I felt goosebumps rise in my arms when I moved closer and closer to the boisterous energy mixed with spiritual sensibility. I didn’t feel like leaving this place for hours and once it’s all over, I left the place with a calm and clear mind.

However, my reasons for traveling to Rishikesh were quite different. I didn't come to see the spiritual side of it or to learn yoga; I came for those 2 extreme adventure sports which I always dreamed a lot about. That is River Rafting and Bungee Jumping.

After a good night's sleep, we were recharged with our energy and enthusiasm like a storm. The river base meeting point was just 45 minutes away from where we were staying in Rishikesh. We had a quick breakfast, packed some snacks, and had lots and lots of excitement as we left our hotel. Along our jeep drive to the meeting point, we realized that we weren’t exactly sure what to wear or how cold the Ganga might be.

Luckily, upon arrival, a friendly guide gathered us all in a circle and gave us the detailed itinerary of the day and instructions for what to do and what not to do while rafting. I looked at the sky, the day was sunny and mild - thought that today is the day which I waited so long for.

“Bolo Ganga Maiya Ki”
“Jai…”
“Jor Se Bolo, Ganga Maiya Ki”
“Jai… Jai…”

That’s how our raft guide filled us with some energy. Onboarding with a group of 6 people and 2 guides on the boat, the rafting started.

“Paddle forward, forward, forward!”
“Stop! Stop!”
“Again forward, forward!”

Our boat caught in the white water current and it was moving indiscriminately. It was not only moving forward, it was also rotating in all the directions it could. With continued efforts and with the proper technique we finally started moving it in the right direction. In a few places, the boat literally jumps into the air and falls to the river, making us all wet and cold.

“Can I jump into the water?”, I asked the guide. He said, “Yeah, you can. We are here to save you anytime.” Then, we all jumped into the water and took some photos and videos on GoPro. Floating in the middle river, drinking that water was an eye-opening experience that I’ll never forget. Before we knew it, we’d splashed and paddled through the fast shallow stretches of water and made it our first stop. It was a place to have some snacks and tea. And, there was also Cliff Jumping.

Our guide asked us, “Anyone interested in jumping?”. I was like yes let's do it! In my guess, the cliff was 30 feet above the water. It looked easy from afar. When I climbed the cliff, the river looked scary. As I was jumping I wasn't worried about my landing, but the water hit me hard because of a bad landing. I swam up and did 2 more jumps until I was satisfied. The other halfway we paddled in a calm stretch of the river, savoring the moment.

At last, we reached the shore. We all felt very accomplished and hugged each other, it was the moment to live.