White Water Rafting event is an initiative to promote other “boat and paddle” activity to the students of SMU via SMUX-Kayaking team.

In 2012 episode of White Water Rafting, we brought a total of 39 participants to Kuala Kubu Raru, near to the capital of Malaysia, to experience exciting white water rafting in the Slim River. Slim river is a “grade 3” river which is suitable for all level of participants.

The participants were split into group of 6 for each raft, together with 2 instructors to steer the raft in the river. The entire rafting session last for about 4 hours and our participants had a busy time following the commands, “to the left!”, “to the right!”, “to the front!” and “to the back!”.

These commands are needed to gather the crews to the respective side of the raft, so that to assist the instructors in steering the raft using our body weight.

Other than white water rafting, our participants also experienced jungle tracking where our destination was a nice and cooling mini waterfall. Lastly, not forgetting the “tubing session” which our participants sat on a rubber tube and flow lazily along the river for about 1KM, before reaching our dormitory.

The event ended with a group photo taken together with the nice mountainous scenery as the backdrop, before we board the bus and head back to Singapore.

Oh alright… I exaggerated a bit right there. However, the distance travelled was indeed true. Let’s start of proper. Blogger style.

5^th of August

Early in the morning, nope not 6 o’clock, but 9am, 23 brave souls gathered outside East Coast Park Water Venture. Of course, among the brave athletes, a few stood more salient than the others having completed full Standard Chartered Marathon the day before. You know who you are. I give you a standing ovation for that. As usual we started off each journey with the proper ritual. Nope not the rain dance to pray for rain to come another day, even though we needed one because of monsoon season but equipment check, and a few safety reminders. There was a need to waterproof all our belongings. Off we went and target of the day: Changi Beach.

Testing of Personal Floatation Device 

Step 1: Insert the spray skirt from the back

Step 2: Tuck your spray skirt nicely around your cockpit and ensure that the handles are reachable.

That’s George our outgoing team manager teaching us how to wear our skirting (not skirts) properly.

Being the month of December, the monsoon season appears to be a daunting issue. However,the weather was incredibly extraordinary irresistibly fantastic! (Quite a mouthful huh… ) Cloudy and windy with no rain. What more can we ask for?

Only thing that was against us: just the choppy seas. Up and down, up and down, this motion caused made most of us seasick. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s normal to get seasick regardless of race language or religion. Even I puked four times. My lunch went into the sea. Wasted 4 bucks, only one noticed since I was the rear sweeper. Nobody believed that I was seasick. What a cruel world. However, the experienced team is equipped with a powerful remedy: Orange peels and seasick pills. (Pun not intended). Their combination made the dizzy world feel stable as ever.

Lunch, was consumed in the middle of nowhere out in the open sea. Fruits appear to be ideal. That day I learnt an important lesson. Never pack macmuffin at 6am and attempt to consume it in the afternoon. The stinking smell is strong enough to raise the dead.

Apparently, the trip is filled with seasoned kayakers and so we completed the journey 2hrs ahead of our cut off time 5pm. Kudos to all of us! But wait… Not so fast. There was a stretch of breakwater where the cross-currents were so strong that all of us pushed and pulled but only to find ourselves at the same relative position. However, due to fortunate circumstances Lionel, Kavin and myself got towed by the safety boat in order to catch up with the team. We were cheering as we got towed by the bum boat. I bet the rest must have cursed and swear.

Getting ready to be towed

Being towed

Drinking sea water

Oh alright, I apologize for that. Anyway, I drank quite a bit of seawater, so everything tasted extra salty for dinner.

So what’s installed at Changi? A nice wholesome barbeque to satisfy our taste buds. Finger licking good chicken wings, Japanese Yakitori, Sambal Squid…. Yum yum!!

Oh wait! No photos!!! AHHH!!!! Samantha!!! Why you no take photo? Seriously, got to trust me on this, we did have barbeque. Pretty cooks for the night! Right ladies? 5 star service. Mamma mia!

Even the seniors joined in! What a wonderful night. Once again, no RAIN!

Then, lights out… Poof!!! (The aeroplanes flying above us, sure was noisy)

6^th of August

Rise and Shine! Forgot to catch sunrise =( Well its around 8am in the morning. Given the secluded location of our campsite, Macdelivery was an attractive option to fill our bellies without having to travel 3km to Changi Village. There we go again. Macmuffins seem to cause the problem once again with an operator from Macs not knowing her stuff. A mcmuffin that cost $2.50 in the morning could have had a 100% inflation within a day. Thank god, we knew what we were buying. After breakfast, off we went for a visit to our little sister island Pulau Ubin. Weather was really toasty. So hot that most of us became charred, looking like cooked prawns, lobsters and crabs. The scorching sun did not spare even those snow whites. Haha! So much for putting sunblock, our skin simply turned crispy. So one special tip for all first time kayakers, always dress like a terrorist.

Follow the example in the middle to avoid sunburn.

At Pulau Ubin, we visited the Mangrove swamps and had packed Nasi Lemak from where else but changi village. Special thanks to Clement for packing lunch for all of us. Lunch was within the mangroves itself.

Hands up if you had diarrhoea! Apparently Zhi Yang blamed me for not sharing my outdoor advice with first-timers on how to enjoy your meals outdoor without suffering from diarrhoea. For a moment, I thought it was “common sense” to wash your hands with clean water before eating.

Following that, we set our bow towards Pasir Ris Water Venture completing our long fulfilling journey of Post Exam Expedition 2011. Wow we seem like a strong determined bunch of people. But let you on a little secret… Our original endpoint was supposed to be at Changi village. But hey, give us some slack. It wasn’t easy for one person to kayak a 2 seater kayak with our baggage load in front and for the rest to walk a few kilometers with paddle and lifejackets.

We made it!

Oh alright this was taken at the start of day 2 not the end.

Hold on a second… Before I end off, I got to take this opportunity to thank people for their help!

In no particular order, special thanks to the following people who came back to help with cleaning directly after the expedition: Germaine, Celestyn, Rahman, Tyler and Nik (Alright ladies first. That’s why their names are at the front.)

And special thanks to Nik, Tyler and Samuel for coming down on a separate occasion to help in the cleaning of the Tentage!

Ps: Did I mention, our outgoing Team Manager just discovered an excel formula to predict the days with clear weather for kayaking expedition – Just for Laughs

‘Row and Row 2011’ was held on 8^th Oct 2011 and it marked the first time SMUX Kayaking and Skating team has collaborated together for an event. The event was based on the theme of ‘Ninja’ and participants were able to enjoy the thrills of urban skating as well as the being able to soak in the sun and sea while kayaking.

Aside from being an introductory-level event for both Kayaking and Skating, the participants also had the chance to play some familiar games but with a totally new twist! For instance, while on skates, participants had to battle each other out in the ‘Ninja’ game (hand slapping game). Also, later on in the day, participants were able to try out how it is like to play Captain’s ball on kayaks. The twist added to these familiar games certainly heightened the experience for our participants, and all of them including the helpers and organizing committee had a great fun during the event.

This inaugural cross team event between kayaking and skating concluded with roaring success and it would certainly be the first of the many other cross team event we see between the two teams in the future. Stay tuned for more!

Barely after stepping off the ferry and putting their bags down at the resort, our passionate kayakers hit the waters. They were soon rewarded with the sight of an old ship on a deserted beach. The afternoon was spent kayaking, exploring every nook and cranny of the empty ship, and lazing on the beach.

 The less intrepid half of the group elected to chill at Nagoya Hill, the largest and snazziest shopping mall in Batam, where we had our share of fun too!

 At night, we gathered for a large scrumptious dinner at the famous Golden Prawn restaurant.

Early the next morning, we set off on the highlight of the trip – kayaking, of course! While the dolphins rumoured to inhabit the waters eluded our sights, we derived cheap thrills from riding waves and dodging splashes from flying fish bumping against our kayaks. It was a laborious experience paddling in shallow water, but the consolation was that we were provided with ample opportunity to admire the coral floating just below the water surface.

 Here’s a crab one of us picked up from the seaweed!

After an exciting afternoon battling the currents and burning the calories, we strolled to Turi Beach for a (relatively) guilt-free international buffet dinner. Thereafter, most of us went on a leisurely walk down a false jetty with a bar. After a few drinks under the stars, we adjourned to one of our bungalows for more games and late-night conversation.

 The second morning, we had some free-and-easy time before our ferry departure. Some of us spent it enjoying a professional massage to soothe our aching muscles.

Relaxing but productive, exhilarating but safe, Batam Lama was a whimsical weekend getaway, perfect for a summer drawing to a close. Thank you to the enthusiastic SMUX team for 3 days and 2 nights of fun, adventure and friendship at Batam Lama!

Written by:

Victoria Leong, participant

Overall IC: Tyler

Admin/Logistics: Niklas Wong

Marketing: Shyanne

Advisor/Team Manager: George

To kick-start the events of SMUX KAYAKING this year, we travelled all the way to Sg Kempar, Perak, Malaysia for the annual WHITE WATER RAFTING! Setting off from the meeting point at Kranji MRT, we were all geared up for the water adventure that we were going to experience.

After 8 long hours on the bus, we finally arrived at the earth camp. Our day began with icebreakers for the group, and those who lost, had scribbles drawn all over their faces.

This is us all gearing up for the day. Making sure everyone had their PFD’s and helmets secured. And we were then trucked off to the riverside.

We were then briefed about the safety and all the different commands that the guides would give and what we should do upon hearing them. Like “boom boom” (everyone bends down in the raft) and “on the job” everyone at pedaling position. Then we were all ready to BEGIN our wild wild wet adventure. The later half of the day we went river kayaking down the sg kempar, where we put our kayaking skills and techniques to good use, as we battled against the huge rocks that kept getting our kayaks stuck.

Of course, our day didn’t just end there. We had a wonderful barbecue dinner and stayed up all night to play saboteur, monopoly deal, mahjong and of course, just plain good chitchatting. Some of us even ventured for a night walk.

Though it was just a short trip of 2 days and 1 night. It was definitely a fun-filled adventure that enabled all of us to take that break off the tons of schoolwork. Ask any participant, and they will tell you they enjoyed themselves and had loads of fun.  Well, if you missed it and are regretting now, then here’s a consolation. Join Batam Lama coming up in July! Where SMUX KAYAKING will, for the first time, kayak to BATAM and stay in a resort and go for R&R together! So we’ll see you then!

We began conditioning ourselves as early as 1 month before the actual expedition. However, as the saying goes – Rome was not built in one day; neither was our physical stamina for the expedition.  Our acceptance to partake in this historical expedition was accompanied by 3 gruelsome training expeditions around Pulau Ubin and Kallang Basin.

After much anticipation, the historical day for SMUX Kayaking Team to conquer the arduous expedition of 30km, from Changi Beach to Johor Lama. Being the first Singaporean kayakers who dare challenge the high seas of Malaysia by crossing the International Straits, the initial part of our expedition was faced with some unforeseen circumstances at both the Singapore and Malaysian Customs as they have not handled similar situations before. Despite the slight inconvenience, we did not allow the delay to dampen our moods as we filled our waiting time with card games, heart-to-heart talks and marveling at the beauty of the mangrove swamp surrounding the customs, displaying the spirit of SMUX – making the best out of every circumstance that we were in.

After a good rest at the Customs, we set off on the remaining journey towards Johor Lama. The conditions of the sea proved challenging for us as we were moving against the currents for part of the expedition. On top of that, the merciless sun drained us, adding to the obstacles we needed to overcome in order to reach our destination. Despite the adverse conditions, we overcame them as a team. Rahman, our expedition leader and the Kayaking Team Manager, made periodic stops to ensure that everyone was properly hydrated, had ample rest and to allow trailing members in our convoy to catch up with the rest. The proficient kayakers also consistently encouraged the novice team members to press on. Even though the journey was tough, we did not forget to have fun along the way as we entertained each other with singing and jokes to lighten the mood.

Eventually, after what seemed like a long time on the sea, we finally caught a sight of our final destination – Kampung Johor Lama.  Using the last of our strength, we headed towards it to enjoy our well-deserved vacation.

Upon reaching Johor Lama, we realized that we were the first ever in the history of the Johor Lama to have kayaked from somewhere outside of Malaysia to there.  For that, the locals made us a souvenir out of a horseshoe crab and some simple decorations.

After a good night’s rest, our group decided to split up to explore. Some wanted to stay on at the chalet to recuperate while others wanted to venture out into the town. The rest wanted to spend some quality time together, playing games like Saboteur and Monopoly. Some decided to go on a road trip, and they took a Cab towards the nearest town centre (Kota Tinggi).

Upon reaching the town centre, this group of adventure-seekers stopped by some roadside stalls to feast upon the local cuisine, only to realize that they were in a gourmet paradise.

Ba Kut Teh (direct translation: Meat Bone Tea), Roasted Chicken Rice, Mee Pok, Claypot Intestines and Ice Kachang may seem less than exciting at first sight. However, the locals offered these cuisines with a substantial twist of authenticity.

After the giant feast, the group hopped on the next bus at the nearest bus interchange, without any idea where it was heading towards. To make matters worse, they actually dozed off during the ride, only to realize that they were in the middle of nowhere 45 minutes into the bus journey. They decided at the next stop and realized that they were in the middle of an expressway.  After a while of trekking on the road and through some vegetation, they stumbled upon a shopping centre: JUSCO!

By a strange twist of fate, this group of adventure-seekers was rewarded abundantly upon reaching this fortress of solace. This is perhaps one of the most luxurious R&R that SMUX Kayaking Team ever had as they were treated to:

1)     Thai Massage

2)     Herbal chicken tonic with Turtle Jelly

3)     Manhattan Fish Market Dinner

4)     Body Shop 70% discount offer (be jealous girls!)

Along the way back, this group of people stopped along the roadside to purchase nearly 100RM worth of “ice-cream durian” back as their supper.

On the third day, SMUX Kayaking Team began making our way back to Singapore. Despite the ever-scorching sun, the expedition team was treated to sizable ocean waves. Riding on these waves provided ample source of entertainment for us as it drowned our body’s calls of fatigue. We also improved on our timing as we conquered 30km in just 5 hours as compared to 6 hours during our way there.

This expedition brought the whole kayaking team much closer together as we spent weeks preparing for it. In the meantime, the spirit of SMUXtremists was truly displayed: Adventure, Fun, Family. We endured the tough trainings and expedition together while sharing the unexpected R&R road trip memories and the unmentioned epic jokes that we can savour when this trip is mentioned.

Kudos to the Organising Committee for making such a legendary trip possible:

Overall IC: George Loo

Marketing IC: Elson Tan

Finance IC: Choong Zi Hao

Advisor/ Team Manager: Wan Abdul Rahman

Photos by:
Loh Yumin, Cheryl Chiang

Written By: Evans Sin

Participant

Johor Lama 2010

Expect a nice relaxing expedition plus a great lunch at the ECP food center! ;D

Interested Parties fill up this form!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cmlDcUlxb1NVZ0ctbm5jMEpPLWpxeVE6MA..

It was my first time at a waterfall and the experience was great! We really had a lot of fun playing, splashing each other and soaking in the water. And it was also my first time trekking, (or hiking?) so I thought it was quite fun even though I often lose my footing and fall into the stream. And the rafting was really exciting! I would like to go for rafting and to the waterfall again! =)

cheers
Olivia =)

This trip gives me chance to try white water rafting for the first time and it is really quite a thrill to be floating down a rapid river on a yellow tube! In that short 5km rafting which I secretly hope it was far longer, we paddled, we rolled about in the float, we screamed and finally we also capsized which some people really like while others were straight scared(me). The other highlight of this trip was the Waterfall trek. We walked through pokey grass, across big fat branches, got attacked by leeches and cross the river 6 times to get to the pretty and cooling waterfall. It was rewarding as we all enjoyed soaking and playing in the waters and I bet many of us got way too lazy to trek back! This trip takes us away into the peaceful rural area where we stayed in dormitories with great mountain views and bbq for dinner, slap-jack for digestion and small cozy talks, far away from the too-many-things-to-do life which I am sure we all hate.

- Lim Yun Lu

Dear interested course participants,

The following are the available course dates at WaterVenture centres around Singapore:

Please note that not all courses are posted online! You may want to call the other water venture centres not listed in the above screenshots.

The only difference these courses are from those organized by SMUX Kayaking is that you have to take the initiative to sign-up and pay up for the course by yourself.
Should you be interested, please visit http://one.pa.gov.sg and follow these steps:
1)      Click on “Register for Courses” at the left hand side column of the page
2)      Click on the category “Adventure and Water Sports”
3)      Click on the course you are interested in “Kayaking 1 Star” or “Kayaking 2 Star”
4)      Click on “Click here to register for this session” under the Action column
5)      Call up the relevant WaterVenture Centre to make a reservation and make a trip to the particular centre to sign up and pay for the course

The contact numbers of the relevant WaterVenture Centres can be obtained at http://www.water-venture.org.sg/1178608239351/1178608239359.html

SMUX Kayaking wishes you all the best in the courses and look forward to having you in one of our many expeditions.