Ecuador- Season Wrap Up And A Little Time To Relax.

A different kind of surfing. Hammock view from our hotel in Tena.

The end of the season for us is usually a mixed bag of work in the form of closing out the season, preparing for the next season, visiting friends and putting our feet up for a bit.  This year our down time started with us heading back over the hill from Quito to Tena to hook up with Nelson Jr. and his friend Fabricio.  We’ve known Nelson for some time as he and his family own and operate the hotel we use there.  For a number of years now Nelson has expressed an interest in kayaking but our schedules never matched up until now.  We got in a couple of days on the Rio Tena before we all had to get down to the business of Carnival.

Nelson and Fabricio are all smiles on the Rio Tena. Yes, Nelson's paddle is backwards, it was after all, his first day.

Ecuador- Edmundo.

When in Ecuador our trips don’t go anywhere without Edmundo Franco.  He has been our driver for the last thirteen seasons and he literally holds our lives in his hands.  Jump on a bus or in a cab just about anywhere in Ecuador and within minutes you will have your heart in your throat.  To the uninitiated, the driving style seems somewhere between the running of the bulls, road warrior and a game of chicken.  With a plastic Jesus on the dash and a Dios es mi guia (god is my guide) sticker on the back window, many drivers plow down the road with a false confidence that can leave you considering an ox cart for your next trip. Not so with Edmundo.

At the heart of our team in Ecuador is our driver Edmundo Franco (center).

Ed’s driving style is in keeping with his persona, he has a quiet, gentle and patient nature.  Our boating time is sandwiched between his work, so he starts and finishes the day driving.  He knows the put-ins and take-outs like the back of his hand and on more than one ocassion we’ve double checked with him to remind us how long a particular run will take.  He sends us off with a thumbs up and “buenas suerte”, waits patiently while we’re on the water, worries like your grandmother and greets us at the take out with a smile as he collects everyone’s paddles. Then he drives, sometimes it’s just ten minutes to our lodging, other times it’s two and a half to three hours over the hill. Luckily for us we can nap knowing that Ed’s at the wheel. Thanks Edmundo!

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

Ecuador- Feb. 7- 15 class IV- The trip that did (almost) everything.

This group was game to sample as much as they could of the areas where we travel , both on and off the river.

Kristy M., Doug N., Mary D., Chris E. and Steve F.

Manuel, the man behind the coldest beer in Ecuador.

Ecuador- Jan.31-Feb.8 Class IV+

First off- great week for kayaking, bad for pictures, so don’t  have your expectations set too high.

It’s not a secret in kayaking, or any other sport for that mater, the higher the skill level of the group, the more options available.  If you’re here for a week, the challenge is having weather and water levels work together.  Knowledge of the runs (we’ve got lots of that) let’s  you take full advantage of your time.  In a year that started off wet, we got a nice break with our class IV+ group.  Bob B., a C-1 paddler from Arkansas was back for his eighth time, Mike W. of Salt Lake was in for number four, and Tom S. of Florida, a fellow who has traveled to over fifty countries, was boating out-of-country for his first time.

I could write something cheesy like " choosing a run is like choosing a fine wine", or I could just be honest and tell you the gang is stocking up before heading out of Quito.

Mary and I had our eyes set on the lower Cosanga, a beautiful, intimate and technical tributary of the Rio Quijos. This would be our goal for the group for day two.  On our first day we balanced the group’s energy level with our desire to warm them up and test them a bit by taking them on a nice run from the bypass bridge to Borja bridge. Doing so also takes you past the confluence of the Cosanga so you can see what you’ve got at that moment.

The Rio Cosanga is a blend of technical rapids and stunning scenery.

Bhutan Deadline April 20th For Fall 2009 Trips

We are planning two trips in Bhutan this fall; a Class II-III and a Class III-IV+. Because resources for tourists are limited, we need to confirm our lodging reservations for these trips well in advance. The minimum number of paddlers for each skill level is eight. If you are interested, we need your non-refundable $500 deposit by April 20th. If we don’t get the minimum number of participants , your deposit will be returned to you at that time. Click here for details.

This remote and benevolent country is surrounded on three sides by India, and to the north by Tibet. The Bhutanese refer to their country as Druk Yul, which translates to The Land of the Thunder Dragon. Few visitors ever make it into Bhutan and so these people are often more curious about outsiders than the tourists are about them. It is quickly apparent that the fun-loving Bhutanese live out their philosophy of “gross national happiness”, which they consider to be an indicator of their wealth!

In October and November of 2008, 20 paddlers joined us in Bhutan for our Kayak & Cultural Tours. On both trips we loaded buses and trucks with kayaks and people, and paddled and toured as we worked our way east. On the Class II/III trip we traveled as far east as Jakar in the Bumthang district, and on the Class III/IV+ trip we traveled east and south to paddle the Mangde Chu. Along the way we took time to hike, tour villages, temples and ancient monasteries, participate in ceremonial dances, and of course, to paddle Bhutan’s stunningly, pristine rivers.

The kids, the dances, the architecture, the monks, the attitude; the whole culture blew us away! The foreign and exotic became intimate due to English being the second language for many Bhutanese. We had crisp, sunny fall days and cold nights. The harvest of rice, buckwheat and apples was underway, and so, weekly, the landscape changed dramatically. Throughout our stay, we got to interact with the warm and friendly people of Bhutan. And we can’t wait to do it again. If we don’t get enough interest to return in 2009, we will definitely do so in 2010!

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

Ecuador- Jan. 10-18 Class IV-

Bryon S. negotiates a rapid on the upper Misahualli.

Ecuador- January 3-11, Class III+

Frank L. stays focused on a boof while Mother Nature does her best to distract him. Upper Misahualli.

When we arrived in country at the end of 2008, we heard that the rain and water levels up to that point had been low. The beginning of 2009 marked the start of the rains as well as the return of three long-time guests and good friends, Henry L., Pete P. and Paul H.. Paul headed up a strong Southeastern contingent including his son, Ken, who put his class V ambitions on hold to paddle with his dad.  Other Southerners were Chuck C., Frank L. and Chris R. Chuck had paddled with us for the first time this past summer on the Middle Fork and will be with us again later this year on the Grand Canyon. New to us were Frank and Chris who had arrived in Quito a few days early (always recommended if you can take the extra time) and set about trying to make a name for themselves in the capital city.

Frank L. makes good use of his extra days in Quito before the start of the trip.

Ecuador- We’re Here Preparing For Our ‘09 Season

Mary approaches a horizon line rapid on the Rio Piatua.

Returning home in early December from our fall season in Bhutan, we did some quick visiting with friends and family before departing for Quito, Ecuador on Christmas day. Not long after our arrival, we traveled over the mountains to the east and the Quijos drainage, the starting point for our whitewater kayaking trips.

Matt Terry busting a move on the Rio Piatua.

Bhutan- In The Captial During The Coronation Of The Fifth King.

(Is it O.K. that I am sitting in a hotel in Quito, Ecuador while writing about part of our trip in Bhutan this last fall? The reality is, if I don’t do it now, it will never happen and our time there was just too special not to write about!)

Part of the multi- storied fabirc religious banner, or Thondrol, is seen hanging from the Trashi Chhoe Dzong in Thimphu.

Between the Class II/III cultural trip we had just finished and the Class III-IV+ that was about to start, we found ourselves with an unscheduled day and a half. We had planned to spend it in the town of Paro where the airport is located, and where we could do laundry and chill while waiting for the next group to arrive. Instead, we received a last minute surprise from Ugyen, our generous Bhutanese outfitter. It was a hotel room in Thimphu on the eve of the coronation of the fifth king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. (Thimphu, the capital, is located east of Paro, just over an hour away.) We weren’t sure how much of the actual ceremony we were going to be able to see, but we couldn’t pass it up.

Since our arrival in country on October 4th we had watched people hard at work preparing the roadways, temples and dzong for the upcoming event. Roads were decorated with arches, banners and prayer flags.

The van we used during our week of scouting passes under a decorative arch on the road between Punakha and Thimphu prior to the coronation.

Bhutan Oct 24th- Nov 4 Class II-III: A Queen, Sonam, and Preparing for the Coronation.

Prayer flags and paddlers on the Chumkar Chu.

While our time in Bhutan began in early October, our first group of kayakers arrived on October 24th. All were familiar faces. Everyone had been on trips with us before. Although for a few, many years had passed. So we enjoyed quite a reunion, sharing pictures of new family members and stories of our last adventures together. Mary and I met folks at the airport along with our driver Hari, cultural guide Karma, Kali, an excellent kayaker and raft guide from Nepal (whom we met in Bhutan in 2006) and Tinley, a Bhutanese kayaker on the fast track to becoming a very strong paddler and guide.

The only airport in the country is located in Paro. Situated in the west, Paro is the second largest town in the country (with some 36,000 people including outlying areas). The flight in is both breathtaking and thrilling; breathtaking with views of the Himalaya and thrilling because the airport is nestled in a narrow valley that results in one of the most interesting approaches I have ever experienced in a commercial airliner.

Dzongs, like this one in Trongsa, were one time fortresses that now serve as monasteries and government buildings in one.