Pre-dinner update - Les nouvelles de la soiree

Quick update - I know I know you want pictures already! Last practice before racing was awesome. We've practiced the starts, the turns and we're ready to kick some.... you know... this is a family blog after all! ;) So when you get ready for bed on Wednesday night, think of us... at 2am your time we'll be on the start line... and at about 2;10 we expect to be celebrating.

Mise a jour rapide: je sais je sais, vous voulez voir les photos! La derniere pratique avant nos courses a tres bien ete. Nous avons pratique nos departs et nos virages et nous sommes pretes a attaquer le reste du monde! Donc lorsque vous vous couchez mercredi soir, pensez a nous! A 2h du matin heure de Montreal jeudi nous serons sur la ligne de depart, et a 2h10 nous allons celebrer. A few pictures now / maintenant les photos!


The girls in front of one of the temples we visited on our bus tour.

The dam, with all the boats, new and not so new, lined up at the docks.

The many boats on the water this morning.

As mentioned, many people practicing many things, turns, starts... a few near collisions... For Montreal readers: the team on the front are the Montreal Women's team.

Quick mid-day update / Nouvelles mi-mercredi

Try to picture 27 boats on the water at the same time... all practicing starts, turns, power series, all in different languages... that was the scene on the Dam this morning as most teams were out for pratice. It was amazing.
Our practice this morning went well. The heat is more bearable today, not sure if it's less hot or that we are getting used to it.
So we are under orders now to rest, stay out of the sun and make sure we drink a lot of water before this afternoon's practice... where better to do so than the internet cafe?
So hello from half way across the world - literally. (for anyone wondering, we are exactly 12 hours ahead of Toronto time).

Essayez de vous imaginer 27 bateaux sur l'eau en meme temps, chacun tentant de pratiquer leurs departs, leurs tournants de 2000m, leurs puissance et tout ca dans multiples langues...c'etait la scene sur le Dam ce matin. C'etait pas mal impressionant!
Notre pratique a tres bien ete. La chaleur est plus endurable aujourd'hui mais je ne sais pas si c'est parce qu'il fait moins chaud ou simplement qu'on s'y habitue.
Donc le mot d'ordre est pas de soleil, du repos et boire beaucoup d'eau avant la pratique de cet apres-midi... et quoi de mieux pour respecter les ordres que visiter le cafe internet local?
Donc bonjour de l'autre bout du monde - exactement. Nous sommes a 12 heures en avance de Montreal!

Hopefully a few pictures tonight / des photos ce soir, si tout se passe bien!

Tuesday update - les nouvelles du mardi

Hello everyone!
Well we survived our first full day in Penang with the whole team! We started early at the race course where we paddled in some very old, very heavy boats! Let us tell you how happy we are to know those are NOT the boats we're competing in! The venue really is as beautiful as the picture shows, and the water IS very clean, though I would have to say not quite that blue.
We spent the rest of the day in our team bus visiting Georgetown with our tour guide and went out as a group for dinner.
Tomorrow morning is another early one with a practice session at 9 and another at 4.
We're surviving the heat, and let me tell you that this experience redefines "hot day" for most of us! You sweat buckets just standing around so you can imagine that the locals are doing good business on the sale of bottled water!
So we're all here, our luggae is all here, we're all really pumped and excited.
That's the latest from Penang, will try to post pictures tomorrow.

Bonjour a tous! (desolee pour le manque d'accents, j'ai deja beaucoup de misere avec le clavier pour ecrire en anglais!)
Nous avons survecu notre premiere journee a Penang avec toute l'equipe! La journee a commence tres tot. Nous avons pagaye dans de vieux bateaux tres tres lourds. Nous sommes tres heureuses de savoir que ce ne sont PAS les bateaux qui seront utilise en competition!
Le site est effectivement aussi beau que la photo,et l'eau est tres propre mais je dois avouer qu'elle n'est pas tout a fait aussi bleu.
Nous avons poursuivi la journee avec une visite de Georgetown en bus loue pour la semaine (guide inclus!) et avons fini la soiree avec un souper d'equipe.
Demain matin commence avec une autre pratique a 9h et nous avons une deuxieme pratique a 16h.
Nous survivons a la chaleur mais laissez moi vous dire que cette experience redefini "journee chaude"pour nous! La sueur nous coule sur le front qu'a etre dehors sans bouger donc vous pouvez vous imaginer que les vendeurs d'eau en bouteille font de belles ventes avec nous!
Donc nous voila enfin toutes rendues, et les valises aussi se sont toutes rendus, la pratique a bien ete et nous sommes bien confiantes!
Donc voila les derniere nouvelles de Penang. Demain nous tenterons de partager des photos!

We are now all here!

Happy to report that all of the team have now arrived safely.

This morning, 14 of us plus Chris ran on the beach to wake our bodies up and get moving again after the long flights. Really can't beat cooling off in the ocean after a morning run :-) Top that off with a very welcome yoga session beside the pool and you'd almost think we were on holidays, except that it seems like the Holiday Inn has been taken over by many, many Canadian Dragon Boaters. There's at least 4 teams that we know of staying at our hotel and there's apparently about 40 Canadian teams racing at the event and staying in the area.

Seems like Hong Kong was a huge hit with all of those with a long enough stop over to leave the airport and see the sights.

Weather wise it's somewhere in the high thirties possibly in the 40s with the humidex. Some how it seems hotter than in TO but we've trained and raced in the heat so hopefully we will quickly get into the groove and not even notice it any more.

Tomorrow is our first practice; the real work begins.

Our Racing Schedule

As the schedule currently stands we race at the following times:

1. Thursday July 31st 2pm, 2km pursuit race. One race for the first set of medals
2. Saturday August 2nd, 9 am 200m heats, 10:30 am 200m finals
3. Sunday August 3rd, noon 500m heats and 2 pm 500 m finals.
4. Sunday August 3rd, 7:30 pm, Celebration party and the start of our next journey to Macau in 2010!
   

Photo...

For anyone wondering: we'll be paddling on the Teluk Bahang Dam.
We'll let you know if the water really is that blue!

Pour ceux qui seraient curieux: nous pagayons sur le Teluk Bahang Dam. On vous le dira si l'eau est vraiment si bleu!

Almost hours from departure! A quelques heures presque des départs!

Well for those who may have recently gotten the address and are checking things out: we are hours from the first departures for Malaysia. I know the team and pumped but also wondering how to fit everything in suitcases, hoping not to forget anything key and keeping their fingers crossed everything makes it through our various connecting flights.
Keep an eye on this space, we'll keep you posted on the journey and the first few days when we get there.

Pour ceux qui auraient reçu l'adresse et viennent voir: nous sommes à quelques heures des premiers départs vers la Malaysie. Je sais que l'équipe est confiante et excitée mais que certaines se demandent comment tout mettre dans une valise! On espère également tout retrouver intact à l'autre bout au travers des multiples transferts d'avions.
Venez voir souvent, nous partagerons nos aventures de voyage et les premiers jours.