Stand Up Paddling – Backwaters of Shyambhavi River.
Heading into the last week of blogging for the “Alive is Awesome” campaign, I thought of taking a break from my regular chores and I headed straight to our surf club, which is located on the coastal region of Karnataka. I was hoping to catch some surf, get tanned, and have some fun with my buddies. But luck wasn’t on my side as far as the surf was concerned. Nevertheless, the ocean and rivers can be the biggest playgrounds if you are adventurous and willing to go an extra mile for some pure fun and action.
Hence, I decided to go SUPing (Stand Up Paddling) in the backwaters of River Shyambhavi. If you wonder what is Stand Up Paddle, it is an emerging sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing and has reemerged as a new global sport. Basically, SUP uses a surf style board and a long paddle, more like a cross between canoeing and surfing.
In no time, I pulled an awesome Stand Up Paddleboard out of the board shack and was soon paddling in the backwaters of Shyambhavi. The early morning sun wasn’t too harsh and there were plenty of chirping birds, long coconut trees bending over the banks, and small fishing boats with their routine. I had an amazing time paddling amidst all these wonderful environments. I relished every stroke of my paddle, feeling the breeze from the ocean. A lot of positive thoughts and good vibes came to me. It was very different than some of my other adrenaline-pumping adventures and fun. It was very soothing to my mind and body. As I paddled for a couple of hours, I started to feel the heat of the sun. I cooled myself by pouring buckets of fresh cool river water on my head and that was definitely a unique bathing experience I have ever had in my life.
One thing I realized during my blogging for “Alive is Awesome” was that I don’t always need to jump off a cliff or dive deep into an ocean or surf monster waves per se but indulge in simple fun in the water and that could bring the same amount of joy and happiness to me. We saw that clearly in Cinthol’s adventure bathing videos, which had from a simple village bath to a shivering polar bath. Everything was dynamic and diverse yet personified unique bathing experiences.
