Go Fly a Kite

On the island of Ko Phangan in Thailand, Courtney and I waited for enough wind to allow us to take kitesurfing lessons.  All of our waiting (4 days!) was in vain–you need at least 10 knots to fly these kites!  I’ve been wanting to try since seeing the huge and colorful kites on Lighthouse beach in Chatham. 

Enter Mui Ne Beach in Vietnam where the wind blows everyday.  From about 10:30 to 4:00, one can count over 30 kites in the air.  We decided to take the plunge (quite literally at times) and spent the next few days (5 hrs of lessons) learning the basics of kitesurfing.  It is definitely not easy, and the sheer power of the kite can be intimidating, but it is a lot of fun.  The lessons progress from flying a small kite on land to “bodydragging” in the water with a larger kite and longer lines before finally trying to incorporate the board.  My attempts at getting up on the board resulted in a lot of swallowed sea water, but I think if I have another day or two I’ll get it.  It is one of the more fun sports to watch–check out this video below.