Ecuador - Kayaking School

After getting robbed on the Metro in Quito, and ripped off at every opportunity - even by the pharmacist for vitamins (its not $5 it says $2.55 on the packet!). Going to Tena in the Amazon basin was both refreshing and outstanding.

The refreshing bit was a wonderful hostel called Casa Abuelo, a small family run house with a rooftop pool table and a huge lounge complete with 40inch LCD Samsung. The town is set around a small square and split by a meeting of two rivers. The weather was balmy and on sunny days, factor 30 was more than welcome to relieve the farmers tan on the neck and arms. And in every shop and bar we were charged the same (nice and low) price as the locals, including the best restaurant in Ecuador - Marquis - where you got a bbq steak the size of two fists with all the trimmings on a table with fresh linen for $7. Bliss.

The outstanding part was learning how to kayak, we put ourselves through a 4 day course with local and world champion instructor Jaime. Also on the course was a very nice American guy from upstate New York, he was working in the area and was great company out on the rivers. We started off learning the ropes, getting into the water and balancing the 'boat', on calm water it was easy, on white water it was like balancing an apple on a plastic saucer in a jacuzzi. Very tough. We practiced getting into Eddies, Eskimo rolls and general navigation of the river.

The Eskimo rolls are the toughest, you have to tip the kayak over - WHY! - and re right it using a flick of your hips and the paddle. I found it ok in the calm water - but impossible in the white. Maudie faced an unknown fear - being strapped into a vessel in dark water, without being able to control the situation. I was very proud of her perseverance and patience, by the third day she had it in the calm water and on the forth day on the class 3+ rapids trip she raced down all the huge rapids and patiently waited for me to swim to shore having tipped over on the first FOUR!

It was an amazing experience - the scenery, the serenity of the river, watching people pan for gold on the shore, eating chicken sandwiches on rocks, falling in, getting through and making it to the end. We will be going again!