Which stretch of the river is yours

There are three runs above Rishikesh and the shops in Tapovan sell them as one. Brahmpuri is 9 km and Grade II, for children and first-timers. Shivpuri is 16 km and Grade III with two IVs at the top, and it is what most people mean when they say they rafted in Rishikesh. Kaudiyala is 26 km and Grade IV — The Wall, then everything below it — and we only take people on it who have done Shivpuri or the equivalent. Tell us who is coming and we will pick.

Written from the verandah, with a cup of chai going cold.