Bucaramanga, Chicamocha Canyon, San Gil, Curiti, Barichara and Bogota part 2

I got off the bus at 6am and took a cab to Su’s house where her friend picked us all up and we went to a nearby watering hole. We strung up some slacklines and swam and enjoyed the day. In the afternoon/evening we stopped by the highline they had rigged and I did a short night session before returning to Su’s house for the evening. 

The next day Yuri and Carmen left and we spent all day at the highline before de- rigging it. I spent another day or two at Su’s moms house before we went down to Chicamoca canyon and we did tandem paraglide flights there. Su is a paragliding pilot but didn’t have her wing so she too just did a tandem flight.

It was super epic flying over the canyon. The scariest part was the takeoff but my pilot drilled into me when he says run, I run. So before I knew it, he had inflated the wing and was yelling “corre, corre, corre” (run, run, run) y corré (and I ran)! That scared feeling only lasted one or two seconds before we were soaring in the air and I felt the calmness of the flight. I always thought it might feel like free falling but it’s much more of a controlled soaring. You really feel like you’re flying and the wing is supported by the wind. My pilot was super experienced and good at what he was doing. We coasted along the ridge until we found a thermal and we rose up and up. It was so nice to just enjoy the flight without having to worry about anything. The canyon was incredible and we soared all over, staying up for 20/30 minutes. At one point coming very close to the trees on the mountain on the other side of the canyon before catching another thermal and rising back into the air.

From there I flagged down a collectivo on the road to continue the journey to San Gil, the adventure capitol of Colombia. I accidentally slept past my exit and had to walk a couple extra miles to get to my hostal. I explored the town a bit and the next day went to the nearby Curiti to check out a watering hole.

The next morning I went white water kayaking on the river and had an awesome time getting back into the kayak for the first time in 5 years! I had done it the summer of 2020 but haven’t touched it since. I can roll the kayak upright when flipped over in the water, but I didn’t have the chance to practice as we put in right above the first rapids. I also have only ever done it intentionally in calm waters. It’s one thing being able to do it when you know you’re going under and can take a big breath and mentally prepare, but a whole different level doing it unexpectedly when in the midst of rapids.

I made it through the first rapids and it was a mix of absolutely terrifying and thrilling. I’m quite rusty but I was able to stay up right. Then without much break came the second rapids. I forgot that I needed to paddle strong through the rapids, sometimes in a boat you weigh enough to just set your angle right and get through. However, on a kayak you weigh significantly less and must power yourself through the wave. You have to set yourself at the right angle and paddle hard to maintain that angle through the wave. However, I did not paddle strong and when this big wave came it knocked me over sideways and under the water. You’re supposed to stay calm and try to flip up right but I immediately panicked and pulled my release on my spray skirt (what keeps water out of your kayak and keeps you attached to it). Then I was swimming in the rapids, not attached to my kayak, a very poor position to be in. My guide came back for me and I grabbed onto his kayak as he yelled “PIES ARRIBA PIES ARRIBA” (FEET UP) as we passed over some shallow rocks in the rapids. Luckily there was another kayaker in that area and he went back for my paddle and kayak that I had abandoned. Well we made it through the rapids like that and then I had to do the walk of shame and bring my boat to shore and dump out all the water and re enter my kayak.

That happened one more time as I tried to enter an eddy, a water feature that is essentially a calm pool from the flow of the river, separated by a jet of water flowing the opposite way off a rock or obstruction. I tried to enter and got knocked off balance as kayaks like this are very tippy and was once again under. This time I tried unsuccessfully to flip over and then I panicked and ejected, doing the whole process of emptying and entering the boat once more. I was able to hit my turn a couple times in calm water when I tried it intentionally but my kayaking has a long ways to go! I had such a blast kayaking though, and know there is so much to improve upon. I truly have never experienced fear like kayaking down rapids. It is so distinct from anything I’ve done and got me super excited to one day work on my skills to mitigate that fear with expertise.

Later David and Natalie arrived in San Gil and checked into my hostal and we spent the evening together. The next day we went to Barichara and then hiked a few miles to the nearby Guane. Then we took a collectivo back to San Gil. 

That evening I took a bus back to Bogota and spent two days and one night there, crashing in Codito with Jonah and May and highlining before taking another night bus to Medellin where I would meet Nick.