Save a wad of money, take out a good insurance, pray and come to experiment some adrenalin-pumping moments in the world capital city of the thrilling activities. The city of Queenstown is built on a foothill which fades into the azure waters of the Wakatipu lake. All around, a few snow-capped peaks break through the blue horizon. A cable-car (the Gondola) drops us off at the top of the hill where we have great time driving a luge and rushing down the concrete slopes of the circuit. The multi-hued paraglidings ornate the sky while an America's cup boat draws a fleeting line on the waters of the lake. Near the top of the Gondola, a bunch of crazy people leaps into the void, hanging at a rope. Others go a little bit further to enjoy the thrills of the skydiving, jumping out of a plane at 4000m high. The rivers offer different sensations with the Shotover jet which grazes the walls of a canyon with a breathtaking speed before carrying on a 360° turn. But for the ones who look for more reasonable sensations, the paths in the surroundings of Queenstown offer great moments of relaxation.
As for us, we'll just do a few laps sitting in a luge, a thrilling cruise in the Shotover and the bunjee jump we did a few days before and which we keep a great memory from.
Keyword - thrills -
Saturday 17 November 2007
Adrenalin rush in Queenstown
By dorian on Saturday 17 November 2007, 02:24 - RTW-New Zealand
Saturday 1 September 2007
Rafting into the white water of the Trisuli river
By dorian on Saturday 1 September 2007, 15:49 - RTW-Nepal
It rains early in the morning. I have an appointment with the responsible of the rafting agency in front of my hotel. We together head for the bus station where coaches leave from to the western town of Pokhara. Most of the buses are the Indian brand Tata. The Tata company belongs to a wealthy family which supplies all the Indian subcontinent with millions of vehicles. And according to the Italian I met yesterday, Tata makes business with Fiat. We soon might have Tata taxis with multi points injection engine!
The departure by rafting is 3 hours from Kathmandu, a few meters below the road. I team up with a Chinese group who is more made for working in a shanghaian skyscraper than paddling. 3 boats form the cortege and just after a few meters, the opposite Chinese at the front side of the raft isn't a good match. He more strokes the water than truly rowing so much so that the raft starts turning and it's difficult to keep the right direction. The second Nepali guide quickly takes his place and we beat time putting ourselves through the helmsman's orders.
The monsoon still waters this part of the country and the level of the river is high. The rains drain the hill lands and colour the river with ochre shades. The rough current promises good thrills. The helmsman endeavours to avoid no eddying areas. We zigzag from a bank to the other one to actively involve into these swirls. The other rafts manage pretty well. So do we. We take off from the first wave, crash and sink into the next one. The feet wedged under the inflate crosspieces, we attempt to cling the water while a muddy liquid goes over and fills the boat. But the most beautiful head-on attack is credited to the second raft that succeeds in wholly going under a wave. As a result, it loses one of its rower, worried to float among the white water. We have a great time for the 25-km sail down. The Nepali adventures only begins...
Everybody knows Nepal for its wonderful treks and breathtaking summits. Feeling like relaxing your legs without stagnating in the polluting atmosphere of Kathmandu, let you plunge into the tempting thrills of the Nepali rivers.
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