Canyoning in 'The Llech' River, South France [Gorges del Llech].

Fun!

By this time of the year me and me mates Jordi&Liam we make our weekend trip to the south of France to the 'Llech River' near a beautiful village called Prades. From Barcelona to the french border it takes about 3 hour drive and then another extra hour to find the river on the other side of the Pyrenees.

Our main target is to make an outdoor activity called 'Canyoning' or 'canyoneering', in other words make the whole way down of a river through a bunch of natural clean water cascades, where you can throw yourself down through natural water made slide rocks, and also exciting dives 50 feet high in waterfalls [called 'Kloofing'] until you finally reach the bottom end.


The Llech river is a fantastic route and once you made the first dive, which is about 12 feet high, escape out the sides of the river is not an option, so you really have to be sure and commited you want to do it because things will get more exciting later on.

In other words: There is no way back.

15 meters high Rapel

In between June and September the river has the perfect current strenght and I think is the time allowed to do such activity by the french authorities as a security measure. You need one of those wierd wet suits customs, ropes,a helmet, some climbing hardware and also a plastic bottle to put all your stuff inside, like wallet, camera, lighter, lamp, weed or any other emergency supplies.

You can find all the equipment in one of those specialized Extreme sport shops, and its not expensive if you rent it just for one day.

Guillermo

Once you park the car it takes about 30 min walk to the starting point where you change your clothes. I would confidently say is a safe activity for starters, and it gets better if you go with someone has experienced it before.
The river is prepared in some parts allowing you to climb down if there are jumpings you dont want to do because they are too high. Despite its security I will recommend caution for first timers and not to take unnecesary risks as its not rare to see emergency rescues every summer over there.

First time I went to the Llech River when we were finishing it about 6 pm we saw a french emergency helicopter who came for some people where stuck near the top. Maybe someone falled and got wounded, must probably but we will never know.

That time we were a pretty crowded group, about 10 or 12, and there were two brave canyoneer girls amongst us, one seemed enjoyed the whole trip, but the other one lost a bit her temper half way when she firmly grabbed me by my arm and begging me to not to leave her there, she did it a couple of times, both crying, while at the same time I could hear his boyfriend screaming on full excitement going down the natural water slides...wtf?
I made my best to convince her she had to go down as well as the other ones, thing she finally did thanks god. Later on the evening she thank me for my help.

River Llech from bottom

The time to make the whole journey in the river takes about 2 hours, bit less than a mile down with continous water flow. Skilled people can do it in less than 2 hours. So you have to make sure to start in a prudential time before it gets dark at 7-8 pm. Best time is probably about 1 pm after a good 'brunch' and few beers [Catalan 'Estrella' lager of course].

Guillermo and Jordi before jump

The main attraction is waiting at the end of the river, on the last part, there is where we can find the spectacular 'Shuttle' slide, which is about 20 feet long slide followed by another 30 feet vertical fall into the water.
Amazing. Then after a couple of slides more there is the way out and a little 30 minutes walk to the car park.

Fuck Alton Towers, 'Universal Port Aventura' or other Water parks. 'The Llech' is the Real thing.
And its free!

Guillermo, Jordi and Mario!

The Llech river is nothing but fun, and I can assure you tones of adrenaline are released. It does involves scrambling, climbing, jumping and abseiling, the full pack in once!.
You end up wet, exhausted and extremly hungry but its a well worth experience.

Simply the best water-sports canyon I' ve ever done.

My mate Guillermo is been there no less than 20 times and Jordi another half dozen at least. I have been there only twice but one thing is for sure, we all want to go there again.

And we will!

Splash!

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porr%C3%B3n


http://www.crystalcanyons.net/pages/TripReports/SpanishCooladePart3.shtm


http://www.lsi.upc.es/~karmelo/llech.html


http://www.moniteur-canyoning.com/llech.htm



By Pedro Vila

The Dancing Girls&The 'Yamakasi' Parkour Gang.

Last weekend I spend 5 days in my beloved city Barcelona. Despite I work in Madrid since 5 years ago, I like to go and visit me old mates there, at least once a month. Summer is close and the sea always calls me by this time of the year. You cant avoid your mediterranean roots, can you?.

So sunday afternoon, after a copious intake of Beer&food in Carmelo Hill, me and me old buddies decided to spent the afternoon on the top this little mountain in Barcelona where you can enjoy a fantastic and stunning view of the city.

The fact is that this few hills arent normally advertised on the tourist guides, so that allows to keep the place still as interesting, less crowded and very relaxing as it used to be. [Not like Park Güell one really].

So about 4 pm we decided to walk to the top to have a sit there enjoy the view of the city and have a good smoke&chat as we used to do in our (Long gone) teen days.

On the top of Carmelo Hill there used to be an old Army settlement bunker with a long big anthena right in the middle. Its not been used for ages anymore, but some rests still remain there.

My Dad says they could hear the bombs and artillery be heard from the ships in the docks bombing the Carmelo hill during The Spanish Civil War.

Now is only used and heavily enjoyed by ' Urban Graffiters' which I personally think is a far more inteligent use. We certainly enjoyed our funny smoke, but for some reason the place wasnt that quiet this time, as something strange happened to us up there, about an hour after we got on top. Something pretty wierd to be honest.

kids playing

About 5 pm I saw this group of 6-8 girls who were walking from one side of the hill towards where we were sat. As they were progressing on their 'climbing' I kept observing them .

Half an hour later, they walked near us and all sat, right near the edge, about few yards from where we were. After few minutes they suddenly split and start to locate on few different places of the hill, they were spread all over the top. Within seconds they all started to move in a very slow way, like in a slow motion dance.

They all danced and moved their hands in a slow motion way, with their eyes closed.

We had a fresh, but gently brezze up there, you could close your eyes and open your arms and get an incredible feeling of freedom. Me and me mates we were looking each other....wtf?..... we didnt quiet understand, but we kept rollin' and pretending we were used to this situations. You want to be discrete when this sort of things happens, dont you?

We even thought at some point we were target of a joke, or perhaps a tv hidden camera. But no, the wole thing seemed pretty serious, the girls kept on dancing and concentrated on their slow movements. It was the perfect communion with Barcelona Sky. Althought, at some point their dance did remind me that Chinese dance [Tai-Chi?], it wasnt quiet exactly the same I have to say.

The 'scenario' gaved the whole place a very strange [but at the same time] interesting atmosphere. Considering the fact we were pretty ignored [Or thats what I thought] , I decided it was the time to take my camera off my pocket and have some fun.

The Parkour&'Yamakasi'&Parkour Gang

But the surprises that afternoon didnt end up there. When we thought nothing else could get more unreal or bizarre, we suddenly saw on the distance, in the pines tree forest, 3 young lads running also to the top. They were all bare chest and wearing track suits, and I could swear the oldest was probably about 15 years old.

On a pretty impressive way they reached the top within minutes and sweating like mad they ran all around us and near the'slow motion dance' girls too. They jumped over huge stones, ran on top of fences and walk upside down on the walls edges. Wikit. They didnt stop at all for about 60 minutes.

I did hear about it before, but never seen them...

They were the Catalan 'Yamakasi'!!

For those who never heard they are also called 'Parkour' its an outdoor free run, no gravity-urban monkey activity which involves people using the urban 'furniture' to jump and run from one place to another. It can be a wall, a 8 store rough or a bridge, this people has no limits! If you are interested The 'Yamakasi' and the english 'Space Chase' are probably the most popular films on the genre.

Strangely enough, as the minutes ran, nobody there seemed bothered by the others presence, and while my mates were rollin up I carried taking some more photographs.

The 3 young lads were gone about 7 pm. They ran down the hill again, probably trying to find another place for their brave activity.

Goodbye Yamakasis...

The girls kept doing their strange dance for a bit longer, and about 8 pm they started to gather again and all together lie down on the floor like if they were suddenly on a very deep sleep.(!)

An intense release of energy?, An excellent LSD?, fuck! ....I want to try that!......

So we had there this 3 young kids pulling off the most fearless stunts I ve seen in my entire life, and a bunch of 'Hypnotized' iluminated young girls waving their hands and moving their bodies in the slowest way you can. All this in the last lost corner of your city, where the most exciting thing you expect to find is a bunch of stray cats.

I'm glad I have my camera with me that day. You never know what life can offer you...

Some 'Le Parkour' Links:

BBC Parkour
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://www.teamtraceur.com/
http://www.parkour.net/

“This is the strangest life I've ever known.”

Jim Morrison&Van Morrison Whisky a go go -1965

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.

Jim&Groupies Sunset strip LA 1967

There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on and individual level. It's got to happen inside first. You can take away a man's political freedom and you won't hurt him- unless you take away his freedom to feel. That can destroy him. That kind of freedom can't be granted. Nobody can win it for you.”

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

'I think the highest and lowest points are the important ones. Anything else is just... in between. I want the freedom to try everything'.

"Some people surrender their freedom willingly but others are forced to surrender it. Imprisonment begins with birth. Society, parents they refuse to allow you to keep the freedom you were born with. There are subtle ways to punish a person for daring to feel. You see that everyone around you has destroyed his true feeling nature. You imitate what you see."

'Jim Morrison was a young man, only 27 years old when he died, so he didnt have a whole lot of life experiences, nor did he have a whole lot of life wisdom that you gain with age. But he was an enormously talented, gifted guy who -through the arts and crafts that he practiced- wanted to give something back to humanity; to his fellow man.

Jim Paris 1971

He was a young guy who was struggling to break through all the barriers that are impossed on us in our culture as a way to stop us from being different, outside the norm; as a way to stop us from being visionaries and artists.

When artists reproduce something thats already been done -some people may call that art- but thats not the kind of art that Im talking about. Im talking about a guy who was serious about his creative expression and was exploring new areas, new places and new visions. Thats how I hope that people will see Jim.

The Calm Calculus of reason.-A conversation with Frank Lisciandro
By Stephen P. Wheeler

Link, click on 'interview':

http://www.lisciandro.com/

Frank is spot on. That was my appeal towards The Doors and Jim Morrison, more than their music really.Nothing has changed 40 years after..

Break on through