Today, we woke up at 5.30am, hung-over and deprived of sleep. Our guide met us in the lobby and told us that the drive to the river would be about 3 hours. So we left, and followed him out the door, but there was no car there. He told us to follow him. We did so for at least 20 minutes, winding in and out of the Thamel streets, then along the dusty roads of Kathmandu. We started to wonder if it was a 3 hour walk to the river, not a 3 hour drive.
Eventually though, we arrived a busy road full of people and buses. The guide put us on one of the furthest buses down the road, and told us to stay with a guy that he was talking to. It was a long bumpy ride, but we managed to catch up on some sleep on the way. Eventually we were told to get off, and then wait at the side of the road. We found some shelter on the steps of a house, and then waited for about half an hour. In the meantime we met the other rafters. There were 2 Swedish girls, 3 locals, and a Canadian girl.
Finally, everything was ready, and everyone had arrived, so they gave us each a helmet, a lifejacket and an oar. We went to the river, where they gave us a quick safety demonstration, teaching us what to do if we fell off the raft or if someone else did. We also learnt the rowing instructions that we were to follow, like 'All Forward!', 'Right Back!', or 'Stop!'
We grabbed the seats at the front of the raft, because we knew they were the most exciting, as the waves crash onto the front. Within minutes of leaving the shore, we were soaked with water! Loren was thrilled, as this was her first experience of rafting.
The rapids were very exciting when they came, but she never realised that there would be so many slow parts of the river, where nothing happens except floating along watching the scenery. During one of the slow sections of river, the guide said we could jump out into the water if we wanted. Loren took the opportunity, and had great fun floating along with the current, next to the raft.
After we stopped for lunch on the riverbank, one of the Swedish girls mentioned that she didn't feel well. Not long after we continued, we hit another rapid, and she started vomiting out the side of the raft. We felt very sorry for her, and decided that swimming in that water no longer looked inviting.
After we finished our rafting experience, we waited to see how we were going to be getting home. The guides started hailing local buses, looking for places for us. The first bus that came apparently had one place available, but we decided we'd take it anyway. We figured people would get off at some point, and we'd be able to take their seats. Bad decision!
No one got off until we got to Kathmandu, and our 'seats' were sitting on the extremely hot engine box, with a compartment above our heads that restricted sitting up straight. We spent 3 hours sweating, squashed between locals, with our bottoms burning from the engine, and our backs bent in half because of the box above us. Not fun!
Journey from Kathmandu to Europe!
Kathmandu - Delhi - Helsinki - Warsaw
Today, our last morning in Kathmandu, was spent rushing around looking for souvenirs and birthday presents. When we finally left our hotel for good, we were pleasantly surprised with a free ride to the airport from our trekking company. We checked in to our flight, with the assistance of a trainee employee, who offered to direct our baggage to Poland, our final destination. We thought it would be easier that way, so we agreed. She looked a little lost though, and Artur jokingly said to Loren that it would be a miracle if our bags arrived in the right place and on time. Unfortunately, that miracle didn't happen.
The flight to India went smoothly, and we decided to go out of the airport and find an internet cafe, as we had 8 hours before our next flight. We took a cab to the backpackers district, where spent a few hours updating the blog, as we were too tired for sightseeing. Loren made the most of her time though, and bought some pretty anklets.
No one got off until we got to 
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