Kayaking Ex

well if i might say so, today's a damn exciting day. I went for this PCG kayaking expedition along the s'pore river. i arrived there not knowing what's gonna happen or the route we're taking, but what i do know is only where to meet and where to go. so i went in blindly, and got more than what i bargained for.

there were 6 nspis on the trip, and i shared a kayak with chester. the rest were pcg staff and some aquatic club from dunno where. anyway we started off pretty well, launching off from pcg waters with the kallang river overly-crowded with school students strutting their stuff on the water way in their canoes and dragon boats. as we rounded marina bend, we turned towards the s'pore river with the scenic skyline in sight. we passed the once-vibrant but now dead river angbao, the esplanade and up the s'pore river. along the way, we were acting like fools waving and shouting to people and foreigners who happen to be intrigued by us moving up the river. we passed uob building, boat quay and clarke quay, and up to riverside point and pass robertsonquay hotel before stopping somewhere along grand copthorne for lunch on shore. we were like kings of the river, thanks to the pcg speed boat accompanying us as a safety vessel.

its was a nice slow trip up, and the view was definitely breath-taking. so i paddled slowly on the return journey just to soak up in this once in a lifetime chance. how often is it that you see a convey of kayaks moving along the s'pore river. anyway took some pretty nice pictures with sam's camera and if i can, will post them later. we then headed on to the merlion for a group photo. it was then that this stupid idea came into my head, and i was thinking that i should go under the merlion's pout of water just for thrill, after all, how often does one get the chance? so i proceeded to the stream of water coming from the merlion's mouth with a kayak already half-filled with water and without skirting, so the inevitable happened - we capsized in front of the merlion. the steam of water is actually quite strong, and the pressure is very great. you could then see the looks of anguish on the faces of the safety paddlers'. after all, they kept telling us to move off but we didn't really care and headed straight for the water. so i was like on the steps of one fullerton bailing out water from my kayak. haha a very rare sight and an even rarer experience indeed. it was an expensive lesson for chester though, dropping his $180 spects ino the water as we capsized. but it was really great fun, great experience and certainly something you'll hardly ever get to do. really great fun. i even got a t-shirt from this ex to commemerate my "achievements".

after that, proceeded to sam's house to wash up and then to town with paul, before meeting up with huaz and vincent for dinner. now im home, and half-dead, ready to drop onto bed.