4. When Paddleboarding Meets the Tropical Rainforest of Wanquan River: My New Skill Hides the Wildest Scenery

As I pushed the paddleboard into the river in the morning light, the breeze from Wanquan River greeted the tropical rainforest with a welcome gift—a coolness mixed with the scent of grass and trees. The moment it touched my skin, it blew away most of the fatigue accumulated in the city. I used to think paddleboarding was a "water balance challenge," but only when the paddle first sliced through the river did I realize that paddleboarding here feels more like stepping into an immersive natural theater. The current is gentle, lightly rocking the board; looking down, I could see schools of small fish chasing the paddle tip in the clear water. Occasionally, a few palm-shaped leaves drifted down, twirling at the board’s edge before floating along the ripples toward the distant greenery. As I paddled, the rainforest on both banks grew denser. Looking up, layers of overlapping tree canopies filtered sunlight through the gaps, weaving tiny patches of light on the water’s surface. Listening closely, besides the splash of the paddle, there were bird calls hidden somewhere in the branches, and sometimes the distant babbling of a stream, composing a natural white noise. At first, I gripped tightly to keep my balance, but later I slowed down and let the paddleboard drift with the current. Passing a stretch of vines hanging over the river, I reached out and touched the dew-covered leaves. The moist sensation at my fingertips was more refreshing than any electronic screen. When I reached an open water bay, I stopped paddling and lay on the board, watching the clouds slowly drift overhead. The rainforest’s scent wrapped in the breeze surrounded me, making every breath feel especially light. It turns out the joy of unlocking a new skill is not just the sense of achievement from "learning," but because this skill led me into scenery I had never seen before. The water of Wanquan River, the green of the tropical rainforest, the natural sounds around me, and the relaxed feeling of coexisting with nature while standing on the paddleboard—these were the most precious rewards of this "new skill challenge."