Keeping with the spirit of the New Year, I decided it was time to try something new. My husband and I, with a group of friends, decided to try white-water rafting.
Our group booked the trip through Eagle River Rafting, who operates out of Parys, Free State, South Africa. I must mention that if you are a first time rafter, please try to book with them. They are very professional, caring, friendly and economic. They cater to even the weakest member of your group.
Parys is a small town in the middle of the Vredefort Dome Heritage Site (declared as such by UNESCO). This is the largest verified impact crater in the world. The impact by the meteorite created a crater of approximately 300 km wide. So while experiencing something new, we also saw something new.
The day started bleak and rainy, and yet there was excitement all around. 10 eager enthusiasts set out to conquer the Vaal River. I have to say it was exhilarating and a wonderful new experience. The only lament was that the water levels are lower than usual and that is why a lot of the rocks were exposed.
Shawn, our instructor, made sure that the strong rowers were at the back and the weaker ones in front. The back rower is the ‘motor’ and the front the ‘GPS’. Takes a while to get use to the co-ordinating but once you have the knack of it you are well on your way. So with my ‘motor’ ready, I put my GPS head on and we were off.
The water was warm and inviting. Luckily we were not enticed into falling out of our boats and into the rocky depths below. My ‘motor’ shimmied us out of narrow escapes, around rocks and under trees. I dont think I was a very good GPS. Despite that we made it safely and survived the day. It is something that I will definitely do again and would encourage everyone to do once in their lifetime.
Going everywhere slowly with Aisha 