rivers Archives - Page 2 of 3

Photo: Jungle trek

August 15, 2011 By Jillian

When we showed up in Tena, we were hoping to do some Ecuadorian whitewater kayaking. There were tons of shops advertising gear, but we were hesitant to go down alone without a guide, especially our first time out. Needless to say, we ran into another kayaker who invited us to go along with him on the Jatunyaku (Jatunyacu) as “safety” boaters on the river. We had our share of rough moments that day, partially because of our poor equipment and partially because we were pretty rusty already at paddling. Needless to say when we pulled over to explore this little ravine, the whole group was more than excited to get out of their boats and jungle hike. Did we see anything amazingly cool on the hike? No, but it was pretty fascinating hiking into a ravine that could only be accessed by the river. We certainly saw our share of giant spiders and huge jungle plants, but there’s something special about going to a place that’s difficult to get to, it feels something a bit more off the beaten track.

Fortunately we survived our day on the river and unsurprisingly we weren’t asked to safety boat again. Danny tackled the river a few more times over the time we were there and with better equipment seemed to have a much better time of it.

This picture was taken inside the ravine/canyon as we hiked in and out. Unfortunately the Ecuadorian government is planning to build an enormous hydroelectric dam across the river, washing out the rapids and likely washing out areas like this as well.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

The scenic route to Cambodia

November 17, 2010 By Jillian

From Southern Vietnam there are two ways to get to Phnom Penh – the easy way and the scenic way. Gluttons for punishment or a sense of adventure, depending on how you see it, we decided to go the scenic way. Three days by boat through the Mekong Delta.

For me the Mekong is one of those mythical big rivers. Like the Nile or the Amazon, the Mekong is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia. Running from its head waters in Tibet 2,703 miles to the South China Sea, the Mekong Delta is the center of Southern Vietnam’s economy. From lively and extensive floating markets, to small villages and Buddhist temples hidden in caves, the area is rich in activity.

Our Mekong Delta tour was pretty much as expected, a tour that shuttled us through tons of places in very little time stopping at everyone’s souvenir shop along the way. Typical on these kinds of tours, we sampled tropical fruits while listening to traditional music (CD: $10), coconut candies (one package: $1), and a rice noodle factory (1 kilo of noodle: $2). And then there was the Burmese Python, which thankfully was free to touch. As you can tell by the pictures, I was slightly freaked out by the whole thing. Slightly is an understatement.

Although the area is undergoing dramatic economic development, most of the population still lives by the river’s waters. That’s the real draw to the area, and although we spent most of our time on uncomfortable wooden boats, it was interesting to see life along the river.

Besides being the local “highway”, the river also supports several floating markets, floating residences and a huge variety of floating businesses from fish farming to restaurants and even the border post. That’s right, Vietnamese Immigration is a floating building on the Mekong. We’ve crossed numerous border, a few have been over water, but I’m pretty sure this was our first floating border post. Thankfully the Cambodian officials chose to build their post on land and at least for a little while we were able to get off the boat.

In a van for the last 40km to Phnom Penh, our driver turned on his favorite music- 1998 pop music. Song after song from artists that should never be heard from again (Jamaraquai, Aqua…) we laughed in disbelief as song after song blared through the speakers. Finally we surrendered and by the time we arrived in Phnom Penh the entire van was singing along to such favorites as “Barbie Girl” and “Spice up your life.” Welcome to Cambodia.

If You Go: Two and three day tours are easy and affordable and easy to book in Ho Chi Minh City. You can get around the region independently but it is time consuming. Be prepared for an onslaught of souvenir shops. If you do cross the border into Cambodia, you will have no choice but to pay a $1 stamping fee(bribe)to the immigration officials. Visas for Cambodia can be arranged at the border,but if you do the tour in reverse,you’ll need your Vietnamese visa in advance.

Water Puppets, Primates and Tam Coc

November 10, 2010 By Jillian

Those of you that have been following along with us are probably now thinking- how did you get from Beijing to Hanoi? Well it’s a long story, but basically traveling during National Holiday in China completely screwed up our itinerary. Since we were so limited in what transportation was available, we cobbled together a strange route through China that had us end in Beijing. Unwilling to take a 3 day train to Vietnam, we bit the bullet and booked a flight, through Malaysia. Yes, from Beijing to Hanoi we spent a day in Kuala Lumpur, which frankly was awesome. Shopping capital of the world- we even found multi-grain cheerios!

We briefly stopped in Hanoi and instead headed to the coast and spent a few days in Nihn Bihn. An Endangered Primate Center is the biggest draw at the Cuc Phong National Park, but after spending so much time in heavily polluted China we were glad to have a day in the fresh air hiking through the jungle and took less than 15 minutes for the bugs to find Danny, reminding both of us of the many joys of the tropics. We hiked to a tree which is claimed to be over 1000 years old and even hiked into a pitch black “pre-historic” cave. No animals were spotted through any of this, outside of stickbugs and other insects, as hunting in the park has diminished animal populations so much that there are hardly any animals left in the park.

The next day I found myself sitting in a row boat watching a woman row with her feet. Yup, you read that right. Rowing with her feet. Through the caves and stone arches of Tam Coc – Bích Dong (means 3 caves) we admired the scenery as every other boat that passed stared at our boat driver rowing with her feet. Sure there were other drivers using their feet, but our lady rowed that way for the full hour long trip. It was impressive, but then again, why hadn’t anyone else thought of that before? Surely these can’t be the only people in the world innovative enough to use larger muscle groups to row. I guess necessity is the mother of invention, as was the hard push we received on the boat to purchase some local embroidery.

Back in Hanoi we filled a full day sightseeing and sat through a rather amusing water puppet show. A traditional form of entertainment, the water puppet shows are traditionally performed along river banks. Now the shows are performed from pools inside auditoriums and although the story lines were a little lost on us, we enjoyed watching the puppets flip back and forth on long sticks. It was a little kitsch but cute and worth the $3 price of admission.

Plenty of other sites abound in Hanoi, we enjoyed the Ethnography museum- be sure to check out housing examples in the back, some of which were put up in the traditional way by villagers. We also stopped by the “Hanoi Hilton,” where John McCain’s flight suit is on display. I wonder what would have happened if he had become president?

IF YOU GO: We stayed at a great hotel in Old Hanoi called the Allura, shop around and you should be able to find something comfortable and decent without any problem. Buses to Ninh Binh run from a bus station in the south of the city very frequently and are less than $3. From Ninh Binh we were able to arrange a car to take us to the national park, but be aware that the primate center closes mid-day for lunch. A little restaurant on-site serves food until it runs out- this can be rather early, so bring snacks and water. We rented bikes in Ninh Binh to get to Tam Coc for the boat trip and took a route along the river.

Khartoum

May 17, 2010 By Jillian

At the convergence of the Blue and White Niles, Khartoum seems to straddle an invisible line separating sub-saharan Africa from Arabia. Geographically it may not be so, but there is a certain cultural divide that comes together with the Niles. White robed men linger in the souk with their brightly dressed East African brothers while women from the west and the south- their faces scared by ritual cuttings sell delicious tea (chai) on the side of the road. Khartoum is in many ways a reflection of Sudan’s place in Africa, it is the largest country with perhaps the most visible regional diversity on the continent.

Khartoum was lovely. We spent nearly a week camping by the banks of the Blue Nile, walking the length of the city several times over, exploring the Omdurman (Arab section of town) souk courtesy of a local couchsurfer, drinking gallons of fresh juice and even enjoying an ice cream or two where we could find it. From the wonderful couchsurfers we met up with to the market stall owner who invited us in for tea, and the men who invited us to lunch at the sailing club (which was delicious!), we were constantly meet with gracious hospitality and genuine interest.

Walking back from the Sudan National Museum, Danny and I were stopped on the street by a local family. Introducing himself to us, and then in turn his two boys and his veiled wife, the man welcomed us to Sudan and wished us a pleasant stay. This scene was to be repeated time and time again in Khartoum. Instead of taxi drivers following us down the street honking and yelling: “Taxi! Good price!” the drivers in Khartoum waved at us out their window and yelled, Welcome! It was a delightful change of pace.

Standing at the Whirling Dervish (sufi dance) ritual at sunset on Friday, we were fascinated not only by what was in front of us, but enchanted (thats really the only way to put it), by the people of Sudan.

Review: Nalubale Rafting (Jinja, Uganda)

April 5, 2010 By Danny

We contacted Nalubale Rafting when we arrived in Jinja at the suggestion of a friend. On price alone Nalubale was 30%-40% cheaper than just about everyone else in town and on that recommendation alone we were sold. After speaking to the owners/guides about the river levels and the river-boarding we preferred to do, we were also sold on the personalized level of service we were about to receive as well as their river knowledge as well. We are two whitewater kayakers, know many whitewater rivers, and know the difference between someone just trying to sell the river and someone who actually knows and respects its dangers. Working mostly with Reuben, we were told that the river was a little low for river-boarding but that we could take the boards and fins and do it whenever we could.

The morning was a bit slow to start on account of finding boards and fins for the three of us but even with that delay we were still on the water ahead of the other rafting trips. A quick lesson on using the boards in the river and we were good to go. Throughout the day Reuben was a perfect guide. Leading down good, clean lines so that we had fun in the rapids rather than a bad time. On those rapids of questionable difficulty he was clear in articulating the dangers and advised us when it was best to get into the raft and off the board…the final decision always left to us. Our day on the river could have been a lot worse but I don’t really see how it could have been any better. The extras were also top notch. The food provided to us, three small meals, was far more substantial than the one or two snacks I’m usually accustomed to…and then beers and sodas for the ride back to Jinja as well.

Logistics were all handled well and with three safety kayakers monitoring the three of us at all times we were never in any danger. I am not sure but I believe shuttles to Kampala and camping sites can also be arranged at no extra charge. The most difficult part of the day was that we were staying at the Nile River Explorers Backpackers, home to not only the only backpacker accomodation in town, but also one of the largest rafting outfits in the entire country. Their prices were higher and due to their size, the impersonal nature of the staff rubbed us the wrong way. Some managers were nice but others were the opposite of helpful and really irked us. In the end I was extremely pleased that we chose not to go down the river with them.

www.nalubalerafting.com
bookings@nalubalerafting.com
+256 (0)782 638938

Photo: Jungle trek

The scenic route to Cambodia

Water Puppets, Primates and Tam Coc

Khartoum

Review: Nalubale Rafting (Jinja, Uganda)

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