Today, we went kayaking at PasirRis. It was sooooooo fun!!!!!!! First, we were taught how to put on the buoyancy vest (life jacket), and make sure that it is tight. Then, we were taught to carry the kayak and transfer it to the so called "trolley". It was soooo heavy!!!! (We needed like 6 or more of us to lift the kayak, haha) After that, we had to pull the trolley of kayaks to the beach. At the beach, we had to go into the water and the instructor taught us the basics. There was the front paddle, back paddle, etc. After the dry run, the instructor showed us how to get into the kayak in the correct way, such that the boat will not capsize. We got our partners and went out into the sea. (Finally!) My partner was Wei Xin, who was not from my patrol, but from 1K. We practised paddling for a while, like the front paddle, backward paddle. To move left, you have to keep on paddling on the right, and vice-versa. At first, it was quite challenging for us as we had to coordinate ourselves very well, for the boat to move in our desired direction. But with practise, we managed to get used to it. (Although our muscles were aching, haha) We also had to do something called "build raft". While in the middle of the sea, the instructor would hold up his paddle to inform us about building the raft. We had to line our kayaks in a straight line in front of him, and hold on to each other's kayak, with our paddles lying horizontally in front of us. (We had difficulty maneuvering and we kept on banging into each other, haha) We repeated the procedure of building raft for a few times, with intervals of 15 minutes each time, when we could practise paddling. At 12.30pm, we headed back to shore for a sumptuous lunch of nasilemak. (Yummy) At 2pm, we headed out to sea again, with our energy replenished. This time, we went on a so called "mini expedition". We paddled and paddled until our muscles were so sore!!! We paddled past the fishing village, following our expedition leader. (It was really fun!!!) At about 3pm, we were done and had to wash the kayaks, paddles, our shoes, and of course ourselves! A lot of us splashed water onto ourselves because we felt so sweaty as the sun was scorching hot. (Wasting water, haha) After that, we went to have a quick shower which was restricted to 3 minutes per person!!! (Well anyway, that's what we do in Girl Guides) I have really gained a lot from this kayaking orientation course. (Apart from sunburns and me becoming a red-nosed reindeer, that is.) In Year 2, I think we have to go for the 1-star kayaking, in which we have to capsize the kayak and get ourselves all wet. I'm looking forward to more of these cool outdoor activities.
