Kayaking de la noche

Life is so crazy and beautiful. I had one of those special moments this evening when I realised that I was learning how to white water kayak in a lightning storm surrounded by the amazon rainforest. 

I love the water so much. I am completely comfortable underwater and in wild rivers. It makes it easier for me to learn water sports because there is no fear of ending up in the river, in fact I desire the added level of intensity. 

I am being taught to kayak by Tony, the owner of Pakay Hostel in Tena, a town in Ecuador which is the home base for most Amazonian adventures. Being taught by locals and hanging out with their kayaking friends on the river with no pressure to learn or rush is such a priceless experience. I didn’t expect this to happen, Ecuador has been chock full of surprises.

Two nights ago I arrived in Tena ( a town bordering the Amazon rainforest) at 11.30 pm and the hostel was dark – everyone was already asleep. I set up my inflatable mattress and mosquito net and slept on the balcony, and drifted to sleep with the strange sounds of the jungle as my soundtrack. In the morning, after chatting to Tony the owner for about 10 minutes (and him finding out that I am a raft guide), he offered me free board in exchange for help around the hostel, designing a a Pakay Tour brochure, making videos and taking photos. He also offered to put me in touch with his friend who is looking for raft guides and will show me the local canyons. Oh and yeah, he is going to teach me how to white water kayak. No big deal. Haha.

This is the way it goes here in South America. You help in the way that suits your individuality best and become part of the community, and the community looks after you. It is not a forced exchange; it is natural, every person is taken care of. I love how everybody that I meet makes such an effort to include me in the moment, despite my limited Spanish skills. Ecuadorians are incredibly friendly and kind people. 

Four of us went kayaking in the lower Napo river today. It was brown and swollen from recent rain (although we are in dry season so it isn’t as full as it could be). Christian (another volunteer) and I were the trainees and Tony and his friend were guiding us. It was about a two hour journey from the put in to the take out, with 8 Class 2-3 rapids interspersed with calm sections. That was more than enough already, but the cherry on top is that the Napo river is surrounded by lush, untouched Amazonian rainforest. 

I have just learned how to roll a flipped kayak yesterday, and Christian was still practicing. I still have a long way to go to having a reliable roll, but have the advantage in that I can hold my breath calmly upside down under the flipped kayak for a long time. 

We went through some waves; Christian was knocked over and swum a couple of times and we took our time practicing strokes and rolls. This resulted in us getting only about three quarters of the way through at sunset, and it was getting dark quickly because of the storm clouds. 

During the second last rapid in the fading light Christian went straight into a hole which flipped him upside down and held his kayak. Tony and his friend were shouting in Spanish and I assume that they were yelling at him to pull his skirt to escape the hydraulic. I paddled to the side of the river to try to help. By this time it was completely dark and we could no longer see each other. Tony managed to grab the kayak after it flushed out and we all regrouped on shore, finding one another with whistles. 

We continued on, padding much closer as a group, telling stories about how anacondas come out after sunset. They convinced me to attempt a roll in the river in the dark. I failed, I guess I was a bit disorientated. But I’m not sure whether the disorientation was caused by the dark or if it was more the disbelief of the incredible situation; paddling in the amazon by night.