NGK - Getting This Show on the Road!

After rolling back into Kathmandu to pick up zeee Amurrrican friends, Christie and I got wind from Inka that the Nepali Girls had already started training for the program. So we met them at the city pool (I reckon there's only one) to help out for a day before heading back to Pokhara.

Getting to meet the girls was amazing... of the eight working hard at the pool when we got there, only three were fully comfortable in water. Sylvia, their swim coach and a badass climber chick from Sweden, gave us the low down on the swimming situation and let us take the group for a bit to introduce them to the kayaks. FIRST TIME IN A KAYAK! Waaaaa! It was also the first time the girls had used life jackets, so we did a few laps warming up to the big floatation things. Being at the pool all afternoon really gave me new perspective on the audacity of this project. Here we have some girls who can barely swim, completely committed to the core, working their asses off for the chance to be a raft guide/safety kayaker.

Swimming with Buoyancy Aids

From NEPAL 2008

These women are fearless. With Slyvia's consul they spot each other swimming laps... some of them are swimming laps while we're drinking tea. You gotta want it to win it and these girls want it bad.

Anyway the kayaks were a huge hit---and Christie and I were both able to concur that there's a pool of hidden talent in these petite-framed women. We saw a few naturals who fell in love with the boats. They went in time and time again... and their enthusiasm has definitely given me a fresh drive to maximize my time here.

From NEPAL 2008

From NEPAL 2008

So there you have it... the modest beginnings... the baby steps of NGK. Thank you thank you thank you to those who donated their equipment or money -- it's definitely going to a fantastic project. Aaaaand for those of you with heavy pockets, it's not too late to shell out a little love :) see here

More to come! Next time we see the girls is at the PeakUK Whitewater Challenge in a few weeks on the Trisuli River. Get ready to rock rock. For now I'm off to do Modi Khola and Kali Gandaki for 4-5 days with the crew.... we've done heaps of other rivers but I seem to have acquired a virus (actually like 12) on my memory card so those photos are hostage until I find a computer with good anit-virus software. More trip reports pending. Over and out. Give the 'Po my love!