Hi. There's already plenty of formal business jargon around the site, so I'll leave this page as simply a little letter from me — to you. I hope I can put into words who we are and why we're here. We are an organisation, a website, a platform, an idea, people.
I first went kayaking when I was about 14. Since then I've dipped my paddles into the waters of many rivers and lakes more than a few times. For me, kayak water tourism is special because it brings together countless little pieces into one unrepeatable activity: a cheerful group of colleagues or friends, good weather, calming water, the meditation of a repetitive stroke, deep conversations in the middle of endless lakes. And so on — the wonderful thing is that everyone's list is different. It's probably for these reasons, and for the vision I see of the future, that I decided to start this project.
It's no secret that thousands of years ago our ancestors lived only beside bodies of water. Today the picture is entirely different. Water became unnecessary, so we forgot it — we dammed the rivers, moved to live in cities, and, with the electricity made by hydroelectric plants, we watch documentaries about the creatures and plants of undammed river reserves. It's sad that we've forgotten our nature this way, but it's mostly ourselves who suffer for it. Stress, the highest rates of depression and suicide, a lack of meaning. Perhaps the solution is simply to return more often to where we came from?
Right now we're at the very beginning, and that beginning took on the name upemis.lt. To those who'd like to contribute — at this stage we're enormously grateful for advice, reports of platform bugs, and help in attracting rental providers.
A big thank you to everyone helping, to the rental providers and to the tourists!
Rimgaudas Jurgaitis
30 June 2025