Rafting the Himalayan Rivers and Safari in Chitwan, Nepal

After our rest days in Pokhara, we got our adrenaline pumping with two days of rafting on the Marshyangdi and Trisuli Rivers. Since we were traveling in the off season, there were not very many rafting trips scheduled, but the companies were very flexible and willing to make something work. We had two options for trips and of course we chose the more "extreme" one. We are not white-water paddlers by any means so in reality we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We chose the raft company Adrenaline Rush Nepal in Pokhara. They were very professional (they even have a website!) and were happy to discuss how they scout rapids and have 2 kayakers spotting the raft. We were the only clients on the trip so were joined on the raft by 6 enthusiastic guides-in-training and a fully trained raft guide. 

Our raft team - a crew of river guides in training

Pokhara Nepal

View of Machapuchare from the hotel balcony

Arriving in Pokhara after another harrowing bus ride from Tatopani at the end of the Annapurna Circuit was a huge relief. The next issue was finding somewhere to stay. The main road into town was barricaded so we were dropped off far from the tourist district. Happy to be off the bus, but hot and bothered in the 35 degree humidity, we soon started arguing about which way to go to find a hotel. Kyle was frustrated with my haphazard navigating and wanted to stop and figure it out. After a few snappy comments back and forth, we stopped for a cold pop to cool the tempers. Thinking a bit more clearly, we realized that we were only a few blocks from where we wanted to be and took off in the direction of some of the hotels recommended by Lonely Planet. We were intercepted by a guy who saw our guidebook and convinced us that we should check out his hotel instead. The room was clean, there was A/C and the price was right. We also were not very interested in wandering around haggling for a room. Hotel Penguin became our home for the next few days.

The Annapurna Circuit - An Anniversary-Moon of Adventure

Follow Kyle's and my 13 day journey on the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas of Nepal. There were so many good photos to choose from but I managed to narrow it down to a couple dozen. This is a long one. Buckle up.

Swayambhun stupa in Kathmandu