Day 1 - Going to Mexico 2007

One Canadian, one New Zealander and one Chilean.
Loaded up with two kayaks, one surf board, and a pile of gear
To make our 1987 biodiesel VW really low and slow.

For the second time a Free Flowing Rivers team is driving south,
for the sake of our rivers,
our future generations,
and for a stronger active community.

We leave Canada behind, the great white north.
Land of white capped mountains, wild pristine rivers,
And home town of Bill 30, the Ashlu and the mighty Fraser River.

Our second Dam U river race just became history,
with a new record of attendance
29 teams
over 300 people celebrating in the name of free flowing rivers.

Water privatization and new hydro projects are flowing uncontrolled,
Over 180 projects going on just in BC
More than 300 future dam projects in Central America
And projects keep flowing into South America, all the way to Patagonia.

Going to el DF, now
You think they need power there ?
Mexico city is only around 35.000.000 people.

We are organizing the funeral of a river, and filming the birth of a dam.
The Papagayo River will disappear by 2013.
On November 3rd & 4th 2007,
Free Flowing Rivers will host the first Mexican Dam U river race,
an event for universities across southern Mexico.
We will promote this race and this river until it dies,
The community and the river will be destroyed, replaced by a massive lake (link dam pro)

La Parota Dam
Will be Mexico’s largest hydro-electric project.

Acapulco is demanding more,
This ocean side city that never sleeps, its just like Vegas.
Lots of lights, hookers and drugs.
This money making machine is supported by tourism ,
Neglecting a ring of poverty that struggles to survive.

This power station will be the link between the Central American grid to the USA grid.
The Mexican ex-president Fox approved the Plan “Puebla Panama Project” (PPP), which will “help the undeveloped south” by damming a series of rivers from Panama to South Mexico.
La Parota will be the largest dam of all.

Its time to call it a night, as we wait for our ferry to Port Orcherard at 11:45pm
Tommorow morning we are picking up a kayak at 7am, then heading to Phoenix.
Have a free flowing day.