I'll classify this posting under Switzerland to describe my little white water rafting adventure, and catch up on our time so far in Austria in another posting.
Switzerland, moreso than anywhere else we've been, is a country that's dedicated to a structured, socially-conscious way of life. Farms and well-cultivated fields are drawn across the rolling hills like a grid, recycling is a way of life (even moreso than Canada), and any kind of public noise after 10:00pm is against the law. Even if it wasn't, it's so ingrained in the Swiss collective consciousness that they'll avoid using the toilet past 10:00 (so that it won't need to be nosily flushed). And every home truly does look like a ski chalet.
But in Interlaken, all pretenses of a healthy way of life go right out the airplane hatch. I don't think my white water rafting adventure will quite compare to the danger of Markus', but it's up there. We got strapped into wetsuits (I felt and looked like a penguin), driven high up into the Swiss Alps, and given a crash course on what to do if you're thrown from the boat (answer: keep your feet up and make your peace with the world). We also learned our leader's four possible shouted instructions: Row Forwards, Row Backwards, Hold On, or Get Down. Get Down was like the nuclear bombshelter version of Hold On, where your only hope of staying inside the boat and not being dashed onto the rocks was to climb inside (instead of sitting on the edge), sit as low as possible, and pray.
Then, we started the madness. We began immediately on class IV rapids, which are just like the kinds of rushing, surging rapids you might picture when you think of the word, except these rapids woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and the other rapids did something nasty to our rapids' cereal in the morning. The rapids are fed by glacier water from the mountain caps, so they were also a balmy 6 degrees Celcius warm.
Being only one of two guys in our seven person boat, me and an American named Dan were at the front, responsible for getting our rhythm going on the strokes. And, we learned, also responsible for taking the brunt of the waves upon waves of ice cold water drenching our boat with every dip. It was an incredible rush: two hours of thundering water all around you, ice cold water soaking you from head to toe, and constantly blinking out the water so that you could concentrate on sitting in one place, looking ahead and frantically rowing forward so the boat wasn't dashed on the rocks.
Several people fell out of nearby boats and weren't able to hold on to the outside line. One person drifted quite far downriver and had to be rescued by a tiny safety kayak who circled around the boats. Our boat managed okay, but we learned afterwards that because of the torrential rains, the water levels were far higher than usual and our guides almost cancelled the entire trip. They had never let a group go on rapids as strong as ours before. The boat flip-over likelyhood was well into the double digit percentages. The water was a brown colour from all the mudwater washed into the river. Not a bad way to start my thrill-seeking life!
I've got some photos of our group in action on the boat I'll scan up if I get the chance. Anyway, off to see more of Austria for now!
Hello peoples,
Have you ever noticed that when you look up at a building you think to yourself, "That's not that tall" and then when you're at the top looking down that misconception quickly corrects itself? Well, I found out today that the same law applies to 50 foot high waterfalls from which you have to jump. Oh wait, you also have to hit an area of water about two meters in diameter because landing elsewhere may mean certain death, or for some lucky few, just paralysis. Then again, this is what Canyoning is all about.
Basically, Canyoning consists of following a small stream through a crevice going down the side of a mountain. Because of the way the water has worn away at the rock, there's usually 3 ways to get from one ledge to another. Simply jump into a pool on the next ledge, usually found at the base of a waterfall, slide down rock if the rushing water has made something like a natural water-slide, or rappel your way down. I ended up doing all three several times. On most of these occasions I couldn't help but think, "Woah! I'm not jumping down there in these conditions. Only a crazy person would do that! I mean, if I slip or misjudge my jump even slightly in the wrong direction I could break my leg, or split open my head or..." These frequent thought were usually followed by a small click (the sound of me shutting off the rational portion of my mind) and then the sound of rushing air followed by a huge splash. Luckily, I came away from the whole experience with only a few scratches and bruises and I have to say that I loved ever minute of it.
The experience was utterly amazing. The rush can't be described, it has to be experienced personally, but I have to warn anyone that if they ever feel like partaking in this kind of thing, you can't in any way be afraid of heights. There were many times when we walked along the top edges of massive boulders which dropped off at a steep angle for about 100 feet on either side. The reason you might never have heard of this "Canyoning" is that it's not legal in the US (I'm not sure about Canada) because no insurance company with any sound business plan would ever back this kind of activity. Here in Switzerland, they simply make you sign a form saying, "If I die it's my own damn fault." and that's the end of that. I heard of someone that had broken their leg just two days before my go at Canyoning, which made me a little nervous, but after I saw that they had a helmet with the name 007 on it, I couldn't turn back. Now I've been Indiana Jones and James Bond. I'm loving this trip!
Anyways, I got some pictures taken of my jumping and such, but they have not yet been developed. We shall post them when it is next possible, so please try to be patient with us. Otherwise, I'm trying to re-adjust to living conditions outside of Germany and it's a little difficult. I got almost no sleep last night with the amount of noise people made all night and the shower in the morning must have been fed by some of the nearby glaciers, but otherwise everything is great. The view around here is amazing. There's mountains in every direction, the lakes are a deep turquoise and the sunsets are some of the most breathtaking I have ever seen. Interlaken has been a feast for my senses and I find myself devouring it with nothing but utter joy.
Hope everything is going well for all back home,
Markus
P.S. I want to thank Christine, Sepp, Tina, Joseph, Jacob, Sushi, Grossmama, Grosspapa, Tante Lina, Tante Lousie, Romi, Ervin, Ingo and everyone else who made our stay in Germany a fabulous one. Thank you all!
I never thought I'd feel wimpy and weak to have signed up for white water rafting down class IV rapids on the side of a soaring, ice-capped mountain.
Interlaken is filled with the most extreme of the extreme: skydiving, ice climbing, skyboarding (I think that's what it's called), glacier skiing, hang gliding, bungy jumping, etc etc. If it involves gravity, and lots of it, you can do it. Markus is off right now doing something called Canyoning. I'll let him describe it for you later -- assuming he hasn't broken both arms, which is apparently a common occurance.
Anyway, back to my original point: canyoners swear by it, and two girls I was talking with at the hostel last night made it pretty clear this morning that I wimped out by not joining the canyoning group. I'm not the thrill-seeking type, but c'mon, white water rafting can't be that weak, can it? Interlaken, and particularly our hostel, is filled with energetic people looking for a great time outdoors; standards are through the roof.
Can you tell that I'm nervous? Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to the rafting this afternoon, and proving myself; wish me luck!