Baihe (White River) Rafting

JDK and I decided to try out 'whitewater rafting’ in Beijing, which we later found out is actually called drifting for some very obvious reasons. Our exhilarating day out took place two hours outside of Beijing on a rather hot and sweaty Saturday.

Minibuses disguises as bus services.
(The entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well in China)

We started out our journey at 6am to avoid the rush but much to our despair the buses were packed. Nevertheless a disguised minibus asking a rather large fee in comparison to the bus was always at the rescue. 3 hours later and a few extra bus rides, we eventually arrived at Bai He Wan. Navigating the bus services in China is difficult and frustrating especially when you can't speak the language. Fortunately local stores sell cheap beer and there is no cultural stigma associated with drinking at 9am.

Sensational Rafting 

I think the sign was a clue to what we were about to experience. Our thoughts of peacefully floating down the river taking in the beautiful scenery were mostly true. What we had not realized is that us and about 100 other drifters were about to hit the water. Also, this was not the river we we asked to be dropped off at, but with the language barrier, it was the best we could do.

Chris and I waiting for our rafts (rubber dingy)

At first glance JDK and I were a bit worried that we might not fit, thankfully we squeezed in. JDK was worried that the boat might not make it down the river.  It was not swimming the rapids that concerned him, but rather the stream flowing from the outhouses down to the river.

Fun in the sun

The children paddles they gave us were ridiculously short and made it difficult to paddle down the river. To make the situation even more bizarre, someone with a megaphone stood on the bank of the river ever mile and shouted at us to put our life jackets back on. The "life jackets" were two vertical bars of foam and and held together by a little strap. There was barely enough displacement to keep my beer afloat, let alone me.

Umbrella

Men rowing their ladies with their umbrellas down the river. Unfortunately JDK's back is still 'hurting' so I rowed and did not get to use my umbrella :(

Stunning Scenery 

Chris and Josh 

LS's friends from work joined us for a day of drifting and drinking in the sun. 

I finally got my umbrella moment

JDK actually paddle for all of 2 minutes and then spent the rest of the time complaining about the size of the paddle (Ok, so maybe he paddled for more then 2 minutes)

Our ride home 

Like most foreign rafting trips the ride out of the gorge is the scariest part and this one was no exception. We all piled in the back of a flat bed truck and held on as the truck proceeded up a steep rocky dirt road.