Shivpuri

Riding on the top of the truck!

So we arrived back to Shivpuri after a very long bus journey and after some rest it was time to check out the beach camp. As the Rafting season was starting up again in rishikesh it was time to set up the camp as everything is taken down and put up every year because of monsoon. Our task was to help get some of the stuff over and to set up the ropes course.

Anil's Loaded raft.

So the truck was loaded up with an insane amount of stuff - from tents, bins beds, mattresses to ropes and kayaks. We bundled on top and got a lift down the road. A little crazy however its ok - it happens in india! to get to the beach camp which is situated on the river Ganges on the opposite side of the river to the road - we had to go by raft. Cool. So this was the first time we got to meet the Raft Guides. Who all seem to speak limited English apart from one. The rafts were loaded with all sorts of stuff that was needed for the camp - packing them and getting the kit over was a skill in itself - with alot of hard work from the guides and other staff who all seem to be strong.

Ammu's Fancy Headwear.

By this time Katie - our third UK Intern had finally arrived after having some issues with her visa. Along with Katie came Lyndsey - an instructor from Outward Bound New Zealand who had come to visit and pass on some knowledge and training for us. Katie also went to the same university as Ben and Myself so we all had come from a similar back ground although Katie had graduated a year before us. Lyndsey seems really cool and had some sessions planned for us and the other staff to take part in which hopefully will be quite interesting as currently it doesn't seem as if there is much focus on training us - just doing stuff - which were not entirely sure where it fits within the big or smaller picture.

Paddle the Ganges

Ben had the chance to kayak over to beach camp - I didn't - because the water was too strong... which didn't make me happy. More like a little sexual discrimination or to me thats what it felt like! However i didn't let it get to me for too long as we had some physical work to do! This involved putting ropes up - making pulley systems and making sure the ropes area was safe to operate within. There was a Tree which had been knocked down by an Elephant - apparently! I did later on that day have the chance to row the oar raft up the eddy on the other side of the river with some help with one of the guides - Paddy. Not without comment from ben - who wanted to jump in on the chance and said "we have to get there at some point!" I think Paddy was a little surprised by how strong I was - he definitely caught my eye with his amazing smile!

Monkeying Around

The beach camp itself has beautiful golden sand - which is really hot to walk on barefoot! It has its own jungle where the ropes course is going to be located, and is a magical place its hard to imagine what its going to look like when all the tents are up and the camp has guests. It is the only camp on the stretch of the Ganges where you have to cross by raft to get there so it has its own unique selling point - although it add's extra challenges when setting the camp up.

Axe!! 

Setting up a ropes course in India is a completely surreal experience coming from working on a variety of ropes courses of different seizes - shapes and been involved with maintenance checks just doesn't prepare you for setting up a ropes course in the jungle - with limited equipment but plenty of man power! Armed with several ropes, some wire, the most interesting ladder i've ever seen used, a couple of Jumars, Karabiners and Pulleys slowly a ropes course was starting to take shape. Eventually the ropes course would consist of a Burma bridge leading to some parallel ropes, a zip wire and a valley crossing. The most challenging element to be built would be the Burma Bridge and Parallel ropes due to the height off the ground that is needed.

Devendra up a tree - No safety! 

It was quite a frustrating process at times with the lads mostly speaking in Hindi with each other but we slowly were getting an idea of what needed to be done. The ways in which the ropes were put up were interesting compared to the safety standards in the UK. It was quite helpful having lyndsey around to offer more advice and experience to the group - most of the lads seemed pretty clued up and its not the first time i've been exposed to pulley systems - although it might have been the first time using them to set up a ropes course!

Suri - Making the sides of the Burma Bridge

Ben - Official Tester!