From bungee jumping to mountain climbing and rafting, our readers dream of trying every possible adventure out there

If I get a chance I would try volcano boarding. As far as I know racing down an active volcano at 30 mph on a little piece of wood is fun! Volcano boarding might also be a bit dangerous — I will find out after getting a chance to try this adventure. And I think volcanic rocks are not as slippery as snowflakes, and there’s a lot more friction to deal with. Volcano surfing is my New Year’s resolution as well.

— Saugat Thapa, Lubhoo-5, Lalitpur

I admire an adventurous life. It is a great fun and thrill to travel to new places. If I get a chance, I would like to go mountaineering, try rock climbing, trekking, hiking, bungee jumping, paragliding and flying over mountains on a balloon. I want to go under sea, see the aquatic life, spend nights in the jungle, capture moments with wild creatures in photographs. Also, I’d like to put my footsteps on the moon. Most importantly, I want to climb the Mt Everest and be on the top of the world.

— Anusha Shrestha

I want to live my life to the fullest. For that, I have chosen to travel around the world and experience everything that exists in this world. I want to try living with wild animals — especially anaconda because everybody is scared of it. They say it can gulp a human being at a single attempt. But I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, so I really want to see that. Before dying I wish to live with wild animals, sharing everything with them.

— Sashikala Tamang, Pokhara

Since my childhood, I have wished for sea diving like the way Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif and Hritik Roshan did in the Hindi movie Zindagi Na Milega Doobara. Sadly, living in a landlocked country I haven’t got a chance to see the sea till now. But those aquatic creatures, water, peaceful environment and interesting scenario attract me. Sea diving has always tempted me. That’s why as soon as I am able to lead my own life, I will be doing adventurous sea diving. I think we have to try for completing all the dreams we have seen as we don’t know when will die — all our dreams end with us.

— Prayash Paudel, Pokhara

I want to go on a Jungle Safari in the Snake Island, Brazil and watch varieties of snakes. I hate snakes and am afraid of them. Despite the fear, I want to go there as adventure is all about doing the things that you hate the most and are afraid of. And I will go there taking all precautions to control my emotions. I will go there via ship, and enjoy canoeing in a waterfall. I will spend my night under the sky, together with all the creatures. This safari will inspire me.

— Sandhya Baral, Pokhara-5, Malepatan

Life is too short for people to be confined within the four walls of a room. The real portrait of life is tremendously awesome and it can’t be felt unless we hit the road. Sometimes I fall for nature in such a way that I would like to fly up in the sky and sometimes I would like to flow with the wave of river. Sometimes I even want to run wild in the dense forest, something Bear Grylls does for a programme in the Discovery Channel — eating everything, hacking everything and becoming master of everyone. Till date I have tried night camping in the dense forest, rafting in Trishuli River, bungee jumping in Bhotekoshi et cetera. If I get a chance, I would go mountaineering in the Annapurna Himalayan range. The unforgettable natural beauty of Manang has tempted me to go mountaineering.

— Nirmal Aryal, Jitpur

Fear is something that prevents us from being adventurous. It is something that keeps us from the most beautiful experience in life. In order to overcome our fear we need to have feelings of YOLO — you only live once. And to fulfil this motto, I would wish to go bungee jumping in the Bhotekoshi River, rafting in Trishuli once I complete all my exams. In addition, I have a dream to hike to Rara and Tilicho lakes. Last but not the least, I would want to go sky diving.

— Nirdosh, Kathmandu

If I get a chance in my life, I will go rock climbing as part of my adventure. It is more difficult than any other form of adventurous sports. Since I haven’t tried this part of adventure in my life ever, I really am both eager and ready to try it.  I know that it will be a difficult task, but I will not step back. Despite all the challenges, I will work hard and fulfil my desire. Besides, I will also make my country famous in this world through this adventure.

— Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar, Baneshwor

The kind of adventure that I look forward to is generally risk-free. I know thrill is all about enjoying and taking risks, however, risks scare me. Despite this, the one adventure that I have always wanted to take is — cuisine hunting. I love food. I look forward to tasting the world through the variety of cuisines that it offers. I do love travelling and I enjoy every bit of it, but somehow foods take first priority. I believe food to be a way of understanding people’s background, their tastes, their history and their dedication. I am that one person who would say yes to any invitation in a second that involves trying out new authentic cuisines. I am the kind of person who looks at shows and reviews and actually tries them out (given that they are in my budget). Be it this year or any other year, but I want to expand and explore various cuisines around the world, to actually understand it in a whole different way. Exploring foods is possibly a great way to increase travelling, so it’s still a win-win situation.

— Udipta Bohara, Gongabu

I am neither an adventure enthusiast nor a philanthropist. However, if I get chance or make a plan for some adventurous activity I would like to visit United Arab Emirates — especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I wish to go to this country of the tallest skyscraper Burj Khalifa, and be a part of exhilarating sport — skydiving. There are various skydiving spots available at various places of UAE. Skydiving is a thrilling sport in which skydiver/s jump off a helicopter while it is flying in the high sky with safety clothes on. Being a science student, I need proof of everything to believe. In Physics, we study that the upthrust of air makes it possible for parachutes and airplanes fly in the sky. However, how can I believe this enunciation unless I feel it or see the phenomena? This skydiving would provide me the platform and firsthand experience that it is right. I want to grab the opportunity of skydiving to understand how gravity works on us and of course, for thrill.

— Kamal Kanta Dhungel, Jhapa

Paragliding and skydiving are two exotic sports I often dream about trying in my life. I am very much interested in these sorts of daring activities. Bungee jumping and rafting are also my choices.

— Arjan Acharya, Butwal

I have acrophobia — the fear of heights. But I wouldn’t hesitate to do bungee jumping any day. The thrill  you get from the free-fall, as if you were a bird, is awesome. The rebound you apprehend due to stretched cord and realise you are still alive is best feeling I would ever have in my life.

— Aman Dutta

I would like to roam around the world and discover new things every day in my life.

— Gorakh Dhungana

I would love to try the adventurous paragliding, not once but many times throughout my life. Observing nature through aerial view, I would get to enjoy with nature. And I want to paraglide, not only from Sarangkot or Nagarkot but from all around the world.

— Deepa Adhikari, Pokhara

I have a dream to visit Spain to celebrate ‘La Tomatina’ festival. I love this scintillating tradition of Spain. I wish to fill the colours of joy and fun to my life by celebrating that amazing Spanish festival.

— Sanjog Karki, Tansen-6, Palpa

I have a big desire to do bungee jumping and paragliding — two most interesting adventures. They are on my wish list now. I am by nature very sober and sensitive person so these adventures would be truly an amazing experience for me. Once, I returned from the paragliding spot in Sarangkot without even trying it once. This incident reminds me of not being courageous enough to do so.

— Subha Dangol, Bhainsepati

I wish to choose an adventure to the space.  I love astronomy and my dream and aim is to be an astronaut of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). My family also encourages me to do it. I love to learn new things about space. The universe is a mystery and I want to know more about it. I dream of space walking. Lastly, I don’t want to live a boring life. I want to live an adventurous, dangerous, risky, enjoying, hard, and a life full of thrill and challenges. These are my reasons for choosing astronomy as my adventure.

— Venus Bhatta (for his brother)

Mostly, I like travelling to new places, getting to know about the lifestyle of people over there, culture and civilisation. When it comes to adventure, bungee jumping, canoeing, zip flying and paragliding are in my wish list. I want to try all these activities at least once in this life. It will be thrilling experience, exciting as well as full of fun. All these activities have power to refresh my mind. It is worth trying all these activities as life is just about experience.

— Sulochana, Kavre

As I am an inquisitive person, for me adventure is all about finding the answers to mysteries. In addition, I also want to go to an unfamiliar place and challenge myself to be familiar over there. My childhood dream was to climb Mt Everest and I will try it sometime in future.

— Aashish Adhikari, Pokhara

I would visit different beautiful places of Nepal and understand culture and lifestyle there. I love Pokhara very much as this place has many adventures to enjoy — paragliding, ultralight, zip flyer, bungee jumping et cetera. I wish to attempt all these adventure sports after I earn money.

— Prativa Bhattarai

Like everyone else I also have a dream — the dream of climbing the highest peak of the world. I know it’s not going to be easy but I can promise to do anything it takes to make this  dream come true. And very soon it will definitely be the sweetest reality of my life.  With a heavy rucksack on my back and ice axe in my hands, I will begin the journey of my dream to the Mt Everest. Challenging the cold breeze of wind and snow, I will move forth my footsteps to the summit. On the way, I may have to face unexpected tragedies but I will not give up.  On reaching the apex I will regard myself as the bravest mountaineer ever.

— Suvechha Dahal

We live our life only once. So, I won’t leave even an inch to explore the world if I get free from worldly responsibilities. I would pack my bags, leave all gadgets behind, carry a few selected books, my diary and set myself out to travel the world. I would visit every famous placearound the world. I would love to mingle with people and their varied cultures.

— Uttam Thapa Ud, Damak

If I get a chance to be a part of an adventure, I would try the task that is tough enough to complete. On succeeding the attempt, I will share that achievement with my child, friends or anyone that I’ll meet in my lifetime, as the memorable incident. It could also be an inspiration for them.

— Suzie, AKBS

Ever since I have known about skydiving — a sport that is adventurous and thrilling — I have decided I am going to try this at any cost. Although I am afraid of heights, I will have a moment of flying in the sky. I have heard somewhere that a little bit of courage is better than lifelong regrets due to which I will make the wish come true at the right time.

— Yasmine

While talking about adventure, the first thing that comes to my mind is travelling. It is because I love travelling and my top destination for that would be Nepal. Nepal is a small country but is rich in natural beauty. Some people of Nepal think that they should go abroad for having fun and adventure. That is not true as Nepal has a lot to give us especially when it comes to adventure. From awesome trek across the hills to camping on bases of the mountains, rafting in Trishuli, paragliding above the beautiful city Pokhara, our country has lot to offer. Even going for a volunteering trip to a village is exciting in Nepal where we get chance to experience love from the new place. Exploring every nook and corner and every little thing that makes Nepal unique is the first thing I would love to do keeping YOLO concept in consideration.

— Swekchha Luitel, New York

During my Nepal trip in March 2015, our first stop was at Sauraha. Right at dawn, we went for a jeep safari in Chitwan jungle. Though the greenery, water bodies or the wild life in the form of birds and deer were marvellous to say the least; still I was missing something! Yes, I was missing ample time to relish it. Since the jeep was moving at a fast pace, the wonderful scenes were just flying past us. After a little break at a viewpoint, it was the time to return! Now while on our journey in the jungle, I had witnessed many foreigners (maximum of them being women) cycling alone. I got the feeling that indeed this is the real adventure! Due to the slow leisurely pace of the cycles, they could appreciate the diversity of the woods in a significant way. Moreover, they were not bound by constraints of time, schedule or group tour.  So, they could just stop here and there and spend as much time as they wished and feel the essence of the jungle. Thus, I dream of an adventure in the jungles of Chitwan riding on a cycle and exploring it by utilising my own sweet time.

— Kajak Chatterjee, Kolkata, India

If I ever had a chance, I would embark on a solo trip. I don’t know if that has anything to do with me being introvert, but the prospect of exploring new places, meeting new people, having new experiences, all on my own fascinates me. The freedom is great and one-on-one time with myself is priceless. While travelling we absorb, we experience, we learn and we share. But, while travelling on our own, this process just intensifies. And here’s a line I’d like to quote, “One travels more usefully, when alone because he reflects more.”

— Sweta Maharjan, Siddhipur

I would love to go on months long trekking from Humla to Taplejung, keeping the Himalaya trail on my left, a stick on my hand and rucksack on my back. I have always loved travelling better than touring. So, I would like to embark on my journey alone and without pre plans. I love to live in the moment, and not care about the future. I would have neither DSLR nor selfie stick. That would be an experience for me and I am eagerly waiting for that wish to come true.

— Manish Paudel, Katari-10, Udayapur

First I will do bungee jumping. I will also visit some beautiful places of Nepal such as Tilicho Lake, Rara Lake, Khaptad National Park, Chitwan National Park, Poon Hill, Bandipur among others. When I visit such places I will get to know them firsthand, without relying the information that I often read in books.

— Saroj Wagle, Dumarwana, 04, Bara

I know this is not going to be possible, to live a life of an adventurer that I have in mind. But presuming that it is possible, I would like to walk on the high-wire footsteps of the US President-elect Donald Trump who reportedly bounced back from the brink of several bankruptcies to remain a billionaire, with maverick hotels and golf courses. Like him I would have liked the thrill of hosting highly charged ‘Apprentice’ and finally to become the President-elect of the most powerful nation on earth. Compared to the adventure of Trump, other adventures like climbing the world’s highest Mt Everest 10 or 12 times or more, would not give us the lifetime of adrenaline rush.

— Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Children are precious and most of us would do anything to protect our children or those younger to us like our siblings from anything unpleasant in life. Yet life is a lesson all of us must learn on our own. Do you think you should shelter children from unhappiness? Why?

Send your replies in not more than 200 words by Friday, January 13 by 2:00 pm to Features, The Himalayan Times, e-mail: features@thehimalayantimes.com