Early this month, I accompanied my hubby to Anvaya Cove for Kayak Explore 2013. It was one of the rare times I agreed to travel really early in the morning to go to one of his sports events. The invite came from one of our good friends, Joey Cuerdo, owner of Power Up Climbing and MOJO Sandals, one of the kayaking event sponsors.
The long travel time to Subic gave me an opportunity to catch up on some sleep. We arrived at Anvaya Cove around 7AM and were offered breakfast. Hubby was signed up for the 25 kilometer kayak race with partner Kat "Jai" Pablo, a seasoned dragon boat racer. Although both are kayaking beginners, they were determined to finish the race and have fun.
Once they're off, I joined the rest of the Power Up team in watching the other games such as the relay where participants had to run along the shoreline for about a kilometer then paddle their kayaks for several more kilometers. Joey and his young son gamely joined this one.
I was content shooting photos as I don't think I'll last even half of the running part. I was glad we were all wearing MOJO Sandals though because it made walking/running on dry and wet sand very comfortable.
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| Hubby wearing MOJO wind runner; me wearing MOJO road tripper |
By 11AM, our group left for the city where we met with the groups of kayakers who set off early in the morning. I was glad to see that hubby and Jai finished the first leg with minor injuries. Their hands were raw from handling the paddles for the past 2 hours and 40 minutes. We all ate lunch at The Lighthouse Marina Resort then went back to Anvaya to wait for the kayakers to end the second leg there.
Along the way, we stopped along the road to take photos of several trees where hundreds of bats were nesting. It was weird to see them in broad daylight but the experience was quite awesome.
Back at Anvaya Cove, Joey's wife, Thea, convinced me to take part in learning the basics of kayaking. Despite my apprehensions, since I am really not that much of a sporty person, I joined them and, surprisingly, had fun learning tips and tricks from Sir Val Camara, the father of kayaking in the Philippines.
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| orientation with Sir Val |
Unfortunately, steering an actual kayak was a different matter altogether. I found out that learning the basics on land was easier than applying them in the water. My partner and I had a very difficult time heading out to sea from the shore. It was memorable nevertheless and taught me that I might still try doing this again someday just to finally get the moves right.
Hubby and Jai had an unforgettable experience as well. Instead of recounting it to you, kindly read my hubby's account of their adventures here. I really admire them for their passion in joining physical activities such as this.
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| MOJO sandals awarded to the day's winners |
Everyone shared a nice dinner before the organizers awarded the winners from the different categories. That night, as we were on our way home, I reflected how nice it is that every person has the freedom to pursue his/her own passions and that there's something for everyone among the wide variety of activities we have in this world. We just have to choose which one suits us best :)
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