Rowing with the Manila Dragons in Manila bay

What do you know about dragonboat? I didn't know much apart from the fact that you needed to row on pretty colourful boats and that there was a dragonboat festival or race wherever I lived. Yet I have never attended one.
Dropped on foreign land, suffocating in a forest of skyscrapers, I had promised myself to try this watersport. I had meant to join a couchsurfing event, but upon mentioning it at work, my boss wanted to see it as well and wanted to introduce me a former colleague of hers that did dragonboat regularly.

And so on a Friday evening I had a short night nap, to wake up at 04:00am, to be at the lobby at 4:40am and be picked up by my boss. She came with another Japanese colleague and her 7 year old daughter (gasp!) who was fresh as a flower. I was prepared for everything but the rain that day:
(non whitening) sunblock lotion
water
flipflops
hand fan
mini towel
phone
cookies
sunglasses
plastic shoes

We crossed town to Manila bay with the driver expertly slaloming in fluid traffic (a rare situation since my arrival a month ago). It was still dark humid outside, but the temperature was comfortable. We got tot the meeting point early, and walked around puddles in the big parking lot of Manila CCP centre to grab some breakfast in an empty KFC. S-chan hated Jollybee, the local chicken chain, but seemed to enjoy KFC, so she got herself a drumstick and mushroom soup for breakfast while the ladies got coffee. My brain was still on sleep mode so no hunger was registered at 5:15am.

There were many cars and rowers in the parking lot by then, and the teams would have their own colours to identify themselves. We were introduced to our team, or at least the team that J was member of: The Manila Dragons, wearing red on Saturdays. Other teams were blue, yellow, orange and green.

As dawn timidly showed the city's outlines, we jogged 5 laps around the parking lot for the beginning of the warmup.N-san and myself were feeling warmed up fast, thanking the weather to be cloudy and cooler than usual, allowing us to only sweat after the 2nd lap. By the end of the 5 laps, I was already drinking half my water bottle and sweating as much. However the warmup continued with dynamic stretches and x sets of :
1min jumping jacks
5 squats
5 jumping squats (squat, push up, jump)

By the 2nd set I was getting out of breath, tired of jumping jacks and was doing steps and moving only my arms. After the 3rd set, I was getting dizzy, and by the 5th set I blanked out, barely standing and staying conscious. During water break N-san and I were laughing it off, depleted of energy to talk or comment. The other members reassured us that it was almost over, but to watch out for the next day's soreness (no kidding!).

Eventually, after surviving millions of jumping jacks while dawn turned into day, and loosing my mind over my painful calves, it was time to start land rowing. Or at least the regular team members got some rowing movement training by the warm up coach (who didn't do any of the jumping jacks or warm up, which angered N-san). My mind was in such an open/free mode after all that jumping, that I understood tagalog  from the body language and intonation of the coach that they needed to use their lower body as well when rowing. As example, he even cited the Japanese team which won the Palawan race the previous weekend. Apparently they rowed quite calmly without the frantic rhythm other teams were using, because they prioritized form and technique to rowing speed and power.

After trying out the movement with a stick and a wooden paddle, we headed towards the water and were given a tiny life-jacket and a wooden paddle, used for training sessions. During races, carbon fiber paddles are used, which are much lighter.

With national team coach, N-san, S-chand and J

Although there was no breeze to flip our hair or refresh our very warmed up bodies, the stench of the sewage water that end up in Manila Bay attacked our nervous system and permeated our senses. Sadly dirt was everywhere, and although the boats were pretty, we could not forget about the smell around us. We also had to walk on gooey dark stuff, which we did not wish to identify, before hopping on the boat. We sat at the back, in front of the steering person. In the front, a signal person was also monitoring and coaching the rowers during practice.

We were taught the movement in water, in slow motion first, before joining the pace of other rowers in front of us. Unexpectedly the sitting position was very uncomfortable, as one had to put all the weight on the outside of the boat, extend the outside foot and row. As a nice surprise though, once everyone rowed, the water had little resistance and it was nice advancing in the still water, with a nice breeze on our face. The smell still was not enjoyable as we inhaled and hoped for that fresh and clean odorless oxygen.

A bit further of the coast, more teams were practicing and rowing in sync, racing each other and preparing for the following week's competition. The national coach was in the other boat and from time to time both boats would get closer to get instructions, before racing each other or getting individual practice. Rowers would row by pair, and the signal person would correct, comment  the rowers. We beginners even had our turns. It was fun exercise, but I realized there were much splashing water when I rowed, which was disgusting given the stench surrounding us. To be added to the equipment for future practice would be a hat, swimming goggles and face mask.

By 8:45am we finished the practice, got back to moor and took some celebratory photographs, with invitations to come back (it was 50PHP as non-member). I was eager to come back for practice and the companionship of the team members. The team was very friendly and I am grateful to have experienced such exercise, despite the less than perfect water/air conditions. We all tried to wash our feet and hand, getting rid of any speck of dirty liquid that touched us. As we hopped into the car to get back to our lodging, we felt filthy.

We still had to drop S-chan to her dodgeball practice (the reason she was up at 4am?) in Bonifacio Global City, another modern area of Manila full of expats, before getting back to Makati. So it gave me a quick view of the area.

I was back at the hotel around 9:30am, rushed for the hot shower where I scrubbed myself until I was red, grabbed breakfast and had a nap. For a dragon, I was out of fire...and there would be more rain