By the late 2000s, Paddle Nepal was growing quickly.

Trips were running regularly. New boats and equipment were arriving. The team was expanding. Competitions, training programs, logistics, sponsorship support, marketing, operations, hiring, guide training, budgets, equipment repairs, building a website, guest communication, transport coordination, scouting new routes, river permits, safety systems — all of it had become part of daily life.

And through it all, Nim was involved in nearly every aspect of the business.

Early mornings. 

Long days.

Late nights.

Sometimes at the river.

Sometimes at the boathouse.

Sometimes behind the desk at the operations office in Pokhara — although office work has never exactly been Nim’s favourite place to spend time.

But in those early years, that first office in Pokhara’s central Lakeside was an exciting place to be.

A guides hangout.

A place where paddlers from around the world intersected with first-time rafting adventurers.

A place where young guides had the opportunity to learn, grow, and become part of something that was growing quickly itself.

The whitewater industry was thriving, and Paddle Nepal had quickly become part of the centre of it all.

At the same time, Nim was still actively guiding trips, training younger paddlers, coaching teams, organizing events, and continuing to compete himself whenever time allowed.

Looking back now, it is honestly hard to understand how he managed to do it all. 

But little by little, Paddle Nepal was becoming more than one person’s dream.

Kelly bhauju had now left her job in Kathmandu, become Nim’s partner in life, and was slowly becoming his partner in the growing business too. Alongside the support of his brothers, guides, trainees, and Nepal’s close-knit river community, the workload was slowly becoming something shared.

But at the heart of it all, Paddle Nepal remained very much Nim’s vision — the company he had imagined, built, and continued driving forward through countless decisions, risks, and long days.

And then… every once in a while… exhaustion would quietly win for a few minutes.

Like in this photograph 😄

One small moment of rest behind the desk before the next phone call, trip departure, guest meeting, or river mission.

Long before conversations about burnout, work-life balance, and entrepreneurship became common topics online, this was simply the reality of building a small adventure company in Nepal.

All hands on deck.

All the time.

And perhaps that is one reason Paddle Nepal grew the way it did.

Not because of one single achievement or championship title.

But because of years of consistent hard work quietly happening behind the scenes.

Also, Kelly bhauju — author of these PN20 stories — would like to officially report that she also feels a little like sleeping at her desk this week 😄 There are way too many Thursdays in 2026!

So this is all we got today.

Happy Thursday 🌊

(To be continued…)

This reflection is part of Paddle Nepal’s 20-year journey on Nepal’s rivers.