River, Rapids, Raft and Rejuvenation

My most recent Alive is Awesome bathing adventure probably stemmed from reading Nancy Drew’s White Water Adventure way too many times when I was a teen. Last week found the hubby and me on the white sands of Rishikesh. The desolate, surprisingly clean river bank; the sparkling, flowing Ganges; the sun-bleached boulders; the dark greens bordering the river… the palpable aura of tranquility could never have prepared me for the excitement to come.

With life jackets and helmets strapped on, paddles firmly grasped in our hands, heads buzzing with anticipation, we boarded a sturdy white raft with six other people and a trained navigator.

Eight pairs of arms rowing in sync amidst the serene surroundings, hearing only the gushing off the river and the chirping of the birds would have been a complete experience in itself. But we were there to be overwhelmed. The first rapid, Sweet Sixteen, introduced itself by distinctively changing the music of the river. Now, it wasn’t flowing forth merrily but crashing over the small rocks that dared to disturb it. As if taking into account that we were but novices, the rapid only sprayed us, but we whooped and hooted all the same.

We passed initiation successfully. But, to our utter bewilderment, rower #4 was missing! Apparently, his overexcited state of mind goaded him to unlock his foot and took him flying out of the raft when it cruised over the bumpy waters! Considering the insignificant size of the rapid, he wasn’t hurt at all. But his firm hold on the bowline with one arm, while groping for his half-sunk glasses with the other was a tragically funny sight to behold.

Once he was pulled back up, chastised and looked appropriately shame-faced, we moved on. Cross Fire, Three Blind Mice, The Wall, Roller Coaster, Golf Course – the names of the rapids offered an anachronistic sense of drama. And then, hubby got an irresistible urge to get closer to nature – literally. He instigated everyone to get off the rafts and dive into the sparkling waters.

Brrr… the first moment chilled me to the bone! But once the numbness reduced, we vied with each other to plunge our heads in, flail our free arms and just take a trip back to the trademark silliness so reminiscent of childhood. Forget ritual dips in the holy waters, we were core-drenched by the time the navigator pulled us back onto the raft!

But, it was EXHILARATING! It felt so good to be awake, aware – alive! Soon, the October sun began to dry us off, but the memory of that sense-shocking dip in the chilled water, off a little raft in the vast waters, with none but the breath-taking flora as witness created a memory we cannot forget all life long!