Glory

If you remember, I tried to go river rafting a couple of months ago, to no avail.

For one last grand hurrah in Guangzhou, the DiploMan and I gathered a group of friends for a second attempt at a rafting adventure, just on the outskirts of town, about an hour from our home. I read about the location and anticipated a pretty manmade experience but boy-oh-boy, was I in for a surprise.

Imagine a very long waterpark ride, only instead of plastic tubing, the ride is made of concrete. But there are rapids, simulated to look and feel like nature intended. Oh wait- just imagine splash mountain. Except, instead of being strapped in a log-like roller coaster, you’re just sitting in a two-person raft. With a helmet, duh.

It took about an hour total to rush down the rapids. 10 minutes of that was spent being jostled back and forth in the rapids, and the other 50 minutes were spent in the three large pools that were interspersed between the dashing straits, where as many as 70 rafts at a time would gather and engage in water fights.

Conventional? Hardly. Safe? I think not. Fun? Absolutely.

Check us out, in action.

I mean, if this picture doesn’t just sum it all up….

Happy 4th!

Fourth of July means fireworks, set to a tinny version of Pomp and Circumstance blasting out of large outdoor speakers. There’s always some sort of group outdoor eating activity, often paired with a decent amount of group outdoor drinking. People dress in Red, White, and Blue and do American things, like sailing in Cape Cod and grilling large slabs of meat and adding disgusting amounts of mayonnaise to everything.

Red, White, and Blue Crates stacked near an outdoor market in Thailand
–the best I could do for an Independence Day-themed photo.

 

Fortunately for us, mayonnaise is a little difficult to get in Guangzhou. And though our 4th sadly won’t be filled with fireworks or grilled meats, we do what we can to celebrate as proper Americans should. So with home in our hearts and minds, (and so close to a departure date that we can almost taste our first Chipotle burrito), we’re donning our swimsuits and heading out to the waterpark! I mean, does anything scream ‘America’ more than theme parks and tube slides? Didn’t think so.

I’m leaving my camera behind, but rest assured, I’ll be having a wet ‘n wild good time.