A HAPPY ADVENTURE

It do not see it that much, but now it is happening again: an exciting activity where everyone is having a good time during the entire event with a lot of smiling. Many thought the idea of doing this was a bit scary before, but when we finally arrived at the Sjoa raftingsenter NWR everybody was looking forward to it. We are going for some rafting!

How do you pull someone back into the raft?

We got all the gear we needed at the rafting center, such as woolen socks for the cold water, helmets, life jackets, and our wetsuits. In a bus with the rafts we drive to the river Sjoa where our guide provides us with safety instructions. With a lot of humor our guide explains what the best way is to pull someone back into the raft after they have fallen into the water.

First you have to push them a little bit more into the water and only after that you can pull them back in!

said our guide. This truly helps you so that you can use your strength better, so of course we are looking forward to trying this for real.

Forward!

We are ready to go. Finally we can bring the raft to the river and step inside with a group of 6 persons and a guide. The guide is always sitting in the back of the raft so that he can steer and shout to all of us what to do next. After practicing once more on shore with our paddles – to make sure that our guide would see that we are looking forward to start the trip – we are ready to go!
“Forward” shouts our strong man and we all start to paddle. Giggling we follow his instructions and meanwhile we enjoy the view of the Norwegian nature.

This is so much fun!

I say, because it really is fantastic. Everybody has a big smile on their face and paddles away.

Want to get wet?

“Would you like to go for a swim?” our guide asks us. Of course we do! We are all wearing a wetsuit now anyway, so it can not be that cold anymore. I take a refreshing swim and I am already looking forward to doing this again later on.
When we arrive at a bit more tranquil part of the river he tells us that the boat will flip over if we would all jump to the left. So we all decide to do that and land into the water. That definitely is much more fun than a water park!

We climb into the raft and start paddling again. Our guide tells us that every part of the river has got its own name and that at the last part of the tour we will arrive at the part called ‘the washing machine’. That sounds exciting! In the meanwhile we have all swapped places in the raft so that each one of us would have their own unique experience. Right before the feared washing machine I ask if I can sit in front again and fortunately that is no problem for the others. I love a challenge and I am sure that this was going to be the best part of this trip for the best video images.

The washing machine

We all started wondering when we will get to this exciting washing machine, but the guide does not want to give it away. All out of a sudden we are in a rapid which goes a little bit faster than the ones we had just experienced. Everybody starts paddling really fast and our guide has to steer very well. That all goes fine, because nobody falls out of the raft.
“Get down!” our dear guide shouts very loud. We all have to sit down on the bottom of the raft since there is a natural water slide coming up. We all feel lucky that our guide tells us what to do, because we are sure that otherwise we can not prevent falling out of the raft. The slide is awesome and the highlight of our rafting trip so far.

Another highlight

We arrive at a big rock, another highlight. The guide askes us if we would like to jump of this cliff. It is not clear if he is just joking, but two colleagues and I think it is a great idea! We paddle towards the rocks and climb to the top. One colleague of mine could not continue and decides to jump from a little bit lower, which is very challenging as well. My other colleague and I are now standing on top of the cliff and we start to put some question marks to the safety of our jumping adventure. We can see a couple of big rocks lying there in the water and I am sure I am going to hit them whenever I will jump. Luckily our guide shows us exactly where to hit the water. He advises us to jump over a tree that is growing out of the rock.
“You can go first” my colleague says. No problem I think!
While the guide starts the count down I get ready to jump. One, two, and three! Splash! That is fantastic! If we would have had more time I would love to do this once more.

We leave the river with our rafts and head towards a warm shower. The bus of Sjoa Raftingsenter NWR brings us back to the ranch where we can have a shower and even enjoy a sauna if we want to. I skip the sauna, because I know there is a great meal waiting for me. The Norwegian people are really good cooks and an ice cold Norwegian beer is very taste.

What a fantastic adventure I have been able to experience!

A big thank you for Visit Norway and Verkeersbureaus.info for inviting me 🙂
I would also like to thank Fred Geers for all the great photos he has made from the side of the river while I was rafting.

About Renate Rigters

Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.

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