Ready

James and I won the game of three-way ching-chang-chong (translation: rock-paper-scissors), so we paddled together for the first stretch on the river. Ben went solo to start.

The best way to travel on river is with a wet hat, sunglasses, a wet white, long-sleeve T-shirt, a wet sarong across your legs, and waterproof sandals on your feet. James started the trip with his hippie shirt. I didn't have a sarong, so I borrowed his extra purple one.

As I learned, James took me quite seriously about letting the river do the work. He took plenty of breaks in the front! I did, too, of course. In fact, you only need to paddle like crazy through rough water where you really need to be able to control the boat.