Success!

The river race on the Papagayo River (Carrera Papagayo) was a huge success!
Eight teams participated in the race, creating a great community of activism and enthusiasm.
We want to thank everyone who came out, either as a volunteer or a participant. The event would not have been the same without you.

We hope to hold this race again next year, as those who attended enjoyed the event and want to bring it back. The group did lots to raise awareness around the PPP and the damming of the Papagayo. An activist demonstration was organized on a bridge that crosses the river.

Check out this picture. These are the leaders of our sustainable future.


"Que Los Rios Del Mundo Fluyan Libres"
"That The Rivers Of The World Flow Free"

More pictures and stories from the race will be posted here soon.

Free Flowing Rivers is now working to raise funds for our 2008 Road Trip across North and South America. We will be promoting awareness of rivers in danger, creating a documentary on these rivers that may be lost forever. Along the course of the road trip, we will be holding more races, and starting the creation of outdoor community centers.

To help us in this endeavor, please go to www.givemeaning.com/project/FreeFlow
and donate whatever you can! Every small amount helps, and your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Hasta pronto,

Prepping for Carrera Papagayo

Promotions were finished up yesterday.
At the moment we have 8 teams, which we are pretty happy with since it is our first year in Mexico. We know that next year's race is going to be much bigger as word gets around and we have more time to promote. A lot of people have said they would love to hold more than one race a year.

Having eight boats out on the river is considered a huge day for this rafting company. We’re providing a lot of marketing for them. It’s nothing like the big Lytton rafting companies, the profits are much smaller here, so everyone involved is excited.

After having such big parties in Vancouver, we’re looking forward to the smaller party being held after this race. It will give us more time on the water, more time to get to know people, and more time for presentations.

One of the lawyers representing the hydroelectric project is coming
to do a presentation, and we also have a local activist coming to speak about the river. We will be doing a Free Flowing Rivers project presentation for the students to let them know more about what we are trying to accomplish, and how they can get involved.

Some of the things we have done so far:

• Taught some local kids how to get their kayak roll in the swimming pool at the rafting base
• Planned a hike to a high jungle location so people can see the area that is going to be flooded.

We will be offering kayak rolling classes on the weekend, and are planning an activist photo on the bridge over the Papagayo river.

There will be a lot more going on here in terms of creating awareness about the rivers being dammed. We are really getting the community involved, and have great opportunities to work with the kids and teach them about the river.

Let it be a smaller event. We are ready for the first race here in Mexico.

On a mission in Mexico

During these past three weeks we went to over seven universities in three different cities. We have teams coming from two cities.

Approaching universities is a lot more difficult here, people don't trust anyone (especially in Mexico City). You have to leave your ID at the front desk before you can enter the premises, and you can only enter if you have a prior appointment.

We did large presentations in two of the universities where I got hold of a microphone and we drove the VW to the most central place on the campus. It worked out perfectly: not only are you talking about a race, you are also talking about a dam being built in their country, and all the social and political controversy that surrounds it. So many students came up and were saying thank you, thank you for doing something. That alone keeps me going.

One of the things that Roger and I have been talking about, is how being on the road will motivate anyone to keep going with this mission and to do what it takes to help the kids and the environment.

We are changing lives, while changing our own.

We played soccer in a hood in Mexico City with the kids one day and they loved it and we loved it. We came back two weeks later and it was probably one of the best days in Mexico city. We gave them a world map and stickers as gifts, and gave a little
geography class of where we were from. By the time we left they were happy because of the maps we left them, but sad because we couldn’t come back anytime soon.

Hope the power of free flowing rivers will fill you up with positive vibes.