Discovering Love for Kayaking
How by simply saying ‘’Yes’’ in Vietnam, I found a new hobby.
Imagine this. You are halfway across the world, just arrived yesterday on another continent for the first time. Now you are in the most unique and beautiful place you’ve been so far and someone asks you “Would you want to go kayaking?”
This all happened to me while in Vietnam and exploring Ha Long Bay — an area featuring thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. A friend and I had booked a one-day trip from Hanoi to explore this place, and neither of us expected to discover a new hobby that day.
After Enjoying a beautiful boat ride, appreciating the beauty of nature around us, trying local foods, and exploring caves, we were told that the tour also included a stop for kayaking and the tour guide wanted to know if we would like to participate. We both never had tried it, but how can we say no to this kind of opportunity. That’s what travel is about — trying new things and stepping out of your comfort zone.
We expected someone to explain to us what to do, but we were so far away from the truth… A guy gave us life jackets and helped us get in the kayak. Then he told us not to go near the rocks because we might get stuck. After that pushed the kayak away from the deck.
We had to figure everything by ourselves and it was far better that way, even though we were very close to falling in the water a couple of times. I know it’s not rocket science, but we were in an unknown place and didn’t know how deep the water under us was. In the end, we had so much fun. Enjoying the spontaneity of the situation and the beautiful nature around us.
After two weeks of exploring Vietnam, I came home and didn't even think about kayaking.
Fast forward exactly one year and the same friend and I are in Thailand, doing some island hopping. This was at the beginning of 2020, so there were a lot of tourists everywhere. That’s why we decided to visit some famous beaches, that you couldn’t go to on land.
There were two main ways to get there. You can pay a local to take you there on a boat, or you can rent a kayak and go there by yourself. The moment we saw the kayaks laying there on the beach, we instantly knew what we are going to pick.
We used this way of transport to get to the famous Monkey Beach on Koh Phi Phi and to Railay Beach from Ao Nang. It was challenging when there were some waves from the boats passing by. Plus we were beginners. For us, this was probably the best way to explore those beaches. We got exercise combined with spending time on a beautiful beach.
Soon after we came back home, a pandemic happened and we were forced to stay at home for long periods of time. It was forbidden to leave the big cities, even to go hiking in the nearby mountains. I was missing spending time in nature so much, that in the summer I embraced every opportunity to explore the mountains.
One day my father asked me if I want to go fishing with him. I didn’t have anything planned for that day, so I quickly agreed. On the way to the lake, up in the mountains, I remembered that there are people there who rent kayaks. So I made a deal with my father, that we will go kayaking for 1–2 hours before he starts fishing.
He was hesitant at first. After all, he had never tried it. His love for nature and outdoor sports made him agree in the end.
After we got in the kayaks, we decided to see the whole artificial lake from the water. The nature around us was so beautiful. There were parts of the reservoir, that you can’t go by walking. The wilderness there remains untouched by human impact.
We made a few stops to eat and to take photos. Good thing I brought my camera with me in a waterproof bag. My father quickly forgot about fishing, because he wanted to spend more time in the water.
It was so calming. All the wilderness around us. No people in sight, just pure nature.
My father fell in love with kayaking just like I did more than a year ago in Vietnam. I am glad that for once I got to make him get out of his comfort zone and try a new sport. When I was a kid he was always the one who encouraged me to spend time in the outdoors — hiking, skiing, snorkeling, or just exploring.
This summer we came back to this lake to go kayaking a couple more times. Turns out my friends being stuck in lock-down in other countries, and me not being able to travel internationally that much during summer break can have its benefits. It made me spend more time with my family and try new hobbies.
If life gives you an opportunity to try something new, consider it before saying no, just because you are scared. You might have fun and like it. Who knows?
