White Water Rafting in Parys

Henry Georgi/Corbis

Parys

I have never been to Parys before and I must say that I was most pleasantly surprised by this quaint little town.  It is reminiscent of Clarens, full of arty decor stores and trendy coffee shops and restaurants.  Although a small town, it is full of character.

Things To Do

Our first stop was Hoi Polloi, an ecclectic restaurant with the most amazing decor and prettiest rock shandys.  Another visit of interest was the photo shop, Kiki's, where we had loads of fun trying on old outfits, including boa feathers, antique gloves, hats of every kind and the most incredibly heeled shoes.  Never to forget our next drink stop at The Deck, nesting against the Vaal River, where we were coaxed into drinking their famous "Pink Drinks".  It was a toxic, yet refreshingly deceptive cocktail of outrageous proportions.  Each one of us staggered out after the drink, a little pink around the gills.  

White Water Rafting

The highlight for me had to be the white water rafting on Sunday morning.  We mounted our two man inflatable kayaks and joined a group of adventure seekers, the youngest being seven years old, and made our way down the Vaal River.  We had missed the floods of the river by days, but saw signs of the rush of water all along the way.  Rowing under bridges, we saw huge tree trunks stuck in the bridge structure above our heads and saw the water level marks along the banks of the river, perilously close to some homes.  We leisurely rowed along until we heard the white water ahead and then we took it in turns to take on the mild rapids.  It was really great fun and there was a slight surge of adrenalin. It was a perfect introduction and I am definitely planning to take on bigger rapids in the future.

All in all, a great weekend getaway.