Take home a midnight kayaking memory

| DECEMBER 23, 2015, 12:00 AM IST

Imagine, a light bank of mist floating gently just above the slow-moving river on a winter night, that will occasionally send a chill down your spine. Above in the sky, the moon above sheds just about the right kind of light, so that you can see its reflection in the rippling water. As your kayak cuts through the river, the steady and the rhythmic thump of your paddles and maybe the throb of your beating heart are the only sounds you hear.

There are many ways in which you can celebrate Goa. But kayaking at midnight is one way you can allow Goa and its mystic grandeur to slip under your skin. Some even call it the moonlight sonata, after the Beethoven composition.

With backwaters, although still untapped, which can only be rivalled by Kerala, Goa’s rivers are a great opportunity for adventure.

A kayak, which is basically a low-to-water boat, may have been invented by Eskimos for travelling across icy waters of the northernmost continent, but it works just as fine in Goa's tropical waters.

Where a kayak scores over the more humbler canoe, is the fact that it has closed decks and is more streamlined, making it wobble less and responds better to paddling.

The mangrove-lined Mandovi and the Zuari rivers spin a web of tributaries across Goa, which are ideal for kayaking because of their mild currents this time of the year. But kayaking in the moonlight is a different beast altogether.

From December 23 to 27, Goa Kayaking has organised the moonlight paddle, something which is an experience of a lifetime and a must do.

All you have to do is call Prakash on 9422056037 as soon as you can, to book a place for the experience and report at 7: 15 pm at the picturesque San Jacinto Island on the way to Vasco. If you reach there a bit early around sunset, the island itself is a photographer's haven.

Happy paddling!

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