Our plans remained flexible our first day as our 2-3 hour car ride slowly got longer and longer. First it was a car accident that blocked the main thoroughfare, then it was a landslide that made the road impassable. After sitting in the car for 7ish hours, we turned around and stayed in a nearby hotel for the night. The next morning we successfully made it to Leopard Beach Tented Camp...ahhhh.
The tented camp had a long sandy beach with about 20 tents for guests. There are also two shade tents where we ate meals, held our safety briefings, and just hung out. There are also outhouses, a volleyball court, and then some of the staff/kitchen tents. Overall, it was wonderfully simple.
Chaperones! We were greeted with marigold garlands and tea. We were happy :)
Girls excited to be on the sandy beaches of the Ganga.
Our tents! The were very basic, but nice: two cots, night stand, and coir matting. The best part was that we got candy on our pillows everyday!
Our days started early at 6am, when the mist was just clearing from the river. After tea, we had yoga class and then a big breakfast. Such a perfect way to start a day!
Yoga as the sun came through the hills onto the Ganga.
Our first day at the camp consisted of a morning walk to a local village. It was a beautiful walk with nice views of farmland and riverbank. After our walk, we swam and played volleyball. Then, we were briefed in rafting safety and headed out for our first rafting adventure. There were a few Grade 1 and 2 rapids to warm us up. We also went cliff jumping, which was very fun. The last stretch of rafting took us through Rishikesh itself. It was fun to see the city from the water.
A walk through a village.
Women drying rice.
Rafting! We were split into two rafting groups and had two river guides per raft. The guides were fantastic.
Cliff Jumping!
Balance games while floating through Rishikesh.
My raft group after our first day.
The following day we did more rafting (Grade 3), had lots of free time, and went rock climbing in the evening. The last day was the most exciting, with Grade 4 rapids and more cliff jumping. In the afternoon, we went into the city of Rishikesh for sightseeing, shopping, and good food. In the evening, we headed to Camp Tuskar, another camp in Rajaji National Forest.
Bridge painter on Laxman Jhula. Notice how he's wearing a life jacket just in case...
Monkeys watch the passersby on Laxman Jhula.
Ram Jhula in the distance.
Our last day consisted of a morning walk through the forest and the banks of the Ganges. We saw leopard tracks and some kind of deer/antelope. After that, we went cycling through the park and through some of the local villages before heading back to Woodstock.
Morning "safari" walk.
Bike ride through Rajaji National Park.
1 comment:
Hi Nan,
This looks dreamy and fabulous. It is good you can get around so easily..well apparently not THAT easily but get around for sure. I am wondering what your sense is of the water situation there. I have been thinking about women's issues and their difficulties around the world of finding clean water for their families. It is an issue for poor women who are the care takers and providers for their children. Do you hear anything about this in the Indian culture?
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