Merry Christmas

Though this is a little early we wanted to let you know that you are in our thougths and prayers. Christmas in Mexico will not be the same and I have to admit that I´m missing Christmas at home. Christmas at our house is full of traditions and though we are trying out some new ideas while we are here there are some good ones that just can´t be replaced - mainly all the family dinners. Yes we miss you all.

So before I get too long winded, Merry Christmas!!!! We hope that it is special and amazing however you will be celebrating it. We hope that all the travelling many of you will be doing goes smoothly. May there be lots of fun had, good food eaten and great company enjoyed.

To let you in on what we´ve got planned so far: Christmas dinner wtht Esprit, church on Christmas Eve, we have a pinta Christmas tree ( that has been used as a decoration) which needs to be smashed open and a fiesta ( a party) held by our Mexican WILD family for my birthday.

Our tour from Oaxaca City

After exhausting ourselves trying to find the "ruin" site and still having a few key things that we were interested in seeing, we decided to spend the extra money and take a day tour that visited several different palces. We were not disappointed! The few extra dollars won`t be remembered. Instead some of the great facts and historical details shared by our guide will be. The group was a diverse mix of English and Spanish speakers all of whom were about our age. So we enjoyed the company of new faces and the stories and perspectives they brought along.



First Stop: El Tule

El Tule is the name of a small village which is home to the largest single biomass in the world. Are you curiuos now? What is with all the big words eh? Translation: a quaint churchyard has the world´s oldest and largest tree in it. It is a cypress tree that is wider than it is high ( 59 mwide by 42 m high.) And it is over 2000 years old. The tree is protected currently by an American environmental group.

Second Stop: The Village of Teotitlan and a Demonstration of Weaving

I think this was the best part of the tour. It was interactive and really fun to learn the age old tradition of waeving. The artisans from this part of the country are renowned for their taperstries. The community has also designed an impressive, totally self sufficient system of living. Meaning that the citizens pay taxes so that the government does not interfere and instead they use a system of heirarchy that relies on the wisdom of the elderly.

The weaving tradtition and technique were shown to us by a young guy, who is one of 25 weavers in a co-operative. His mother demonstrated how the thread is made, starting from preparing the lambs´wool to spinning it to dying it, while the son explained and translated it all. He then demonstrated how the loom is used on a piece of his own work. When we get back you´ll have to see pictures because so few words is not doing this experience any justice! Of course they had finished producs for us to buy, which we did. Something else to add to our collection.

Stop 3: Hierve el Aqua

Aqua what? Though the direct translation is ´the water boils´what we sw were petrified waterfalls. Several mineral springs at the top of cliffs form bathing pools but small amounts of water with huge amounts of minerals make their way over the cliff, making layers upon layers of a "crust" from all the minerals. So there is actually no water flowing over, maybe a few drips. What you see appears to be a "frozen waterfalls." The tour guide took us off the beaten path to get a better view and some great pics.

Stop4: Mitla and The Ruins

We´d contemplated spending a night or two in Mitla but because of our longing to get settled back in Jacomulco the visit with the tour would have to do. And it was great, thought the village would have been a great place to spend a bit more time.

This ruin was built in the 12th century when Monte Alban was becoming less important. It is very small and the patterns in the stones are what makes this ruin unique. The ruins are considered the Zapotecs´(another Indian tribe) main religious center. The cluster of buildings that are present ( many were destroyed and some were recently (1940s) even used as the market place) housed specific people (king, priests, etc...)

The designs in the stones were created by cutting the stone perfectly so that they would fit together just so. The stones were then covered in a paint, which used the cochineal insect. The little bugs would form cocoons on the prickly pear cactus, the plants would later be dried out and the bugs pulled off and ground to form a red powder( which is the same that they use to make red dyes for the weaving.) The powder is mixed with water to make a paste and eventually paint. Today people are trying to speculate what the designs created by the rocks symbolize. It was an amzing form of art.

Stop 5: Mezcal Factory Tour

As soon as you stepped out of the van a distinct sort of bitter smell greeted your nose. Ahhhh alcohol. Mezcal is an alcohol that is made from cactus that look like jumbo sized pineapple tops. Tequilla is a type of Mezcal. The core of the plants are baked in an underground pit and then mashed by a donkey powered wheel. This pulp is then fermentated for about two weeks and distilled over a small fire, so that the alcohol is evaporated, cooled and then collected. You are left with a clear liquid that they do all sorts of things to: colour it, flavour it, add condensed milk to it ( so it is like Bailey´s) and sometimes even a worm is added.

We got to try all sorts of samples. Jay liked the stuff straight and aged ( and most expensive.) I liked the fruity, more melllowed out kinds. In the end not a single person from our group bought anything.

Oaxaca City - Our adventures on the bus :0)

Monday we took a trip to Monte Alban, which is an archeological site outside the city. We`d gotten directions on which city bus to take and where to take it from via the lady at the front desk of our hotel. Now remember that the bus system here, though organized in some fashion (we vaguely understand it now) is like nothing back home. It proved to be an important lesson learned when we got on the wrong bus. The name of the bus we got on was "Monte Alban COLINAS" and what we needed was "Monte Alban COL." The difference between the two was where in relation to the ruins they stopped.

Instead of a 20 minute walk each way that the driver promised us, we were hiking for 45 minutes to a hour. But you can´t complain much for a 35cent ride! The driver and his assistant gave us plenty to watch. The traffic here does whatever they want and since rush hour was winding down there was plenty of determined and maybe crazy drivers. When our driver decided the "lane" he was in was not going fast enough, the assistant jumped out and began pounding on the back of the bus, which meant it was safe to back up. This continued until he was far enough back. The bus we where in was at least 10 years old ( and that is probably being generous). The driver`s vision is narrowed because of this great Mexican tapers try that is hanging from the ceiling about 1/2 the window is covered with it. As you can imagine it was quite an adventure.

Visiting ruins is very unpredictable because you never really know what you are gonna find. This set of ruins dated back as far as 200BC, though most of it was built from 300 to 700 AD. Some of it had been touched up or changed over time. However there are a few key features that make it stand out. Monte Alban was a highly organized, Zapotec society that was run by the religious society of the day. It is found on a flattened hill top with an amazing view of the valleys surrounding it. There are many temples, a palace, several tombs and other buildings built our of huge stone blocks. All the buildings have steep walls. It is estimated that over 10,000 people were a part of this community. One building also has carvings and pictures on it that they believe tell stories of what must have happened back then. It is fun to imagine what life must have been like so long ago.

Oaxaca City: with all the details and then some

So Oaxaca City is described in the tourist info. as a Spanish built with loads of colonial buildings. I later read that the own has been around since 1529!!! It was built around the current town square or zocalo. The town has a fantastic feel with many pedestrian only roads, markets, churches and other cultural things.

This was by far my favourite place to visit so far. I did miss the warmer coast weather and the beaches though. After taking our first over night ride on a first class bus, we arrived in the cold city of Oaxaca (approximately 5 degrees Celsius)at 6:30. Getting a place to lay our heads ( we didn`t sleep well on the bus, I even got a little car sick) was out top priority but we wandered around for about an hour before we found a place to stay, not because it`s so big but because we couldn`t find what we wanted; cheap, cozy and safe. When we finally found a place it was such a relief.

Oaxaca is a city that is made for walking and we certainly took advantage of that the first few days. The Zocalo was our favourite place to go. It reminded me of down town Ottawa (sort of). It was a block full of flower beds with poinsettas and a pavillion in the center. The outer perimeter was full of shops, cafes and street vendors. We saw several live performances from an orchestra to a play to seniors dancing to Christmas music. Over the weekend they decorated this square for Christmas. And there was lots of good food to try!!

When the moment struck we walked into the churches, art galleries and markets we passed. One market in particular, the Central de Abastos stands out in my mind. We estimated that it covered up to 24 blocks with the vendors grouped together based on what they sold: fruits and veggies, meat, honey, baked goods, leather stuff, woven products, arts and crafts supplies, appliances and religiuos icons. You name it and you could find it there. In total we walked away with roasted peanuts, grasshoppers, bananas, oranges and a pack of Halls. Not bad!!

Oaxaca City

Oaxaca City Area

Photos of Our Beaches Adventures

Oaxaca State Beaches

Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido is a town of about half a million people that is known for its´ surfing. It has the best surfing second to Hawaii. It was crazy because everywhere you went there was evidence of Italian influence (mostly if was the numerous restaurants selling pizza). Apparently a while back there was an Italian movie that was filmed here and Italians were so impressed that they came over and made it home. The geography of this town was also really interesting. The main highway divides the town in two, the upper area is where the locals live and work, while the lower section is the tourist area. Down by the water and beaches there was a great pedestrian section, where lots of fishing boats where docked. You could certainly smell fishy smells. There was several beaches but this one right smack in the center of the town is where the locals swam. The night life exploded once it got dark with people selling things and enjoying each others´ company.

The other beach we visited was a little farther southeast from where I just described. It is known as the "Mexican Pipeline." The area surrondign it reminded of us a Whistler/Westboro combo. It had a classy, well-done resort feel. There was a lot of shops and artisan vendors, as well as several Americanized resturants. We found a really great place to stay here for a great price: a cabana ( a wooden structure, sort of like a cottage) with a fridge ( as well as beds and all the other amenities!)

Following are some of our highlights from the time we spent here. Just to warn you this will be a long blog entry because we had a lot of fun in this place.

The first highlight was a public transportation adventure. Up until this point we had been with other people from WILD but people were beginning to branch out and do their own thing, so we followed suit and headed out from Zipolite armed with vague directions and a scribbled map. We had the town name and knew there was an intersection that we had to get off at. So we turend left at the main road and waited for a "colectvo." A colectivo is a cross between a bus and a cab. It is usually a small pick-up truck with seats in the flat bed and you plunk your bags on a shlef on the cab roof. There is a simple metal structure from which a tarp is hung as a roof ( mostly to keep our the sun.) When you are ready to get off ( whether there is a stop or not) you ring a bell to buzz the driver.

We didn´t know that the colectivos have a specific route, but we figured soemthing was up when the first driver dropped us off with his friend only about 400m down the road. It turned out with the help of 2 most interesting English speaking people we made it off at the correct spot once we were in the right colectivo.

The first character was an elderly man ( maybe Indonesian or Asian background) who was well accustomed to MExican culture and choose to hassle the driver when he felt that the driver wasn´t going fast enough. He seemed all polite and was well dressed but when a few swear words slipped out when he thoght we´d passed our spot we couldn´t help but laugh to ourselves. He was chatting it up with a classy middle ages European woman who handmade chairs. She sounded like quite the established artist. Yes I was eavesdropping.

From there we caught a local "city to city " bus. We waited a grand total of 5 minutes (which was so little for a bus that we didn´t know the schedule for) and teh transition went so smoothly. The bus driver´s assistant opens the doors and once you are settled comes and gets the money. It cost 15 pesos/person for an hour bus drive that stops wherever there is a person and lets you off wheneve you are ready (which turns out to be fairly often.)

The second highlight was running into 2 of my favourite instructors from WILD as we walked along the surfers´ beach. Esprit has a whistle/call they refer to as the cooey (? spelling) and it is sounded to get someone´s attention or in an emergency. It´s a basic way to communicate when you a bit of a distance from each other. We´d been walking on the beach and both heard the cooey but ignores it since we assumed no WILDers would be around.

Mel and Tenzin finally called our names to get our attention. They were equally excited to see us and invited us to join them boogie boarding. We were riding waves that were 5-8ft tall, as the sunset over the ocean. We were hooked after ust an hour so we changed hotels to be closer to the beach and rented boards for 24 hrs. the next day. All that after being scared away from this particular beach by the tourist information lady!

On Friday we had a taste of why you had to be a good swimmer and know what you were doing (well sort of.) We´d learned at ZIpolite how crazy the under tow could be. On this particular day the waves were biger and stronger, more like 8 -15ft. We´d given back our boogie boards as I was frustrated because the foamy, crashing surf kept preventing me from going out to catch the waves and our 24hrs. was up. After walking down the beach we spotted Mel and Tenzin in the water body surfing. Of course we had to join them! Body surfing is using your arms and legs to swim and try to catch the waves. There is alot of swimming, diving and archniig your body involved. It was super fun and tiring but the meal that we had for dinner that evening took care of all that hard work. The resturant and bakery was owned by a Canadian couple. I was delighted when they began to play Christmas carols.

After spending a long time at the resturant (since we had booked out of our hotel) and the bus didn´t leave until later we finally boarded the first class bus and got settled in for a long journey.

Huatulco

So after our partying with WILD what did we do?

So the next few journal entries will highlight the beginnings of our travels and explain what we`ve done and seen. Remember that this was about two weeks ago now (yeah I`m a little slow but catching up.) But to summarize everything first :

Sat to Mon we were in Huatulco
Mon to Wed we were in Zipolite
Wed to Sat we were in Puerto Escondido
Sat to Wed we were in Oaxaca City

The first 3 places are all on the Pacific Ocean, while all of these cities are in the state of Oaxaca(lower south-west Mexico.) Following are some things that they all share in common. Right now the weather here is warm to hot (20 to 30 degrees) depending on the time of day. They are just entering into the dry season, which they call summer. This means that the green, lush vegetation is slowing dying away since there is very little rain. Generally we haven`t seen things open until at the earliest 8am but 10am is usually when things really get going. What a life. We are beginning to adjust to "Mexican time." They kind of go at their own pace - usually a lot slower than what we are used to.

Huatulco is a small,relaxed resort town, with a population of about 25 000 people. This is a pristine area that was designed to be ecologically sensitive though many tourists frequent this town, including cruise ships. There are 7 bays on the ocean that make up this great place. Each one is different, some are heavily populated with resorts while others are much more rustic. One of them was the bay that we kayaked out into with out group as the grande finale.

Huatulco was the first plcae where we had a chance to relax, go at our own pace and practice our Spanish. Sat. was spent relaxing and sleeping, with occassional trips to the town square for essentials. We did however find an excellent Mexican "fast food"equivalent.

We just wanted something simple to eat and this resturant was just that. They had lots of choices of food but none of which was rich or extravagent ( we saved that for the next day) . It was like a local hotdog and hamburger place with your typical Mexican fare as well.

Sunday we wandered around town to find the bus station and began to plan what our next step would be. Most of the WILD students were still around so we hung out with them for dinner at a great pizza place. It reminded us alot of home. Just next door to the pizza place was a fancy hotel that had a coffee shop and book store. They had homemade ice cream that was rich and creamy. Jay also got a second hand Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico for cheap and was excited about his good deal.

So in closing, after having written this it is very clear that we didn`t really do alot except eat. It certainly was a highlight - you know how much I like to eat :o)

Zipolite

This entry is a little out of order. I thought I could switch the placement of it, but I can`t figure it out.

So for some info. on this fun little place .... Zipolite is a beach town of about 1200 people. It`s coined a "backpackers" hangout with a bohemian feel by the Lonely Planet guide. There is 2 km of pale sand and an amazing beachfront with rocky cliffs on either end of the cove. In 1997 Hurricane Pauline levelled most of the beachfront hotels and restaruants, but by now everything has been rebuilt and Zipolite is bigger then ever. We stayed in a place on the west end of the beach that was built after the hurricane. It is a 4 story wood / concrete building, which makes it the highest of the beachfront hangouts.

The highlight of Zipolite was the relaxed beach living we enjoyed. Our hotel was right on the beach, only about a hundered meters from the waterline at high tide. Between the main building and the water was a thatched roof with bunch of chairs and 5 hammocks - just enough for the group of us from WILD that were there. We hung out, chatting and drinking beer from the bar (about 20m away which was run by a chilled out American guy). Zipolite is probably the least "touristy" / developed place that we have been so far, and the swimming was really refreshing.

Jay had one of his first Mexico-bartering opportunities haggling for a single-person "chair" hammock. After barginning the price down from 280 pesos to 180 pesos (about $18) we knew that was the vendors last price when he walked away down the beach. We later saw them again back at our hammock-lounge area and moments later were proud owners of a new locally-hand-made hammock.

We discovered a mind boggling thing related to swimming.... it probably shouldn`t have suprised us as much as it did... but the lifeguards there aren`t really funded all that well. They don`t get paid for the time they spend watching the beach and people. Instead they get money on a per-person rescue basis!!!!!! They welcome any donation, but if you find yourslef in a bad situation and they come save you, we hear the going rate for saving your life is roughly 500 pesos ($50). Taking into account how strong the rip tides are and how many liefguards we saw it`s a little crazy to imagine that they can make at least some money with a system like that!

The end of WILD and the beginning of ??????

So aside form saying that the end of WILD was bittersweet I don´t think I said much else. So therefore it is time to give you all the low down.



WILD was the most difficult thing that I have ever done. If you ask Jason he might say something to the effect of, "Well she says she liked it but there were alot of times when it was really hard to tell." Alot of nights were spent venting about how I was having a hard time doing things or was afraid of this or that. I learned that I could do alot more than I gave myself credit for. Realizing that if I relaxed and tried hard I could do amazing things. My confidence grew and I have a much greater appreciation for water. I am looking forward to putting all my skills to use in the next little bit of time and eventually on the Ottawa River - when ever that will be.

So reach back in your memory, all the way back to the last week in Nov. and that will be when this post occurred.

We left the sweet campsite near the ocean (in Huatulco, a sweet resort town) on a Monday and made camp beside the Copilita River which was about 1.5 hr drive away on some crazy bump, curvey roads. We spent the rest of the week there using this as our base camp. Generally things went smoothly with the usual kayaking and rafting routine. The only difference was that as a group we were supposed to be in charge and lead everything. It was a hard transition for us to make as we´d been given so much support for all the rest of our training. A little chaos errupted with food preparations, as well a few local kids liked some of our gear ( rope and knives) enough to try to take it. The other excitement was one day that I was on the river one of the girls had a concussion. I was choosen to administer the medical attention. As a group we had an adventure as we evacuated her out.

We had two special days. One was a cascading day that included a rapell down a 75ft clifff. I had a little slip at the top and decided that was enough for me. I wasn´t too keen on the idea anyways!! Cascading reminded me of the swamp walk that I did when I was at summer camp, the major difference was that we were making our way down this great stream of water that was a blue, greeen colour and had varying sizes of waterfalls on it. Most were small enough that you jumped or walked down. The big ones had swinging ropes or ladders.

The last day was pretty amazing! Earlier that week we had been doing the upper section of the rive, but Friday we finished off the river by starting at our campsite and paddling out, all the way to the ocean. It was a 4 hour paddle with mostly class 1 and 2 rapids ( so some people were bored) with a few class 3 at the beginning. We all paddled into the ocean together and tried surfing. Mine was just a small baby surf and then I was done ( didn´t want to flip and scratch my face on the sand). Prior to going out we all stopped ang Jim shared with us how proud he was of what we had done. He also reminded us that thought this was the end of our trip it signified much more: an open door with many options and excitements ahead that where waiting to be explored. It was an amazing feeling!!

Esprit booked all of us into an expensive hotel ( which was so awesome after many nights spent in weird and wonderful places). We had time to clean up and get ready for our closing party. It was a big affair that involved getting dressed up. I got to wear a dress that I had bought when we were in Texas!!! The food was great - the second best shrimp I´ve ever had and cake for dessert. We each drew a name and had to give that person some sort of award and congratulate them on a job well done. It was really fun to hear the highlights and see what where some of the fun things that stuck out in people´s minds. From there we went to a bar with big screen TVs to watch the video that our camera guy, Mike had made. It was an hour and a half and featured all the places we´d been. It was so great to watch.

After that people went their own ways. Most spent the night partying and from there began their journeys. Some returned home, others to Jacolmulco and others to new jobs. Each of us has changed in some way and wondering what that will mean for the future.

We have adjusted to the idea of not getting the internship ( a 4 month training program while in Mexico using the skills that you´ve just learned.. We realize that it gives us more flexibility and independence. We aren´t tied to Esprit except if we want to be. And we still have the opportunity to join in their trips if there is room. We have the benefit of having them and their expertise around. Instead we have rented an apartment and are just relaxing. We hope to have some cultural experiences such as cooking lessons or coffee bean picking. We will take trips from here, using this as our home base. And of course as much kayaking and guiding as we can squeeze in.

What we will do with all that we have learned is still a pretty big question but we have plenty of time to work that out. Travelling and doing WILD has already taught us so much!

A few other things that I forgot to mention ....

There are several other things about Mexico and Jacolmulco that I wanted to tell you all about that I wasn`t able to include in my last email.

The first is how beautiful a place Jacolmulco is. The village is located in a valley or canyon and on both sides are hills/ small mountains which rise up to a flat "table top" or mesa as the locals call it. The deep ravines and flat table tops are said to be created by volcanic activity that happened many years ago. The hillside is covered in mango trees ( which are not ripe until March :0). Several Saturdays ago we took a hike through a dried up creek bed up the side of the mountain to the top of the mesa where we had a most excellent view of the city and the river. It was amazing to do. I was a little afraid at first because we had to climb up these rickety ladders.

In Mexico the public water infrastructure ( the pipes delivering water to your house) is not very great and as a result nobody uses tap water for drinking. It takes a bit to get used to when you are brushing your teeth. The pipes that the water comes through are not very clean and don´t have a lot of water. Most people have a "holding tank" in their back yard, where they leave the tap open so that whenever their street receives water it fills up for the day. When your street will receive water is not advertised, so the first night when we heard running water at 5 in the morning we were a little confused. The people who are more wealthy have a special tank , usually found on their roof , that they get water delivered to by a truck. At our first apartment we were lucky to have a shower but the pressure was a little weak, sort of like a dribble at first.

The other thing is that you never put toilet paper in the toilet you put it in waste basket beside it. As you can imagine, with hot temperatures it doesn´t take long to get smelly. We are learning that a toilet seat is also not a necessity. Maybe Mexicans figure why add the extra part! Luckily most hotels and touristy places have them. Often you have to pay 2 or 3 pesos to use the bathroom, which seems like a real drag after spending so much time outdoors. I imagine that the majority of people in the world don´t have our caliber of technology for sanitation systems. I guess what we take for granted back home is probably one of the most commonly missed things as you travel to other places.

Reflections about Jalcumulco

I wish that I could take each of you who reads this in my pocket for a few days so you could each experience first hand what life in this small village is like. It would feel very strange and weird at first but with in days it will have grown on you. And you might even be sad to leave the people and the beautiful place that they call home. Well at least that was our expereince and we enjoyed it so much that we plan on going back.

WILD is completed!!! It is bitter sweet ( but more of that to come another day.) We are currently in a little place called Zipolite which has a population of about 1000 people. It is on the West coast of Mexico. The "motel" where we are staying is 75 feet from the ocean and a beach ( our first and one of the most popular nude beaches in Mexico.) We spent the afternoon drinking beer in hammocks. It was amazingly relaxing.

So let´s start with a typical morning routine in Jacumulco. And this is one of the most hard to explain parts of this blog because really you need to hear this first hand. The village is probably alot like what the pioneers would have lived like, very simple and focused on survival. There are animals that live bside people´s one storey homes. Those animals include donkeys and pigs. The donkeys bray the worst sound in the world. I can´t quite figure out why they sound so awful and different than I remember donkeys sounding from home. But when you hear them at 4 or 5 in the morning or really any time of day they just seem so unsatisfied. The pigs are paraded through the town and then stay in people´s yards until they get eaten. If you live close to a butcher you may be woken by piggy squeals. The meat is then kept out for the day so people can buy it and may be cut into pieces using an axe on a stump of wood. I can´t quite figure out how I´ll be able to buy and cook meat when we get back. We might be vegetarian for a bit :0)

So on our way to breakfast we´d pass men saddling up there donkeys who would later come back carrying loads of coffee or bamboo weighing maybe between 30 to 50 pounds. The saddle was composed of a burlap bag and a wooden horn. Beside the donkeys would be cars (particularly VW beatles) that were any where from brand new to 20 years old.

The women often work out of their home. This means that all of the necessities of life are sold from someone´s home. There are paper stores, cornerstores, bakeries, and resturants that serve anything from freshly squeezed juice to sandwhiches to milkshakes to tacos to full chickens. There are an array of sights and smells as you walk down any given street. YOu holler at the door or they have a table at the side of the house on the sidewalk. One lady in town even does laundry and we were so thankful for that ( as our gear certainly was in need of some TLC.)

There are many delicacies that we have tried from street vendors. The strangest may have been corn on the cob cooked in wheel barrows and then peeled and slathered in mayo. The corn isn´t the same texture as what I´m used to so it was a bit of a surprise.

The village is on the river so there is two bridges in town. People are always sneaking jumps off the main bridge (even though it is illegal because people have died trying it). The other bridge is a suspension bridge and I have even walked across it a few times. From the bridges you can see a few small rapids one of which is surfable at this time. I can´t wait to give it a try.

Well that is a few highlights. There is certainly more but it is getting late and we are sleepy, so good night.

On the road again

Well, we ve said good bye and handed in ours keys to the family that has taken care of us for the last three weeks. For the next week we are running the show as participants, with the leaders taking a step back. We board the buses and vans in half an hour ( after we grab a home made ice cream for 5 or 10 cents) to make the last stretch of our journey to the West coast. We have been well cared for and expereienced so many things. Our program will be over in a week and that is hard to beleive because we have learned so much and sort of become like a huge extended family.

We will be rafting, kayaking, cliff jumping, cascading (rapelling down waterfalls) and visiting a turtle restoration place. Needless to say they tell us this next week is more like a vacation than the crazy and intense days we{ve recently had. We had two scenarios and one of them was at night and the other was a day long one this past week. We also learned some basics about teaching beginner kayaking.

We decided to stay in Jaculmolco for a while. How long? That is still to be determined. We sent out a few emails to other guides who are in Costa Rica and Guatamala to inquire about working there. But we have rented an apartment starting when we get back (which will probably be 2 or 3 weeks from now) and gave them half a months rent (500 pesos or $50 Canadian) to make the deal complete. It is a one bedroom place with a bed and a front room (which will become the eating area) and a rooftop patio ( the family has 3 dogs that live in that part only) and most importantly a bathroom with a toilet and shower (mini sized). We ve stashed some stuff there and look forward to having a place to call our own. We hope to get as much time on the water as possible. Jay would love to get alot of commercial whitewater expereince and we are not exactly sure how that will work out. We do know that Esprit will do their best to include us in things and give us stuff to do. We also hope to take trips from here to see new places.

Hope everyone is well. WE have enjoyed the many updates we ve received so keep it coming. When we return I will include more reflections about what we have seen, expereinced and learned over the last three weeks.

New Photos from Mexico

First days in Mexico

The white water in Mexico

I need to close your eyes for a moment and just imagine this, because I think that it is pretty spectacular.

The last three days I have been rafting while Jason was kayaking. There are several different rivers in the area with various features however they are all quite continuous ( the white water just keeps on going and going with very little flat stuff in between) and rocky. But that´s not so amazing. The scenery around it is and I´m certain that despite my best attempts to describe it I won´t do it justice. The rivers around us are all at the base of valleys and table tops mountains that were made due to a volcanic erruptions years ago. We are down paddling away in canyons, so when you look up you see walls of rock and clay. Some of the walls have hieroglyphics on them, while others have tress and cactuses. The water is very narrow is some spots and widens in others. The water is a green blue colour and it is very clear. We paddled through a cloud forest which has ferns that grow a foot in 100 years. This area in particular was awesome because the canyon is steep and rocky so people are unable to survive there, thus it is virtually untouched by people. Occasionally we come across civillization as noted by cultivated banana, corn or coffee fields. A random horse, burro ( donkey) or cows tied (or not) at the waters edge is also a good clue. The birds and butterflies that flutter overhead can be pretty colourful. We also discovered fire ants and this invisible bug (darn sand flies) that leave red marks all over my legs.

More about Mexico .....

First and foremost I need to say that being in Mexico is truly amazing. We have been so blessed and enriched while we have been in this village of Jaucamolco ( which has not even been one week!).

Where to begin .....

The Hospitality in Mexico

So first I must let you all know that we are still doing the whitewater program, however it is beginning to wrap up. There are 3 weeks left and some of that time is testing our skills, so yesterday and today we have been doing review. Some of it is water skills, while other is first aid and safety. It is crazy to see how much we have learned in such a short time.

Part of the program is a 3 week home stay with a family in this community. Each person is paired up ( Jason and I are together - imagine) and then matched with a family who provides them with a place to stay and also with breakfast and supper. Jason and I have been given an apartment that belongs to an elderly woman. Her adult daughter is out host "mom." We share the apartment with one other couple from the WILD group. We then go to the family´s home for our meals. In our family it´s the mom, dad and two early 20s kids. The son and daughter are home today and for the weekend to celebrate Day of the Dead. Both usually reside in Xalapa ( a huge city about an hour away) where they go to school.

We were a little disappointed that we weren´t actually living with a family because we thought that we might be missing something. But on the flip side we quite enjoy having our own space and a fully equipped bathroom ( soem of the other students come over to use it.) The house is large and it has a terrace on the top of it. It is an open concept which means that there isn´t really alot of doors but alot of windows and that the walls don´t go all the way up to the ceiling and so when Jason was sick a few nights ago everyone heard it.

We head over to the family for 7:30 in the morning and 7pm for dinner. We sit on the couch and watch TV if the mom doesn´t quite have supper ready. A huge plate of fruit with yogurt and granola awaits us each morning. Each meal is served with warmed corn tortillas ( wartmed in the microwave). Jason just couldn´t bring himself to eat any today because his tummy is a little upset. Breakfast usually consists of some sort of eggs with beans. She has also prepared sugared buns for us and ceral is an option. I´m still getting used to the idea of drinking warm milk out of a tetra pack. Our mom has a little shake and sandwhich business that she runs out of the house so she makes us chocolate milkshakes whenever we want( yes we are spoiled). For supper we are served raw veggies that make up a salad and chicken with other soups, pasta or rice. The idea is that the family prepare meals as they normally would but I get a sense that she isn´t.

Instead of celebrating Halloween the Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead. This celebration actually lasts several days. I´m not entirely sure what it all entails but I´ll let you know what I´ve seen so far. The family has built an altar in their how. It is an arbor made of flowers ( marigolds specifically) with a table beneath it. On the table is photographs of people who have passed away and also of dieties. They also place food and drink on the table (I´m guessing as an offering for those they rememeber.) There is water, fresh squeezed orange juice and beer, as well as 3 cups of coffee (maybe). For food there is homemade bread, a vartiety of fruit, and tamales ( like a pizza pocket but made the Mexican way with corn paste on the outside and hot spicy filling on the inside that are wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.) There is also lots of flowers around. Also the cemetary is unlike anything in Canada. It has headstones but they are adorned with photos and flowers that are most extravagant and colourful. My first impression of it was that it was celebratory rather than solemn ( I think that is spelled wrong but I can´t figure out what´s the right way)

Mexico

Well we have arrived safely into Mexico, a place that is familiar and yet so different. THe weather here is crazy - hot mostly but today out of the middle of no where we had a crazy rain storm. We were beginning to pack up camp ( which is quite an ordeal) and I was helping with the kitchen supplies. We have a trailer that is packed full with water jugs, coolers (5 or so) food, dishes, garbage stuff and well you know all the stuff you need.... It drizzled a little and before we knew it we wer all soaked and laughing at ourselves. The place where we´ve been camped is at the bottom of several hills. When it rains things get totally muddy. It is one big mud pit. The vans and bus don´t really do well as they slip and slide everywhere. One of the days we had to push the vehichles out.

The river is just a stone´s throw away - at the bottom of ravine by the campsite. It is turquois- green colour and you feel as though you are in paradise. We have put for kayaking about 8km from our campsite ( it is a luxurious spot) and we take out when we arrive back at the campsite. However to get there you need to go over 7 (I think) waterfalls/slides to get there. THEy vary in height from 10 to 25 ft. The first day was intimidating but we have done it several times since and it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth that I have ever been.

Yesterday we had a scenario where on one of the instructors was running the third last waterfall. It is the highest watefall. She went over the waterfall and then needed to be rescued. In this situation she had a broken femur ( the big bone in your upper leg). This is a life threatening situation so we had to pretend to treat the break and then evacuated her out off the river. To get her safely to a vehicle we must carry her out on a back board. But before that is possible we must apply traction (pulling her leg and applying pressure to ensure that the broken, "fixed" bone would stay in place) and build a splint. As you can imagine this is no easy task.

I had taken the day off to rest as my shoulder was a little sore and suddenly Jon (another student) had paddled back to the campsite and explain what had happened and listed off the supplies that we´d need. We then took the supplies (mainly a raft) and one of the vans to a hotel part way down the river. As a team we try to divide into smaller groups with specific tasks. We got the raft ready, while others took care of the medical side of things and others tried to scout routes for taking her off the river. Everyone´s adrenaline is pumping. We got her off the river in about 2 hours. Everyone remained positive. Jason was complimented twice during our debrief time for being level headed and seeing the big picture really well!!! Not a surpise at all.

The gear that we had gotten used to wearing (dry suit tops, Neoprene tops and bottoms) have been stashed away for a while. And shorts and rash guards (spandexz like material that keeps the sun out and offers a little warmth)ave replaced them. We use alot more sun screen though. I got a good burn while we were in Texas.

We had no problems getting into Mexico. In fact this trip was one of the smoothest border crossings they´ve ever had. Maybe it is because of the great story they created. We were all told before hand that there were certain words that we could repeat often if asked any questions and they were Xalapa and Veracruz the two main places we´d be stying in and even then we were supposed to butcher the pronunciation. If needed we were going to explain that we were world class athletes training for the Bejing ´08 Olympics. We sure had a good laugh about that.

We´ve adjusted well to the food. It hasn´t upset our tummies too much. Probably the hardest thing is learning to drink large quantities of water because you sweat all the time. Sometimes it cools down at nights but not always - and cool is relative to the hot days. Probably most of you at home are not even feeling a little bit sorry for me now because I hear it is a little cold there.

Yesterday morning we awoke at 4:40 ( yes in the morning) to get up a see swallows fly out of the cave that they live in. The place is called Sotano de las Golonodrinas. If you are wondering if we were mad but this is a world renowned place and really it is quite spectacular. We sat in a smelly, wet van ( we use the van to transport us to the river and the afternoon before it had been raining) in the dark going up this crazy narrow, steep path. We had to get to the cave as the sun began rising. And we made it just in the nick of time. The cave is 500m deep and teh birds start near the bottom and weave there way up in circles until they fly out. IT takes over half an hour because there is thousands of birds. Some of them were swallows and others were parques(?) that were a bright green colur. We were able to look into the cave by using a rope. It was a great way to start the day.

Tonight we board the bus at 11pm and travel all night to an ancient ruins site. I can´t wait.

The Rupert River

There are a multitude of words that I can use to describe this wonderful and amazing river. Since this trip (which we took ~ a month ago) we have been rafting or in Jason's case kayaking on class v(five) rapids. The rapids and water channelling that we saw on the Rupert totally don't even compare to the biggest class v rapids that we have seen. The rapids which had initially been described as "meant for giants" are so massive and loud that you stand beside them and feel small. You are immersed in a very awesome expereince, particularly since this river way is scheduled to be damed in 4 years. The pictures that follow are a small taste ofwhat we heard and saw.

The five day trip included so much diversity in terrain, weather and activity for the day. They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Well that was the motto for this trip in particular. Each day we paddled with different people. We ate like king and queens at the end of some crazy portages. The one day we had two portages that were each ~ 2.5 km and instead of going from beginning to end we leap frogged our gear as far as we could and then went back to the last pieces of gear. We always went back until we were carrying the first aid kit. If you had the first aid kit that meant that you were the end of the trail and everyone could continue to move forward. Another day we paddled ~ 30 km against a strong wind in amazingly warm weather and sunshine. The first night we arrived at 10pm in the dark to the park where you could hear the roar of the rapids butnot see them and the temp. was close to zero that you could see your breath.

We spent one evening with a group of Cree people. They cooked us a traditional meal which included smoked fish. They included a demonstration of how they traditionally catch the fish as well. Once the meal was done we snuggled up together to sleep in a teepee or wigwam. Despite the occasional drips of rain that we felt and the skunk that wandered in during the middle of the night, this accomodation felt like a five star resort.

After I got hit with a food barrel to the mouth I was evacuated (by foot,canoe, motor boat and truck) to the local village. There I was given the most prompt medical treatment I had ever received. I had registered and before I had time to pee and check out my fat lip and gash they had called me into the room. I was stiched up by a nurse. I was kind enough to wait until after he was done to tell him that I was also a nurse. He did an excellent job. Once the freezing was in the only thing I could feel was the pressure as he tied each stich off. The wound is healing well. The medical center was new and the atmosphere that it created was one that was dedicated to thte people they served. It certainly gave me a small taste of what it would be like to nurse up north. I was very impressed and was honoured to be taken such good care of.

Rupert River Trip

On the road again

We've been travelling a lot, and have had very little internet access, which is why:

1. our blog isn't all that up to date
2. I'm writing this at 1:00am b/c that is when I can get on a computer and have a bit of spare time while we're not either on the road or the river

WILD While On The Road

Since leaving the Esprit basecamp on the Ottawa river we've travelled through the entire Eastern US, stopping at numerous different rivers along the way.

1. Black River (New York)
2. Youghiogheny River (Pennsylvania)
3. Gauley River (West Virginia)
4. New River (West Virginia)
5. US National White Water Center (North Carolina)
6. Nantahala River (North Carolina)
7. Ocoee River (Tennessee)
8. Atlantic Ocean (Texas) [where some of us were able to surf the 8 - 12 foot waves in our kayaks]

We've been able to do everything from Open Canoe class 2 rapids, to raft (both of us) and kayak (just me) class 5 rapids. We've stayed everywhere from this nice Travel Lodge Motel (huge treat before crossing the border to Mexico tomorrow), to nice campgrounds, to sleeping on the bus, to sleeping in parking lots beside the bus! The longest stretch of travel between kayaking was our straight haul from Tennessee to southern Texas that ended at 3:00am yesterday morning which took a crisp 35 hours. To be able to see this part of the continent from the perspective of from the bus, or from our kayaks, has been an extreemly interesting way to travel. The group that we're with has continued to be awesome, though some nerves were getting rubbed a bit thin after being on the bus with the same people for 35 hour straight (with the occasional pee break, of course).

The whitewater has been AMAZING!! You'll have to wait until we get our DVD of pictures from Esprit at the end of WILD to see pictures of that, because when we're on the river we certainly do not have time to think about catching nice pictures. We've both been improving leaps and bounds over what we were able to do in a kayak 6 weeks ago, and are now both competent raft guides (where as 6 weeks ago, I had never actually been in a raft...).

Now we are setting our sights on Mexico.... where the first river we are getting to has been described as a paridise - a river where almost nobody has a bad day (and that is REALLY saying something, because whitewater can be pretty tough on people some days). I am particularly excited about this river, because that is where I'll be able to try running over some waterfalls in my kayak for the first time, which is one of the things about this program that I've been the most excited about since the beginning!!

I've got to run, only got about 2 hours of sleep yesterday because of the travelling, and that was made quite restless by the healthy population of sand flies on the Texas coast (and we weren't allowed to set up tents, so we were just in our sleeping bags out in the open - sand fly / moquito buffets!!) also a big day tomorrow, we'll be crossing the border to Mexico and then start our 14 hour drive to our first river and it's waterfalls!!

A typical day continued

So to jump forward from where I left off from the second last entry that I made. I just briefly reread what I had written so some of this might be repeated.

WILD While Based at Esprit

Breakfast is eaten between 7 and 8:30 because at 8:30 we are on the bus and driving out the drive way. The bus ride to the put in is about 40 minutes. We board a school bus that makes alot of noise and the roads are bumpy. Depending on what the group is doing ( rafting or kayaking) and whether or not we are all together or in smaller groups will dictate how many buses we take and whether we are the only people on the bus.

If we have clients on the bus, the guides for the day tell them all about the area and the history of the county. It is very informativve. It takes about 10 minutes. As students we've heard it several times but each guide does it differently and adds there own personal touch and joke. The bus makes a stop at Auberge Albert (I think that's the name, I may have forgotten already.) This is a hotel where they pick up people who've commuted from Ottawa for the day. At the end of the day this is also the spot where they sometimes stop to watch the movie and photos that are taken from the day.

From this spot until they reach the river the guides do the bus paddle talk. This talk includes tonnes of info about the day - what to expect, what do if you fall out and the gear that you will be using. As participants in the program we have had an opportunity to do a little practice ourselves. We were given two topics that we had to chat about from teh front of the bus while we were travelling to the put in. One of the topics we knew about and choose ourselves and the other was given by a fellow participants. These topics included anything from why kids pick their noses to animals to the planets. It was great challenge for some people and easier for others. Everyone did really well.

Once we get to the put in it is a mad scramble to get everything unloaded and into the water. As students we are being trained on how to do this quickly and efficiently. The rafts and kaykas are placed on the roof ( some of the buses have racks) and we have to climb on top ( some of the buses have ladders) and take them all off. There is a roller bar that you can slide stuff up and down. Let's just say that at first I was afraid to be on top of the roof but now it is part of life and I also am getting much stronger so things are easier.

All of our personal gear is transported in mesh bags. Theoretically the gear (shorts, tops, lifejacket, helmets, throwbag with 70 ft. of rope and wet suit) is supposed to air out and dry ( but that rarely happens.) We try to find a quiet corner, hopefully behind a tree and change into our gear. I have a sarrong that I change behind but let's just say that people have lost their pride and I've seen alot of bare bums. If it is a particularly cool morning you would hear alot of groans and complaining about having to put on wet cold gear. It takes awhile for your body to warm it up.

Esprit has some land that is used for the lunch spot. It was donated by one of the local farmers. We spent one weekend here camping and learning swift water rescue techniques. This is at the end of the Middle channel of the Ottawa River. [more to come later... it's lunch time now!]

West Virginia..... the place of the hill billys?!?!?!

So here I sit in my first internet cafe, one of many I'm sure...

West Virginia is a place all of it's own. We have spent five days hang'n out at North American River Runners (NARR.) The Gauley River is amazing. We have spent a day or two rafting and then two or three days kayaking. The restort area is a pretty rock'n place that has great, warm showers.

To take a step or two back in time.... The last few entries that I"ve written have kind of ended abruptly and the details that I had inteded to included weren't because i ran out of time. So instead I'll talk about a few of those events and attempt to bring you all up to speed with our lives as a WILD student and let me tell you this is some very vigourous training.

Stiches

What a crazy few days it has been. As you may have guessed by the title there was a little medical help needed when my face encountered a food barrel. We had been cameoing and to make the story short the big waves some how made there way into the boat and once my partner and I got out a barrel smacked my face. Six stitches later we've taken a few days off to recuperate and rest, but as usual that has turned into lots of busyness and fun with family.

In my last entry my goal was to talk about a typical day at Esprit and seeing as I didn't really get around to that I thought that I would try again. Mornings start early and efficiently. We are usually up at 7 am. The bus rolls out of Esprit at 8:30. So I bet that you are thinking so what's the issues that's a whole hour and a half. Well, in between breakfast is served continental style( which for me has pretty much always consisted of at least yogurt - yummy) as well there is a rotating schedule of eggs and some meat, pancakes, French toast and always hash browns. Hot drinks are available all the time. And be assured that tea and hot chocolate have never tasted so good. We often have to make lunch for the day as well.



We have been divided into work/ mentor groups and each day a different group is in charge of preparing and serving lunch and dinner. Once we are on the road this will also include breakfast. As groups we will be meal planning as well. I'm in a group with two guys and Jason with two girls. Travis and Miles are both from out West. At first you'd be tempted to say they are sort of quite and shy (sound familiar?) but as you get to know them .... it all changes. They both have a lot to offer. Asia and Harry (Harriet) are certainly the opposite. They are fun-loving and bubbly personalities. They give Jason a hard time but all in all we work hard and get the job done.



What I consider to be the worst morning chore is supposed to be done and ready to go by 7:15. Ever seen a wet suit? Ever tried it on? Well the wet suit has become my new ward-robe with several layers on below. I am thankful for the warmth that it offers. Not only are they form fitting and thick as elephant skin, but they tend to absorb sweat smells like nothing you'll ever smell. The are often created such that quick shedding of them in order to pee is not really an option. As the days wears on and my dexterity begins to slow, the removal of anything quickly is difficult. Now that I have highlighted all the benefits of neoprene let me continue with the wet gear problem.



Each day we hang up our gear on clothes lines under the breeze way. We are each supposed to have our own line that we can lock in place ( so now one steals the gear that we have invested in). Sometimes I steal someone elses becaue I have too much and other times I end up folding random campers laundry. But the stuff gets hung and the magical power of wind is halted by the dewy mornings. Needless to say, the gear is not dry by morning. Each morning I stuff the wet, heavy, smelly gear into a bag and look forward to the moment when I get to put it against my skin.

Our first day off ..... and certainly well deserved

Friends and family,

The words that will soon flow out of these keys will do little justice to this new world that we have been immersed in. I will do my best to describe what a typical day is like and all the crazy adventures that we have already had. Thanks for all the comments that people have provided it is a great way for us to feel connected.

The best way to start off is to tell you about the things that we have already done. Wilderness first aid and safety is behind us. Following that we divided into two different groups, primarily based on kayaking skills. Jason and I were on different groups. Somebody recently asked if Jason was the best kayaker. Jason and I had a similar response - laughter because many individuals in the group are pretty experienced in white water activities. One of the guys has been in rafts and kayaks since he was four years old. We both certainly have so much to learn and we've already gained some amazing insights. Each group spent two days kayaking and then two days rafting. Both of us found rafting awkward at first because they glide so much and they are like big tanks compared to kayaks. I worked hard on my roll and it feels much more natural but still haven't figured out how it works while being flipped upside down bobbing around on waves.

This past weekend we went out to Esprit's lunch spot, this is also the location of the last rapid on the Middle Channel of the Ottawa River. We completed out swift water rescue course, where we learned rope systems and what to do when accidents happen in white water. The highlight was the scenario/night search. I'll have to describe what that is and how it works on another post.

Canoeing was the first time Jason and I were together. After I spent a few hours stressed out trying to learn canoe strokes and how to ferry a canoe whileJason graciously tried to be patient with me, we both independetly decided it was better not to learn brand new ideas while we are in the same boat. At least we figured that out early on :0)

So there are a few new things to get you started. I know it isn't quite what I promised but I do hope that you learned something new. I'll try to write again soon. Friday we take a school bus 12 hrs. North, to the mighty Rupert River where we do a 7 day canoe trip in 5 days. Rumour has it that a group may even be portaging 21 km (a 7 km portage, in two trips) in a day. We'll need lots of prays over those days!!

Hope you are all well. Remember that we love to hear how things are so tell us about what's been going on because that isn't the norm for us anymore.

We are at Esprit ... and having fun

Well folks it is just a little short of a week that we have been gone and thought that it was about time to let you know what we are up . We are hang at Esprit's base camp in Davidson, Quebec. The tent that we now call home is a two person Mountainn Equipment Co-op jobbie that has two vestibules. Jay goes in one way and I come out the other. The weather has been great most of the time. Several nights have included rain which means rain tumbling onto the tin roof that covers the tent, which is also on a platform. IN total there will be 22 students and several people who will be teaching us, most of whom we've met.

Our days consist of us sitting inside, wishing that we were outside enjoying the warm, sunny afternoons. We've learned all kinds of crazy things related to first aid in a wilderness setting ... what to do when someone trips ands falls all the way up to doing CPR on unresponsive people. We've learned techniques that around taking into account having to wait a long time or having to evacuate them out. All this crazy lingo that makes sense to me but is unfamiliar to most. We get to go outdoors every hour or two for a scenario, where we are either the victim, the rescuer or the helper. This seems to be a much better way to learn.

Supper await me - the food is awesome, pretty much a BBQ each night. I"ll post this despite the fact that it isn't finished. The interenet is sporadic so I';m taking advantage while I can. Hope you like it.

Just a little more time left ...

The Spanish say it best … “Go with God.” Those are some of the final, inspiring words that have encouraged us as we prepare for our trip. Saying good bye is something that I have come to dread. How does one saying it a meaningful and hopeful way? The relationships that we’ve created are about to be changed in a dramatic way and that certainly needs to be acknowledged, but at the same time they will remain steady and unchanged. What will change is the physical distance between us and the possible limited contact that will likely exist. I struggle with saying good bye, wishing there was some way it make it easier. However there is a growing appreciation for good- byes.

Wrapping up our life here has begun with the completion of work. What an exciting day that was! The ICU has been in over drive for the last two months, with more deaths in three weeks than my entire time there. Jason’s work has been winding down over the last month with him successful meeting deadlines and achieving his goals. A job well done indeed ( his supervisor certainly confirmed that)!!!

The last weeks will be spent packing up our house, taking care of details and preparing mentally and physically for the challenges that lie ahead. We are wondering where God will be leading us. We look forward to these adventures with fear, anxiety and much excitement. In a recent conversation someone compared our preparations to that of a wedding and we are certainly looking forward to the big day.

A Visit to the Mountains

The third weekend in May ( after the long wekend) Jay and I headed up to the Adirondacks. We had never been before but had heard many things from a co-worker of Jay's. So after picking his brain for many ideas we thought we had the perfect trip planned. That is until we got there and spoke with a park ranger, who promptly explained that the spring run-off had flooded out most of the path that would take us across the mountain. This meant a detour through two rocky passes and longer days than we had expected. So our itenerary was not so good after all, our food detail was amazing however. We never even saw a bear (though secretly we were both hoping we might.) But the thrill and exhaustion at the end of our days made it all worth while. The weather cooperated with us until Sunday when we hit "Indian Pass," the second crazy pass with lots of rocks. As the rain fell the rocks got more slippery and the snow became increasingly frequent and deep, as we discovered when Jay fell through. Who would've thought!! That's a quick synopsis, but if you want details please ask. We've got an updated map that we'd be happy to lend out :0)

Here is the link with all the pictures. You need to check it out if you don't belief my story about the snow.


http://picasaweb.google.com/jason.gehrels/Adirondacks07

On-line Map

Oh the crazy stuff that Google comes up with...

now we can edit our own Google Map - so I've whipped up a little one just to try it out.  The green line is the WILD stuff, and the blue line is some of our ideas for afterwards....

Our Travelling Map

Some days I've got to admit - the office job aint that bad

So...early last week I discovered the Freestyle Kayaking World Championship Finals - the ones that I've been looking forward to since last August - were being move up to Friday instead of Saturday.  Bad news, seeing as I'm supposed to be sitting in front of a computer most Fridays.

lucky for me, I've got one of the cushiest jobs around and after informing the big-boss-man that I wouldn't be coming in Friday, I was able to scurry off and take a whack of crazy pictures of some amazing paddlers  (guess I shouldn't complain so much about the office job...)

Check 'em out: the best paddlers in the world, on one of the craziest 15ft high piles of rushing water in the world!!

Freestyle Kayaking World Championships 2007

Mexico here we come ...............

Friends and Family,

With the cool temperatures and snow around us we look forward to warmer weather (that is better for kayaking) and crazy adventures. Us having crazy adventures – imagine!

First I must set the stage for where things are currently at. Jason continues to work at General Dynamics. This is the place where he has worked the longest – which he is very proud to say in this every changing high tech. field. This company is certainly worthy of the many hours of hard work that he produces. Despite having to part with the replacement of Sea King Helicopter training simulator ( a project that he was able to be a vital part of since its’ beginnings) he has landed himself a new place. This job has taken a little bit more time to settle into because there have been so many things on his mind. He is now working on a sonar for the Swedish navy. This is a project that he jumped into part way. He began with doing “bug fixing” which is finding problems with the program and fixing how the code is written. It is not glamorous or very satisfying because it is so labour intensive and he was quite excited about the possibility of change when it was mentioned by his manager. This gave him the opportunity to share our plans with his managers, to which they responded very favourably. He has more responsibilities and is doing more designing which is more interesting.

He continues to work with various students at Carleton University. It is a busy time for them as they are making plans for the upcoming year. For Jason this means interviewing students and discussing with them what their ideas and plans are for the future. Occasionally Jay has free time which he spends rock climbing with the guys from work.

I have received my first permanent position ever. It is still at the Children’s Hospital but in the intensive care unit. I made the change to ICU at the end on Sept. The training was rigorous and draining. It is good to be able to learn so many new things. My career and personality are certainly being stretched. Instead of working with only babies I now work with big kids too. There are many things that I had to adjusted to beyond that bigger kids talk and tell you how they feel because what often brings them in to the hospital is very different then the wee ones. It has been a challenging learning curve but one that has been very rewarding. The nursing staff have a very different style of nursing so it is interesting getting to know them.

We are a part of a church and a small group, which have been a life line and a huge sense of encouragement for us. We get together with our “Honeymooners” (or newly married) group every other weekend. It is good to connect with friends and share insights as we journey through life together. Jay is teaching kindergarten and gr. 1 Sunday school. I look forward to hearing about how the kids react each time. If you want a good laugh you should ask him about it.

I’ve written a whole page of introductory ramblings but now I will get to what we think is the most exciting news. No we are not having a baby ( that is why I work with kids instead). We are planning on taking one year off and traveling in Central and South America.

Jason started to kayak three summers ago. When he sets his mind to something you never quite know where it will take you. This past summer he spent many hours on the Ottawa River playing in rapids and kayaking his way through them. Many people wonder what motivates such craziness and really all I can say is you should see for yourself. July 1 weekend he took a training course. Being very responsible he figured that since I was starting kayaking as well he wanted to know what to do if something went wrong. Well little did we know that this course and more importantly the company that ran it would create a dream. Esprit Rafting Company is known for their professional and friendly guides who have world wide renown and are highly qualified. Jason got talking to some of these friendly people and heard about their crazy adventures. When winter comes to Ottawa many of the guides head south and run trips in Mexico. The guides have many stories and a very broad knowledge base that intrigued Jason. Upon arriving home that weekend he told me about a 3 month white water training course they offer that takes in rivers from Ontario through the States to Mexico, ending up on the Pacific Ocean. Well as you may be able to guess we no longer talk about whether we should do it but rather we are preparing for how we are going to be doing it. As of Aug. 24, 2007 we will be on our way.

Once the three month training is completed we will have some great credentials to add to our name. They may not help us in the hospital or at General Dynamics but we are hoping they will be enough to lands us jobs teaching white water or guiding. We hear that Costa Rica and Chile have some very great rivers. We have begun to do research about Central/South America. Jason is currently taking Spanish lessons at Algonquin and is teaching me the basics. We love to hear from people who have been there and the things that they have experienced. We are gleaning as much info. as we can now in preparation for what lies ahead. We are also considering coming back to Canada in June 2008 and taking our white water skills up North or out West.

As you can see we are super excited about this trip. We are really looking forward to it, aside from the wedding we’ve never spent some much time planning for something :0) We are planning on renting out the house for the year so if you know of anyone who might be interested in a 3 bedroom semi-detattached home by the river on the West end of town please let them know about our home.

To learn a bit more about the white water program this is the website:
               http://www.espritrafting.com/wild.html