Chile ~ Feliz Navidad

We've arrived in Santiago Chile and are loving this big cosmopolitan European-like city. There is the hustle bustle of Christmas and the only thing we need to shop for is warmer socks, fantastic!

Great Chilean wine, beautiful architecture, incredible street murals and graffiti and fantastic food with the Chileans speaking rapid fire lyrical Spanish that is so charming to listen to even if we don't understand a word of it. The solution to total incomprehension is always a big smile and nod saying 'si, si entiendo, por supuesto!' (yes, yes of course I understand!)

 

 

            

We wish all our friends, family and fans a very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year....Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!!!

                                      

Ecuador~ Extreme Sports

We've been away from experiencing extreme water for too long. 

Mother Maui

Time to get wet again! 

Feeling quite confident with our comfort in wild water we thought river kayaking would be a perfect fit for when we are away from our beloved ocean in Maui. Only in white water kayaking 'swimming' is a bad thing!! It means you had to abandon your kayak and manage to avoid the rocks and rapids ‘a natural’ as you swim to the safety of shore. 

Easy Transition...NOT!

                               

Ecuadorian Sunscreen

Ready for another challenge

Our lessons started in the calm of a pool, nice and simple.

             

Ha! There’s nothing more humbling than a little too much confidence, once we actually got in the river we all struggled to keep our kayaks upright and pointed downriver. 

                                

The only part that came naturally was swirling in circles wildly down the river. Unlike sea kayaks, river kayaks are designed to turn and twist easily, in theory to avoid rocks and boulders in the water.  In reality – at least in our reality – the kayaks turned and twisted at their own whim and it was a real challenge to get them to cooperate and go where we wanted them to go. 

Learning to do rolls was also a challenge that still humbles and eludes us; good thing we know how to hold our breath a long time.

  

                                        

I can’t even imagine doing a roll while actually running the river and coming out alive and not broken and bruised. 

                                                              

Unfortunately, Conti wasn’t so lucky, broken nose and 2 stitches, ouch! There’s nothing like a visit to the emergency room to create a tighter bond among fellow classmates.

                                             

But wait, much to our surprise we also discovered that Conti’s step mom Ines is one of our Ecuadorian ‘primas’, so we are all related!    Being a true athlete, Conti was back in the water the next day braving the white water again. 

Primanita Conti

                                          

  

Patti

Janet

 It was great to learn kayaking and to meet yet another cousin in Ecuador, our ‘primanita’ Conti.

                                   

      We are all smiles and laughter as we land safely back to the river’s edge.