It takes courage and an adventurous spirit to travel to a foreign country to learn an ‘adventure sport’ like whitewater kayaking.  And this year’s Girls at Play Mexico beginner trip had an awesome group of  fun, adventurous spirits from across the globe including Australia, England, Canada and the US.  Right from the beginning I could tell these ladies were going to be a blast!

Starting out in the port city of Veracruz we enjoyed delicious Lecheros (a traditional Mexican latte) before heading out to the Antigua River Valley.  After getting settled into our host village of Jalcomulco we were outfitted in our kayaking gear, ate lunch and headed to the pool.  As is standard in any good beginner whitewater course, we started off with wet exits so that everyone was familiar with how to safely get out of their kayaks.  We also played a few good rounds of kayak polo to help get the jitters out and practiced some hip snaps and bow rescues.  Throughout the week we progressed in flatwater with strokes and concepts, ran our first class II rapids, went back to the pool to learn how to roll and finished off with a few class III rapids and a very cool, friendly waterfall!  In between all of the kayaking we learned how to make tortillas, went zip lining, practiced yoga, got massages, did a Temazcal, ate delicious food and hung out in the hammocks (of course).  The trip was actually very relaxing as well as adventurous!  My kind of trip!

I want to thank all of the women on this trip who brought their willingness to experience new things, push their limits and face their fears with a big smile and infectious laughter!  Gracias Karen, Angie, Lorelei, Heather, Mandy, Connie, Carol and Helen!  Enjoy some photos from the trip.  The photos are not arranged in chronological order…