“You should go to Mexico, you would love it!” A friend said to me after a joyful October lap on the Glen. Two weeks later, I had booked my flights.
Since I began pursuing creek boating more consistently this past year, I have experienced more and more people telling me that I would ‘love’ this place and that. Someone would tell me about a trip they’ve done or a river they’ve paddled and comment, “You would love it”. To which I would respond, “Yes, I’m sure I would. I do love kayaking”. Thus, my list of rivers and dream destinations to go kayaking increased dramatically. The only problem with this list is that it only seemed to be increasing, and, as a relatively impatient individual, I needed to do something about it. So, when a friend of mine told me that I would love Mexico (a location that was already pretty high on my list), I jumped right in and made it happen.
Veracrux, Mexico, is a beautiful part of the world. Amid the jungle and mosquitoes, the Alesecea and surrounding rivers host stunning stretches for paddling and plenty of waterfalls. Based out of Aventurec, paddling days in Mexico are made easy. You wake up to a breakfast of fruit, eggs, and French toast before loading the shuttle and setting off for the day. Upon your return, tequila is poured, and dinner is served.
I chose to fly out with my ReactR, which felt like an obvious choice. As my go-to creek boat in the UK, I love how familiar it is to drive, responding to and accentuating my style. In a slightly more vain way, I was also grateful for the colour coordination of my boat, kit, and paddle (as is featured in this blog). Some of the longer walk-ins and outs made me especially grateful for the Elite outfitting; the extra padding on the shoulder that allows for a more comfortable experience.
Regarding my goals and intentions for this trip, I was keen to learn. Waterfalls are not something which, growing up in concrete ditches, I would have claimed to be experienced in, and Mexico offers an amazing opportunity to practise these. During my stay, I got the opportunity to run, lead, and eventually race down a section called ‘Roadside’. The Alseseca race took place a couple of weeks into my stay and was certainly a highlight. I placed 4th in the women’s category and was pleased with my race, especially considering I had broken my nose during practice a couple of days before.
A few days were spent on the Lower Jalacingo, featuring the waterfall ‘Dungeon’, which was certainly one of my favourite drops. Where Tomata 1 and 2 were not on my agenda for this trip, the alternative way into the Seven Sisters section is a pretty high abseil with your boat attached (big thanks to Gav Barker for his ropes and guiding).
The highlight of my trip, however, has to lie in the absolutely stunning Big Banana section. My month-long stay saw me running this section quite a few times, including the day after I broke my nose on Roadside. The beauty of Big Banana lies in experimenting with techniques, talking through lines with friends, and chasing the ‘perfect’ run where each drop is styled. My favourite ‘throw and go’ is also on this section, which requires you to throw your boat and paddle off the top of a waterfall (Silencia), and jump in after them. My last lap of Big Banana saw me running this waterfall, after a lot of mentally dialling in the line so as not to get pushed left into the cave. I was pleased to have a nice line, although a slightly flatter landing than I would have hoped.
Overall, Mexico is amazing, and I would 100% recommend it to others. I am back in the UK, excited to eventually come back with more experience, run some drops I walked away from this time round, and continue learning in incredible locations within this incredible sport.
Thanks for having me,
Becky