Istanbul, Turkey: minarets, ships and Turkish delight

When we arrive in Istanbul, Turkey, we also arrive in the  modern world again.  

Istanbul lays at the Bosporus strait, the connection between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, partly in Europe and partly in Asia. Istanbul is Eastern, Western, old and modern at the same time. 

Since we are here, only for 2 days, we check into our small family owned hotel and take our bag packs with the inflatables and try to  find a few spots where we can paddle in the city.  

There is a lot of water in Istanbul but also lots of traffic, many small ferries, fishermen, pilot boats and the container ships. So we have to pick our places carefully because they don't want you to paddle in the busy areas. 

We find  a small inlet opposite of the Suluymaniye Mosque.  The Turkish men sipping their tea look a little surprised when I pump up the board and put it in the water. Feels great to paddle in a city with a background like this. The small stalls, bars at the water front, the high minarets behind that pointing to the sky and the ferries making it very hard to stay dry. 

Later we take one of the ferries to the Asian side where things are slightly calmer. Since there is no beach here, everybody is sitting on the boulders and enjoying the sunset with city in silhouette as a backdrop. We paddle along the coast until the sun is about to set and we are getting hungry.

The following day we wander through the gran bazar and the spices bazar. 

The amount of little shops is amazing, thousands, the competition here must be killing. In this area you can find anything you need from hardware, ancient daggers, grand pianos  to Turkish delight. 

With 12 million people this is a big city, where traffic is a disaster. 

In the evening, before we eat in a local restaurant, I  paddle at dusk at the Ortaköy mosque which is beautiful from the water because it is lighted up from all sides. Again hard to stay dry with the chop from all of the ships. The kids, selling sweets at the mosque, watch me paddling.  They chant, hoping I would fall in. When I make it out dry, they watch me, a little disappointed but still with a big smile, how the the big board deflates and disappears in the bag within minutes. 

The next day we fly across the Atlantic to Sayulito, Mexico, host of the ISA World Championships.....  

Ethiopia: vast landscapes, brown crocodile water and Kalashnikovs

Air Ethiopia brings us to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Although the country is known for the scorching temperatures that exist here, I am surprised by the cool temperatures, the high altitude (2500 m./ 7500ft) in this city, explains it.
Our destination will be Omo valley. Because of the long distance to this very remote valley and relatively short time on hand, we have decided to use a car with a local driver. The following day we found out how quickly we run out of time. 

Once you leave the big and relatively wealthy city, we see the vast and dry landscapes of Ethiopia. Along the road, houses are no longer made of bricks and mortar but wood and mud instead. Not just a few but basically all of them.

We paddle and explore along the coast line of the many lakes we encounter, some big, wide and deep, (up to 260 meters), some salty and slightly pink and covered in flamingos and some others the home of hippos and fisherman.

On lake Awasa we paddle into the village during the fish market.  Coming into the village, locals told us to stay away from the banks because of the hippos, we try to makes sounds to warn them but don't see any popping up.  At the beach many of the villagers surround us and stare at our boards.  We let two of them try them, which proves to be the best entertainment, specially when one almost falls in. After some fried fish for breakfast we continue to Omo valley, another long drive.

After an overnight stay with very good sleep in Turmi village in a very simple accommodation, we continue on to a village where the Dassanech tribe live. We get the boards ready and enter the river which has a lot of current towards Kenya, only 60 km down river. After only a few kilometers down river we already get to a small village with 3 kids watching us from the high banks. When we paddle towards them 2 of the 3 run away scared.



We make clear that we are friendly and gesture him to come and try our boards. Slowly and with some hesitation he comes down to the river bank and looks at the boards and the paddle. We show how it works and he goes and tries. Before you know it we have the whole village around us taking turns paddling. I take the smaller kids with me and the bigger ones try by themselves. The ones too scared to try, have a good laugh while they watch the others.  It turned out to be the highlight of our and their day. Later at night we visit another tribe a little more North where we put up our tent. The tribe lives in the most basic conditions possible: their only possessions are  their huts and cattle. Men and women only wear a goat skin around their waist.

A few in their tribe own a riffle (AK47) to protect their cattle from being stolen by other tribes. We offer them a goat which they then kill and roast above a fire. We were offered to drink the blood, known to them to be very healthy, but we kindly decline and let them 'enjoy'  Only 2 hrs later everything has been eaten by the whole tribe.



After we set down with them, the next morning, in one of the huts and drank coffee, we break up camp and drive back in the direction of Addis Ababa. 

Along the road we see how hard women work in this country. They are responsible for finding wood and water, two very tough jobs in an environment like this. Men take care of the cattle, compared, a very easy job. 

We fly the next day to Istanbul, Turkey and leave with mixed feelings about a very poor but very beautiful country. 

Nepal: Himalaya, earthquakes and white water

We arrive in a buzzing world of honking cars and motor bikes, chaotically driving through the dusty and dirty streets of Kathmandu. What a contrast with Micronesia, the slow pace made place for a very different scene. 

In the night we walk through the narrow streets of Thamel full of tiny little restaurants, tiny outdoors gear shops and trekking agents. I feel right at home. This is expedition country. Land of trekking, white water paddling and climbing the highest peaks of the earth. 

We take the bus to Pokhara, the 130 miles through the mountains along narrow roads takes us 8 hrs. Pokhara is at the foot of the 8084 meter (25,500ft) high Annapurna. 

After spending a couple of days paddling and exploring the mountains around Pokhara disaster strikes. The ground suddenly started  to shake. People scream and when we look up, we see the buildings moving violently, just about the fall over. Only later, when we met a guide who told us about the many buildings that collapsed and the casualties in Kathmandu, we realize this was a serious earthquake. I contact Dagmar, my wife to tell her that we are alright. I get a very worried but also relieved Dagmar on skype. It is in times like this that you realize how much we mean to each other.  By then my mailbox is also full with concerned family and friends who are checking to see if we are alright. The following night there were many after shocks. Twice we wake up and run outside. By now we have read the reports from the rest of the country. Some villages near the epicenter are totally wiped out and Kathmandu is also seriously hit. Although in Pokhara there was no serious damage, everybody is afraid and doesn't want to stay and sleep in their homes. So everybody is camping outside in makeshift tents. 

A day later we take a bus to the Madhi River. Along the road I see many houses partly destroyed, people sitting on the street and again a strong after shock and everybody runs on the street. After a long day through difficult terrain we got to Borhletar. Here far away from the rest of the world you find the real Nepal. We put up our tents on the river bed. And meet many local kids. They are all talking about one thing, the earthquake. Even here nobody wants to go inside and everybody is camping or just sitting outside. At night we walk from family to family and get invited for tea or food and hear many stories about Nepal but mostly about the earthquake. 

The Nepalese are very shy, humble and very very friendly. They are as interested in us as we are in them. 

Here is were the real adventure starts. We push off  and go down the river. Our river, labeled a class 2, is a mild one, but exiting enough with all the gear on the boards.

We pass through beautiful landscapes and small little farms, kids playing in the water, fully excited when we pass by and some fishing for their evening meal.  We are on the river for 2 days before it is time to go back to Kathmandu where we see the devastation the earthquake did, collapsed buildings, a big mess everywhere and many homeless camping in the streets. 

We get to our hostel from 4 days ago where we meet the owner who tells us 3 people died in front of his hostel by the collapsed wall and the other hostel down the street totally came down. Here it is serious but it is even worse inside the country where whole village are flattened. 

I see the suffering and we decide that we should help too. A donation to The Red Cross seems the best option.  They have people on the ground and all donations go directly to Nepal. 

We would like to ask everybody to do the same at:

www.redcross.org 

We leave with a heavy heart. But also with the notion I have to come back soon and bring my family.  The rest of this story you can find in Sup and outdoor magazines around the world. 

Next stop Ethiopia...

Sup World Trip Part 1 Yap, Micronesia

Grass skirts, Stone money, and western influences

After our first trip with inflatables in Europe with a rail pass. We wanted to take it one step further and explore far away places in the world. This time we bought a round the world ticket with stopovers at all the continents.

Our first destination was Yap. This tiny island belongs to one of the 186 islands of Micronesia. And is known for their traditional culture. One of the last islands in the Pacific that still resists to the western ways.

At the airport we are welcomed by 2 bare chested women in grass skirts who hang two leis around our necks. With only two planes a week arriving in Yap,  it is not a busy airport.

We get a ride from a police man to a small piece of land in the middle of town where we inflate our tent for the first night (yes we also have an inflatable tent, at least the poles are).

In the next days we travel to the North of the island, to a village,  Wanead, where we ask permission to put up our tent. On Yap the land is owned by the people. You always have to ask permission to use the land or visit certain villages. As soon as we had made camp, we inflate our boards and paddle for hours along the coast.

Yap has a lush green interior full with palm and betel nut trees. The coast is mostly covered with mangroves and around the whole island is a protecting reef where you can find manta rays up to 20 feet wide. One big oasis with only 10,000 inhabitants and no industries.
The pace is slow on the island. Partly because there is not much too do other than fish and find food, partly also because almost everyone is chewing betel nuts. A subtle narcotic which produces orange stained teeth and lips. The Yapese do this all day, every day.

When we paddle here, we see the man-houses at the beech and the Seaworthy outriggers with which they, until very recently, sailed to the outer island and Guam or Palau, often 7-10 days at sea, relying only on the stars for navigation.

One day we paddle to Rumung, the utmost northern island of Yap.  This time with special permission and with a local inhabitant of Rumung. Without him no one can enter the island.

There we see the biggest stone money of the island. A form of payment made out of a giant round carved stone with a hole in the middle. Once Stone money was the only form of payment, now it is still in use today for certain transactions or settling fights.  

There is a lot more to say about this little paradise in the Pacific which we will safe for later

Now  we are on our way to Kathmandu, Nepal where the story continues.

The gear we bring on Sup World Trip

On this Sup World Trip, Franz and I keep it very simple and bring as little gear as we can.

Boards
We bring 2 inflatable Starboard SUP boards. They are packed ready for traveling, in a back pack.
One 14'0 x 30 Touring deluxe with bungees front and back to bring gear for longer trips.
Perfect board longer tours almost anywhere, crossings, rivers, lake, open ocean
And one 10'5 x 30  Drive Zen, good allround board which also works in the waves, good for rivers and shorter tours.With these boards we cover most places we will find on our trip.

Paddles
This time, we choose for the Starboard 3- piece Tiki Tech paddles. Theses are almost indestructible and easy to travel with because the pieces fit in the inflatable backpack.

Rest of the gear
Inflatable tent (3-man, so all the gear fits inside) HeimPlanet
2 ultra compact and light sleeping backs
2 short sleeping mats
2 leashes
Suunto Ambits3 GPS watch
Underwater goggle
Utility knife,  rope and repair kit
Mini iPad and IPhone
Drybacks
A few shirts and shorts
And a lot of cables and other sh!? Franz brought along, ok he is the photographer, I understand
One long pants ( at home I call them my fly pants)
One shell jacket
Trail running shoes and flip flops


Photo gear
2 DSLR Nikon Cameras
2 Go Pros
1 small Nikon underwater camera

The SUP World Trip

After working with Photographer Franz Orsi in Japan and Europe we decided to do another exciting new Project. The Sup World Adventure. The concept is simple. We buy a around-the-world ticket and  visit the corners of the world to explore with a SUP, the people who live with, in  or on the water. Ocean, river, sea, lake. We wanted to see the communities you don't hear or see much  about.  So in the next few weeks we will be traveling to remote places. Leaving next Thursday our first stop is Yap. A remote small island in the Pacific belonging to Micronesia. An island where  only 2 planes a week land.



Our around the world ticket consist of 17 flights. Our last stop will be Suyalito, Mexico where the ISA SUP World Championships are this year.

A small accident last week in Thailand almost put an end to the adventure but after limping for a week, the stitches are out now and my knee starts to bend better and better. This week was suppose to be a hard training week but turned out to be working in the store and no training at all, to give the knee some chance to heal.

Right now packing my bags again. We try to travel as light as possible. With a Starboard  inflatable SUP for each of us, just some clothing, an inflatable tent and the camera gear. 

Next post I will show all you everything I bring.

BATTLE OF THE COAST  Dutch National Championships 2014

This year the battle of the coast was a 2 event. First a short technical course inside Haarlem on Friday night and Saturday the Beach Race which is Holland biggest Beach race and also a qualifier for the ISA world Championships 2015.

I arrived in Holland in the morning with the first race starting in the evening. Even with a one day stop in London I still had some jet leg in my system and a slight cold too.

I felt kind of  fit but knew I would still feel my crossing from 2 weeks ago if I would race at a 100%. So I hoped for the best and my inner drive.

I was using a All star 12’6 x25.5 I tried the sprint just before the race but with the many buoy turns and waves bouncing of the walls I felt more comfortable on the All start with the wider tail.

The first qualifier heat for the final went fine. The start was OK but Ricardo Haverschmidt had been training hard and that paid off. He was faster off the blocks and was just ahead of me until we got to the first buoy. There I just left a little gap between him and the buoy, enough for me to make a very tied turn which put me along side and slightly ahead . At the next buoy another tied turn and I was ahead. Starboard team mate Ike Frans also got Ricardo at the next buoy turn. The All Stars were fast right up to the buoy and with the now slightly wider tail very easy to step to the back and turn on a dime.

We all made it to the finals.

In the Finals my long time friend Martijn van Deth also joined us after the other qualifier heat. 

The start was better this time with me in the lead and Martijn, Ike and Ricardo behind me. Just before the first buoy I made the mistake on the strong paddling Martijn coming alongside on my inside. At the first buoy he got the inside and the faster turn. We all piled up and I got away second with Ike on my heals. Martijn made tight turns and I could only keep up with his  pace but not get him back.

1. Martijn van Deth (Starboard)

2. Bart de Zwart (Starboard)

3. Ike Frans (Starboard)

4. Ricardo Haverschmidt (Fanatic)

Saturday was the beach Race  with more point counting to the overall and 2 qualifying places for the ISA worlds an important race.

A 5 lap technical course with 6 bouys and a beach run every lap a tough 12 km course. 

The start was a survival start with run to the paddle and then run to the board with beach start.

I got away good as well as always starting well Ricardo and Martijn. Martijn though fell on his board with paddle and with his first stroke board the shaft. Ricardo came along my side. Ike following close behind.

The conditions were pretty flat which made the race very close. I got to the buoy first and directly a nice little lead. Ike also overtook Ricardo and was right behind me.

We knew Ricardo was a good runner and so we needed a little lead every lap to make sure he didn’t catch up with the run. 

The first lap (about 15 min) we were still very close together after the run Ricardo connected again but to for long and it became a race between Ike and me. Ike looked strong and I felt my body aching. At the end of the 2nd round Ike over took but I could still follow and keep the same pace. The race was still long so I planned to hang in there and attack again in the 4th round. But it didn’t come that far  Just before we got to the beach again he went for the wrong buoy although I tried to warn him I was so in him self and focused on this buoy and only realized to late. I quickly spoke with don’t risk being disqualified turn now and we already and such a gap he could still make 3rd today and become 2nd overall. So he did. Form then on I went on y own pace. Fast but steady just controlling the distance behind me with Ricardo and later Ike who did really well to come back into 2nd place. After about 1 hr 15 I finished in 1st with Ike only couple of minutes  behind me and Ricardo a few behind Ike. A big bravo for Ike who worked really hard and fought his way back.

Beach race and overall winners

1. Bart de Zwart (Starboard) qualification to the ISA worlds 2015

2. Ike Frans (Starboard) qualification to the ISA worlds 2015

3. Ricardo Haverschmidt (Fanatic)

4. Andreas Svenson (Naish) Sweden

Best women

Emma Reijmerink (Starboard) qualification to ISA worlds 2015

Pics by Brendan Bank

Ike Frans