Most people will do some sort of road trip in their lifetime. Some will do a road trip across their province or state and the lucky ones might drive across an entire country. If you work for Water By Nature, however, road trip takes on a whole new meaning. We don’t just traverse states and provinces and countries but entire continents. The latest WBN adventure was a road trip of epic proportions, a drive from Africa to Asia across the European land mass. Water By Nature runs a rafting and kayaking season in Morocco. It also operates a rafting season in eastern Turkey on a river called the Coruh. The seasons are back to back and the same equipment and guides are usually used for both seasons. Now, in order to get gear and people from Morocco to Turkey we drive our van and trailer across Europe. The exact route varies from year to year depending on whose driving and the intentional or unintentional detours those drivers take. But, in general, the drive starts in Morocco and crosses the Straits of Gibraltar into Spain. From Spain the crew drives along the Mediterranean coast across France and Italy to the Adriatic … Continue reading
Moroccan Madness
If you believe in karma you sometimes wonder what some creatures did in a previous life to deserve their present state. Questions like this riddle the brain when you travel in Morocco. For example, what creature deserved to be reincarnated as the Moroccan donkey that suddenly collapsed dead in front of my van under a load of two tonnes of cement causing a horrific traffic jam in Marrakech. An even more severe example are those who revisit this earth as Berber women, the hardest working souls in Northern Africa, whose husbands lounge in the tea and coffee shops sipping strong brews and generally do nothing. Yet another example of severe karmic debt repaid in Morocco are those Water By Nature guides who experienced the most difficult rafting and kayaking season to date. Morocco is a beautiful country with a rich culture, varied geography, and interesting people. It is a land that is not quite Africa and not quite Europe. Some say its Islamic roots classify it with the Middle East but even still its geographical displacement keeps it separated from this region as well. As a result, this No Man’s Land of a country is a unique destination. In addition … Continue reading
Raft Guides Update Wilderness First Reponder (WFR)
Stan and Hamish recently completed a week long Wilderness First Responder course in Leavenworth WA. The week long course was hosted by Lucca, Nick and Rocco from Rescue Specialists though Wilderness Medical Associates. This course is a requirement for ALL Water By Nature trip leaders to have, taking into account the settings and countries we take people rafting and kayaking in. In addition to being an in depth 70 hour course, the curriculum bases a great deal of the course around practical drills and rescue scenarios. Water By Nature plan on running two Wilderness First Responder courses on the Zambezi River in September 2010. The week long courses are perfect for anyone with an interest in Wilderness Medicine. The course will be run by Rescue Specialists through Wilderness Medical Associates.
