Sukute Beach

After two nights back in Kathmandu, I headed out to the Equator Expedtions camp on the Sun Kosi River called Sukute Beach. I left KTM on Friday and planned to stay for the weekend, do some paddling, relax, and get familiar with the camp and surrounding area. It turned into a little more than just the weekend.
There weren't any company vehicles going out to the camp the day I wanted to leave so I got a ride with my boat and gear to the bus station in Kathmandu. Fortunately, my friend Manese was with me to help get the boat on the roof of the bus and explain to the driver where I needed to go. The bus was empty when we left the "station", but that would soon change as it filled up and people piled on the roof...and I'm guessing on my kayak too! Riding on the roof of the bus here is just what you do when the bus gets full. Unfortunately, I opted not to relieve my bladder before taking off and it turned into a long and painful bus ride. It takes a long time to get out of the city but as we headed East from Kathmandu the air was cleaner and the views were incredible from the windy mountain road to Sukute. It was difficult to really appreciate the beauty since I had to pee really badly and the bus didn't usually come to a full stop, not even to let people on and off. No more drinking coffee before bus rides for me.
The bus finally arrived at Sukute and I was greeted by one of the Nepali guys, Ramus, who was on the Trisuli trip a few days before. The camp was quiet and it was drizzling. Besides the guides and training guides who were staying at the camp, there were 4 others who had been there for a few days and we had a quiet evening with no electricity and enjoyed a candlelight dinner and went to bed. The tents at the camp are about 15 feet from the river and the sound of the whitewater outside makes for some great sleeping. It was a low key weekend of paddling, reading, writing, eating, playing pool, and of course riding on the roof of the bus when we got off the river to get back to camp.
My plan was to leave with the group of 4 on Sunday but 4 Israelis showed up for a kayak clinic until Wednesday. So, I stayed to help teach the clinic with my new friend Raju since I didn't have anything else planned. I didn't have any clean clothes either but I'm used to it from living in the woods. I got to run the section above camp as a kayak safety for some rafters on Sunday before the clinic started which was a blast. It was also a good opportunity to work on some rescue skills! Teaching kayaking is new to me but the clinic went well and I really enjoyed working with Raju. One afternoon when we got off the river, I was invited to go up to his village to drop something off for the family. We jumped on the bus up to Belephi located upstream from camp, hung out for a while, and caught a ride back to Sukute on a local school bus...in the bus not on the roof. At one point on the school bus I turned to Raju and said, "Do I look different or something?" The kids on the bus were looking at me like I was from a different planet. All it took was a little "Namaste" to break the ice and it was all smiles from there!
The clinic ended on Wednesday and I was planning to head back to Kathmandu in the jeep with them but I was then told that Gerry (my friend who I am here to work for) would be coming straight from the airport to the camp that afternoon. Once again, change of plans and all for the better. Although I was becoming more and more comfortable in this country and with the people here, it was great to see a familiar face...especially my good friend Gerry who made this whole thing possible for me in the first place. We spent lots of time talking about what's been happening and what is going to happen in the coming weeks. Although he had some pretty bad jet lag, we went paddling Thursday morning higher up on the Sun Kosi than I had been and it was huge! By far the biggest water I've paddled in my short kayaking career...what a blast! Unfortunately, there weren't any photo opportunities but hope to get some of this amazing gorge that drains water from the Solu Khumbu(Everest Region) sometime soon.
I rode back to Kathmandu last night with Gerry and a few others and it was like coming home. It kind of felt like going back to Atlanta after a week in the woods. Thamel, the big tourist hub here in KTM, is packed right now with travelers from all over the world. The restaurants, cafes, and internet lounges are packed with people doing exactly what I'm doing...sharing with family and friends about adventures that have happened or are about to take place. Its fun to come back to the chaos of the city and be part of the energy in Thamel. I'm so grateful to the folks at the Holy Lodge for being so welcoming when I come back and allowing me to leave my extra luggage and gear in their storage room when I'm gone....good prices too!
Hanging with Gerry today in the city and then off for the next adventure in the morning on my own. The plan is to fly west from Kathmandu to Pokhara, bomb the trek to Annapurna Base Camp in 4 days, meet a group back in Pokhara on the 30th, and then spend 10 days on the Karnali River as a kayak safety before returning to Kathmandu on the 9th for 2 nights before starting the International River Guide Course(Oct. 11-31). That's the planned itinerary but we'll see what happens. I hope this blog post finds all readers happy and well!