12 hours of pure adventure

Dear Diary

 Today Sander, Johannes and I came up with the best idea ever: Canoeing in the rapids of Ganges at night and day! What could be a better idea than explore and enjoy the amazing India by canoe? And it wasn’t just any river; it was the Ganges, the sacred river of Hinduism. The trip will begin after nightfall and end some hours after sunrise, to summarize it was 12 hours. In other word; it would be smart to get some sleep!

After a long night sleep we were finally ready to embark the canoes. However; safety first. We were almost wrapped in safety vests, stretchy ropes and strict warnings about never leaving the boat. And then it was ready for the canoes to be launched. First Sander, then me and at last Johannes. The twilight had just finished when the canoes broke through the water surface. Slowly but safe we drifted down the banks of Ganges.

The stars shone as a thousand splendid suns over the flat landscape and made shadows in every corner. Our guide told us that we were lucky to see a seldom night like this. He also told us that it was usually was much darker than tonight. I had never thought that darkness could be as beautiful as this. Though, I could catch some glimpse of some creatures lurking in the almost eerie shadows. Our guide emphasized another time that we should always have hands and legs inside the canoe, because of the poisonous insects, water snakes and other creatures.

Sun rays sliced through the dark as the sun rose slowly over the snowy peaks. We had managed to take photos and see all the night had to offer. Now it was daytime and the sight astonished us as we drifted between craggy hills with exotic flora. We stopped at a deep hole filled with crystal clear water. It was like a small piece of paradise. Now we could clearly see the creatures from last night; elephants. We had no idea that the creatures we saw last night were huge mammals. We instantly laughed when we thought that the creatures we saw last night were murderous snakes hanging from trees and waiting for a pray. Our guide said that it was also dangerous mammals here, like the rhinoceros or the panther. But they did rarely appear so close to a tourist attraction, especially at day.

We spent the rest of the time by cliff diving into the deep hole in the river. As a result of this fun the time ran away and before we knew it, the trip was over. We photographed every single spot in the small clearing before we left it untouched. This canoe tour was the best choice of activity we could ever choose. The memory this placed had left in our heads would stay alive forever more.