May 29, 2014 12:07 PM
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I would like to share my experience at Rishikesh where we went for Rafting on the morning of 25th May 2014. Weather was very hot(about 45 degrees Centigrade). We were a big group of 11 kids and 10 adults who took the jeep from the office of Himalayan Experience .Himalayan Experience is a group which undertakes rafting tours. We paid and headed to the point from where 16 rapids could be taken. Before embarking on the journey we left all our belongings (mobile, cash, cameras, bags etc) with two of our group members who stayed back to look after our items. We also had drinks and light snacks before taking the jeep.
The drive up hill was a long drive of about an hour or more. All the kids were sitting jam-packed at the rear of the jeep. The driver did not do any head count and neither checked if rear door was properly locked or not.
Anyhow, on reaching the spot my son who is 8 years old opened the rear door and jumped out. There was a huge metal piece at the exit step of the jeep which chipped his back side of the foot. Within minutes there was a huge pool of blood. There was a very deep slit (a v shape) on his foot.
After few minutes one bandage was provided which did not help as there was an incessant bleeding. We borrowed a hand towel and tried to stop the bleeding. There was no active and immediate help n guidance from the driver of the office. Few of us headed back to the base camp as there was no first aid in sight and the only first aid we could get was more than 2 hours away.
To our utter shock, we got stuck in a jam. My friend took hold of bleeding foot and pressed it hard to stop the bleeding while my son cried in pain. There was no water, no first aid, no Ac, no tissues in the jeep. We did not have any money or mobile phone as we had left with our friends in the base camp.
The traffic jams made me realize how helpless we were. The traffic came to a standstill.
Few people bought ice creams from a vendor in the middle of a jam without realizing that they were causing the jam and delays. Driver said that it might take more than 2 hours to reach the base camp.
I requested the driver to help and he then called up the office. Office arranged for a motor cyclist to rescue my son as bleeding continued. By the time motor cyclist came bleeding had luckily stopped. He took my son and I stayed back in the jeep.
As it was Sunday, many hospitals were closed. Somehow the cyclist found emergency care on the outskirts of the city after checking 4-5 clinics. My son got first aid with bandage along with 7 stitches. The arrangements were pathetic and the whole safety scenario is very risky in Rishikesh.
Safety arrangements, accidental care and post operative concerns with the Himalayan experience group are very poor. I would advise tourists to be extra cautious and take due measures in order to enjoy the sport and not let it turn into a nightmare.
