Kayaking for the First Time
Kayaking for three hours on Lake Garza with a local guide was an incredible experience and my favorite part of the trip. On our second day my friends and I packed all our camping gear back in the car to end our trip with a bang! Arriving was a ten-minute drive from the Parador Villa Sotomayor where we camped. If you haven’t read part one of this blog series click here and part two here. When we got there the gate was closed. I tried calling the guide but Adjuntas isn’t known for its great reception so of course I couldn’t reach him. Fortunately, a couple that was going to kayak too stopped and told us the group was meeting in the other entrance. The kayaks were already in the water lined up and ready to go. A group of about thirty-two people including my three friends and I huddled up to listen to Jorge’s instructions. The last step before hitting the lake was to put on a vest provided by the company Giant Kayak. Safety first!
To prove the kayaks would not tumble and we’d fall over, each person participated of a test in which Jorge, the guide, or any of the two assistants would shake the kayak with force. None of us tipped over. The group consisted of Puerto Ricans, Spanish, French, New York and Miami people. In a single line we all rowed to the first meeting point where some background history was given by the guide. The lake was built in 1943 for the purpose of producing drinking water and hydroelectric power. Learning to row was simple and it didn’t take much effort to move. It is important to stay in rhythm because the kayaks are for two people so it’s good to set a steady pace otherwise the kayak won’t move as fast, it won’t go the direction it was intended to or you could hit your fellow kayaker in the face!
In the distance the lake’s water seemed dark but up close it was crystal clear and clean. There were small fishes swimming around, birds and variety of flora. We encountered an old watch post that people now use as a place to throw themselves into the water. Then we rowed under the famous Hammock Bridge which is hanging in the air by metal ropes. Under the bridge the sixteen kayaks lined up for a race to the next meeting point at the edge of a canal. Once there, only one kayak could go through at a time. Jorge warned us to be careful not to bump into the plants or we could get stuck. Remember that thing I mentioned about keeping a pace? Well, my kayak partner and I lost a bit of that pace and bumped into the greenery. Instantly fifteen quarter sized wine colored spiders crawled onto my legs. I started shaking them off and throwing them off the kayak but I wasn’t fast enough and one bit me. I was skeptical it could have been poisonous but it wasn’t! Rowing in the canal I witnessed the most beautiful and giant dandelions I had ever seen in my life. They could have easily been as tall as a two-story building, no joke. It would take a lot of people to blow those seeds off I’ll tell you that!
After rowing for an hour in a half we rested and ate oranges that the Giant Kayak team had picked that morning from their home’s tree. When our energies were up we continued to the lake’s waterfall were everyone was encouraged to swim and climb up to take a picture on top of the waterfall. Jorge passed around some tangerine juice and some sausages and we all ate again. We circled around and an hour in a half later arrived to where we had started. This activity is good for folks of all ages. I saw kids having the time of their life that day. Kayaking with a local company such as Giant Kayak was a great experience, not only did they know a lot about the lake, had a well prepared team and tour dynamics but the local economy benefits from tourists’ choice to stay local as well. I fell in love with Lake Garza and all of its natural wonder because even though it was man made the life that has flourished there is not and now the lake occupies a special place in my heart.
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