27
THE AMERICAN CLUB
JUL / AUG 2017
MEMBER
FEATURE
TURNING THE TIDE
in the land of the Thunder Dragon
By Christine Amour-Levar
As eleven of us advance resolutely into the flowing, glacial river, a rush of
excitement grips us. Admittedly, we are all a little nervous; feeling apprehensive
because the currents below are strong. After months of training in the warm
tropical coastal waters of Singapore and Dubai, my ‘Women on a Mission’
teammates and I can hardly believe we are finally here, in Bhutan, to begin the
challenge we set ourselves about a year ago. The pristine, gushing rivers of this
hidden Himalayan kingdom are a brand-new environment for us to paddle in,
and the moment is made even more exceptional because ultimately, we know
we are here to support a very worthy cause, but also because the adventure
itself is pioneering. Indeed, we are the
first
- the first team to ever Stand Up
Paddle Board (SUP) in the Kingdom of Bhutan and attempt the descent of two
of its rivers.
Our WOAM team’s added objective is to raise awareness and funds for RENEW,
a charity founded by the Queen Mother of Bhutan, which is dedicated to the
empowerment of women and children with specific attention to survivors of
domestic violence. The charity offers survivors shelter and care to help them heal
from their physical and emotional wounds, while also providing life skills training
to allow them to eventually become financially independent.
A few days earlier, we landed in Bhutan after a hair-raising, albeit breath-
taking, final approach. Paro International Airport is known as one of the most
challenging airports in the world. Its tiny airstrip is 2,200m (1.5 miles) above sea
level and surrounded by sharp mountain peaks. Pilots have to manoeuvre dozens
of houses scattered across the ridges, often while battling strong winds that whip
through the valley, resulting in severe turbulence.