Kayaking

In the first week or so of last year's end of year holidays(November 7), I had the opportunity to go on a one-star kayaking course, as it was a course compulsory to attain a certain level in Scouts. Actually, it was meant for the Secondary 2s, but since a few were not going, some slots were open for Secondary 1s, and I decided to go since it meant that I did not have to do it the following year.

It was a wise choice.

It was a two-day course, and even though it was a bit tough, it was definitely worth it as I really learned something new, and it was also relevant and useful.

So the first day, I went to the place, and it was full of different types of kayaks. There were racing kayaks (which were much narrower than normal), recreational kayaks and training kayaks. Obviously we took the training kayaks, which were rather old, single seater things.

We learned the basics of paddling from the trainers and also the capsize drill. In the drill, we had to grip the sides of the kayak with one hand also holding the paddle, shift our weight in one direction to capsize the kayak,and while still holding the sides, tap the hull three times, and then get out and surface on the side of the paddle. It was... strange, because the place we were at, which was the Kallang River, is a very popular area for dragonboats and other boats, so it wasn't exactly that peaceful. But once I got underwater, it was really quiet. So that was a nice experience.

Since we capsized the kayak, a lot of water had entered it, so we had to bail it out. It was done like this: two guys woould grab each end of a water-filled kayak, bring it coser to shore, and then see-sawto get the water. My meaning is, one guy would squat down whike the other would stand up, thus pouring the water out. And then the 1st guy would stand up and the other squatted, util all the water was out.

There's more on the 1st day, but I shall skip all that.

Second day there we had a mini-excursion to the Singapore Flyer. Along the way, we came across a shallow rock area with a warning sign to avoid that area. When I saw that sign, I became incredbly nervous... but luckily, nothing bad happened. We crossed under two bridges, one a minor road, the other a major expressway.

I felt good to be under the bridges, because it must have been around 30-35 degrees in the open, and it was at least seven degrees cooler in the shade. When we finally got to the Flyer, what surprised me was the lack of boats of any kind there, which was actually the Marina Reservoir. Kallang River and Marina Reservoir are directly connected, so we could get there within an hour.

Anyway, back to the point. Aside from a passing "ducktour" boat (those special boats with wheels) full of eager tourists who shot pictures of us as we waved at them, the place was empty. It was like being in a desert, all alone and with such a vast empty space. From our spot where we just sat and relaxed, we could see both the Flyer and Marina Barrage.

When we finished, I felt tired but happy. Why? Because I had just learned a new, relevant and useful skill that could be used anytime in my life. But I had a little surprise the next day: Heavy sunburn. So heavy, that in fact, I could peel the raw burned skin out and create two tones for my face, one dark and tanned(sunburned), the other lighter and underneath it(the new skin)......