Whata thrill !

A whitewater ride down the Kelani

By Udena .R.Attygalle

"Hard paddle everybody, hard paddle," shouted Joel Kilgarriff from the back of the raft and we started paddling like madmen. And then the whitewater hit us. It rocked the raft like a toy as we desperately tried to control it (and to hang on!). Huge walls of water kept hitting us and the raft was almost full of water. Then in a moment all was quiet, the water almost serene. We had just made it through the rapid called "the rib cage".

It all began with a rendezvous near the Cricket Club cafe in Colombo. A van belonging to "Adventure Sports Lanka," the only company operating white water rafting tours in the island, was going to take us to Kitulgala. Even the van had the feel of adventure, with helmets tucked in one corner, a huge map jutting out of its casing and even a monopoly board lying idly if things ever got too slow. Peter Black, part owner of the company along with Joel were going to be our raft guides.

The ride to Kitulgala usually takes about two hours. The road takes you through some of the most picturesque parts of the Sabaragamuwa region. Our base station was going to be the Bridge over the River Kwai restaurant, so named because of its close proximity to the place where the famous movie of the same name was filmed.

After a refreshing snack we were inside the garage getting our equipment ready. The deflated raft was rolled into the van, along with the paddles. Life jackets and sundry items were also tucked in and we were off towards higher ground so we could start our ride at a spot further upstream.

Clad only in a pair of shorts, with life jacket and helmet, we stepped out into the midday sun. Next we inflated the raft and Peter briefed us on some safety precautions. We were told how to hold the paddle properly, how to paddle and most importantly, what to do if someone were to fall into the water.

After a few trial manoeuvres, we were ready to start, ready to take on the mighty Kelani.

Slowly paddling along it didn't take us long to encounter our first rapid. The "start " as it is called is almost an angel, compared to some of its less than docile counterparts further downstream. The water was barely white as it was a grade 1 rapid (rapids are graded according to the level of difficulty, grade 1 being the easiest and grade 5 the hardest). Our ride through it served as a most needed trial run.

After this one rapid followed another, and we had made it through the "rib cage". By now the boat was full of water. Going ahead without emptying it was impossible. We beached the boat and began turning it upside-down. The seemingly lightweight raft turned out to be more than heavy. It took the effort of all of us to turn it over.

The raft emptied, we were back on our way. With Joel at the back and Peter in front guiding the raft along treacherous waters, we back paddled and forward paddled to keep the raft away from the boulders in our path. But all our efforts didn't prevent the raft from getting stuck once or twice.

As we approached the famed "slot and drop," Peter with a wry smile warned us that this was the one that had "taken the most lives." Looking at it from afar, we were reluctant to believe him. How could this calm looking sheet of water turn into a furious rapid, we wondered.

When Joel gave us the hard paddle command we knew that the rapid would be on us in a moment, and everything Peter had said crowded our minds. As the water gradually began to churn furiously, we tried desperately to steer the raft towards "the slot" the only place where you could safely get across the rapid. But the angry water, by now completely white had other ideas. It dragged us away. Only some deft manoeuvring and back-paddling got us back on track.

As we moved through the slot the raft dipped, so suddenly it took us by surprise. We hit the water hard, a huge wall of water breaking all around us, showering us. Robin who was in front of me was thrown into the water. I would have ended up the same way if it weren't for somebody pulling me in. Robin, a veteran when it came to whitewater rafting had no trouble getting back on.

Then in a moment it was calm again. The rapid had been passed. We lay gently rocking in our raft gasping for breath. It had been a moment of pure exhilaration. A moment in which we had battled the powerful rapid and won.

The last rapid on our route was as gentle as the first. So gentle in fact that I decided to follow the example of the guides and float through it. So with my life jacket and helmet securely on, I took the plunge. The idea was to float on your back with your feet in front , so that it would be the feet that would hit anything first. As the water gently pushed me to and fro, I didn't even have to swim because of the life jacket.

All along our way the river had been surrounded by the beautiful Kitulgala forest As we approached the waterfront of the restaurant we were filled with a feeling of triumph and team spirit and we raised our paddles in the air as the magnificent Yatiyantota mountain stared down at us.

The rate for this amazing experience is Rs 2,700. If you plan to come to Kitulgala on your own or provide your own lunch the cost would be Rs 1900 and Rs 1600 respectively. The address to contact is Adventure Sports Lanka, Simon Hewavitharana Rd, Colombo 3. So the next time you think adventure and fun, think whitewater rafting on the Kelani river.

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