Appetite for adventure

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Long considered the bastion of a few crazy sporting aficionados who roughed it out at swampy surrounds, adventure travel never enjoyed mainstream patronage. But with the ‘thrill’ that goes with the ‘risk’ of adventure travel, people today are ready to jump off an aircraft, brave the boisterous river waters (river rafting) and even scale the Kilimanjaro. And this steely conviction to brave the risk doesn’t come easy, as Italian climber Walter Bonatti said, many years ago, “If in normal conditions it is skill which

counts, in such extreme situations, it is the spirit which saves.” It is undoubtedly this spirit to experience real adventure that spurs people to saddle up despite the odds.
Actor Trisha says, “I have no words to describe the feeling when I jumped off that plane in Australia. I was on a high the entire day and skydiving helped me feel liberated. Next on my adventure travel calendar is paragliding.”
And unlike the perception that the edgy traveller thrives on the risk factor and the cheaper price tag, Ajay Patil of DiveGoa says, “We have a lot of visitors throughout the year. There is not a single day that we have no business. Groups come here and join our scuba diving trips and spend up to `18,000 a day.” Is there a lot of preparation? “Not really. One needs to just be fit and have no ailments. Some people plan these trips, so they are pretty much in good shape.”
In a fast urbanising landscape, it is perhaps the respite nature offers that makes people opt for such adventure. Santhosh Jagadeesh, a fishing enthusiast, says, “More and more people want to escape the noisy environs of the inner city and explore not just the green terrain but also the waters.”
Santhosh and his brother Sangeeth organise ‘sports fishing’ trips out of Chennai with close friends. “We have two fantastic boats Sea Rocket and Sea Hawk, both equipped with a fish-finder that enables you to navigate in that direction,” he says. Speaking of the interest in this sport, he explains, “It is not just young people, in fact we have a lot of inter-state older crowd who come for a couple of outings on the sea. One needs to be open to trusting the waters and just having a good time. Fear of the sea often ruins the experience.”
Conquering these fears might be one purpose of such travel, but many say they have found a larger purpose through such adventure trips. “Young people today are excited about nature trails and form their own groups and explore new terrain,” says Dipankar who has trekked to the Gulf of Mannar.
He adds, “It is clearly the kick of discovering new terrain that fascinates many people. On these trips people re-experience their personal highs and lows. It is a soul-finding experience with a lot of emotions thrown in.”
But surely, such trips need you to be fit? “Absolutely,” says Ajay Bakaya of Sarovar hotels. “I have been on many such adventure trips including the Kailash Mansarovar, Mongolia and Kilimanjaro,” he shares, adding, “To be one with nature is an experience that everyone must have. Especially the team spirit you build on such trips is valuable.”
Focusing on the essentials before you undertake such travel, Ajay says, “Scaling the Kilimanjaro wasn’t easy. It is 20,000ft above sea level, and there is constant oxygen depletion. But I ensure good fitness levels by regularly practicing Yoga, running and hitting the gym,” he smiles.
Actor Gul Panag, a self-confessed adventure junkie, says, “The trips I have made to Ladakh and Ranthambore via Sariska have taught me discipline and the skill of planning.” The glamour puss, not one to be intimidated by daunting roads on hilly terrain says, “I went to Ladakh on a bike, long before it was fashionable and the roads were made. It is a must one should travel with like-minded people. Or else it’s no fun.”
The thrill from such an expedition seems to be the ‘disconnect’ one experiences from their regular rigmarole. “I love getting away from civilisation where the phone doesn’t ring and there are no files to look into. On such holidays, I re-discover myself, introspect on life and see where I am heading,” says Ajay who believes such trips can act as reckoners.
Managing to prioritise while on these trips is what teaches these travellers some valuable life lessons too. “On these trips even if someone falls sick or for whatever reason can’t progress with the trek, I still carry on. It means that once you have a sight of your goal, you will not be weighed down by anything,” shrugs Ajay, who spends up to `2 to 3 lakhs on each of these trips. Mandip Singh Soin, a regular adventure enthusiast and founder of Eco Tourism Society of India says, “I have trekked in places like Madagascar, Bhutan and the North Pole in the Arctic and on each of these trips I have learnt to push my own frontiers and learn about my own capabilities.” Speaking of spotting Lemurs in Bhutan he says, “When you come face to face with exotic animals or natural flora and fauna, it makes you have a fresh look at life and evaluate the space you occupy on this earth. For me, it has always been imperative to come as close as possible to all the goodness the world has to offer.”
The distance is not dispiriting and nor is the prospect of peril any dampener to the new-breed of ‘perspective’ travellers. Payal Narayan, a 50-year-old river rafting aficionado who heads to Rishikesh often, says, “These trips reinforce my intent and belief that we need to do our bit to preserve wildlife and the environment. I ensure I am fit as one needs to be hardy to undertake these trips. It is an immense joy when you discover you can be part of the environment solution by constantly experiencing these terrains and helping people appreciate them.” She also believes that, “Once you visit such beautiful places, you’d be less inclined to cause damage to the earth’s landscape.”