The first Kayak Challenge.

One side of the medal given to all participants who complete the race.


The other side of the medal given.


Kayaks are ready for the participants to use.


The canoes or kayak which were numbered assembled at the Semeling jetty. Every two participants are allotted a number and that was the number of their kayak.


There are more than a hundred kayaks ready for the event.


And this is the Semeling River and this picture is taken at the starting point.


Boats at the jetty where the starting point was. The Semeling bridge is in the background.


Mangrove trees near the jetty. These mangrove trees line the river up to the sea at Pantai Merdeka.


Md Zin and some of the acquaintances we made.


Getting acquainted with other participants. The one in the red T-shirt is the blogger.


And here's the long Semeling Bridge.


One of the participants looking for his kayak.


And here's my friend with our kayak in front of him.




And the participants are taking their kayak down to the river.


And the kayaks go into the river at the jetty.


























The first runners-up in the challenge receiving their prizes.




The young man who has one leg too short. He got a present for being the only disabled person in the challenge.


The oldest participant given a hamper by the organisers.


The most senior participant at age sixty-four years; that's me, the blogger.


The hamper I was given.


A beautiful view of a structure at Pantai Merdeka, probably for the life-guards.

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On Saturday, Eager to join in the fun of paddling a canoe down the river from Semeling in Central Kedah to Pantai Merdeka, I awoke before the alarm for six-thirty sounded. It was still dark at five in the morning.

Using the time allowed me to relax and do something else I turned to this blog and wrote one of my postings. At that time of the morning, the speed of the line was good and I went in easily unlike the past few days when I was told the server could not be found.

When I finished writing at six, there was still sufficient time for me to go out and hunt for my breakfast, a packet of rice, half an egg and fish. To this I added my finely sliced raw organic vegetable which I grow in my own garden.

Dressed for the event, I searched for bananas which is a useful convenient food for quick energy. Then I fetched my partner, Md Zin, and we headed for Semeling at seven-fifty. He was waiting for me outside his house, just as anxious to be on the move to the canoeing event. We reached the place at about eight o'clock. We met the organisors of the meet whom I have been introduced to three days earlier when i volunteered to help take one of the canoes from a beach near Pulau Sayak to Semeling. We were told the number of our canoe. By nine o'clock, we had taken the canoe down to the river. In the meantime the sky was threatening to wet all the participants. That did not cool our enthusiasm even a little bit. In fact, for me, one who has always enjoyed being in the rain, I was happy at the thought of refreshing rain dripping onto my face and body as my body heated up in the coming activity.

Md. Zin and I paddled for a short while to warm up for the kayak challenge. Then, we exchanged talk with the other participants instead as we did not wish to tire out ourselves. It was a event in which we had to paddle a distance of eighteen kilometres.

Then at ten o'clock, all one hundred and five canoes lined up across the river to start. The prize for the first forty persons to arrive at Pantai Merdeka beach was a hundred ringgit. Looking around most of the participants were young men and women not more than forty years old. The older ones were about fifty years old. All of them looked fit, tough and strong.

After the start, it was non-stop paddling all the way to Pantai Merdeka. Of course, we did stop to drink water three times during the race. It was a beautiful morning with a cool breeze and a few drops of welcome rain on the way. We passed mangrove swamps, mobile platforms of fish cages patrolled by dogs. There were sparsely populated villages along the river sides and sometimes we had to struggle against the current as it tried to move us out of our course. One canoe, the type which was built with air trapped inside the bottom of the canoe, capsized and they occupants of the canoe had a difficult time climbing back into the canoe. Luckily for them, a few patrol boats were at hand to pick them up and assist them.

In two and a half hours our canoe reached Pantai Merdeka where more than sixty canoes had already beached. We were later told that some arrived more than half an hour after us. The minute we climbed out of our canoe, we were greeted by the organisers, one of who put a metal around our neck. For me it was one interesting and much sought for experience, that day being the second time, I have ever paddled one.

After a good meal, we attended the closing ceremony, where the prizes were given away by a lady from Tourism Malaysia, Kedah. After which there were eighty lucky draws for things donated by some companies, sports bodies and universities. Hampers were given to the youngest, oldest, a disabled and a foreigner participant of the day's event and the oldest at sixty-five years of age was me!

After that we had to thumb a lift to Semeling where I had parked my car. Tired, no doubt about that, but full of gratefulness for the opportunity to be a part of that wonderful, thrilling paddling against the current as the water moved upstream. And I proved to myself that i am still game to take on many things in life even with very much younger people as my competitors. What a beautiful exuberant day it has turned out to be!
(Photos cannot be loaded as the line is very, very slow.)