It took me a while to get over the second bout of the ‘Delhi Belly’. Because the Eco Lodge was fully booked, I had to change hotels. I found a nice little ‘boutique’ hotel not far from the Tha Pae Gate in the walled part of the city.
By the 8th of November I was ready to get active. Apart from anything else I was over watching the coverage on the BBC, CNN and Fox (so called) News of the US Presidential Election. The coverage was addictive.
I booked a day of activities with a company with a good reputation. Their web site is below.
Long Drive to River
A mini bus picked me up around 8.30 a.m. After a few stops to pick up some other customers, we headed out of the city. It took about two hours before we arrived at our destination, company’s rafting and canoeing centre.
Zip Line
The first activity was a zip line. There were 31 lines in all. Some were long some were short. They were from tree to tree through the jungle. The longest was 400 metres across a river.
Unfortunately, I managed to put my GoPro on the wrong settings (photo not video) for that run. This a problem when you can’t see the symbols on the camera because they are so small.
Zip lining is ok, but don’t think I will find one to match the one I did at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. It was a ripper.
After the zip lining, I was driven back to the rafting and canoeing centre for some lunch.
Instructions on Rafting
After lunch a group of us were driven 10 kilometers up the river. On the way, we shown a video which gave safety instructions on what we should do in the event of a mishap. It was all very professional.
Perfect Run
I was put in raft with a young English couple and the guide.
The first part of the run down the river was very gentle with no rapids.
We then came to a couple of rapids and then one big one. I got a good video of us successfully negotiating the rapids. There were also staff from the company taking photos and videos. They are on Flickr.
Getting Wet
After another relatively calm bit of the river, we came across some more rapids.
Everything was going ok until we ran into a large rock. I suddenly found myself in the water. For a short time, I was total submerged.
Seemingly from nowhere, one of the guides who was travelling in a kayak had grabbed me and assisted me to the shore.
The whole performance is on Flickr.
The young English girl was swept down the river. Fortunately, she was not hurt.
There were no more mishaps as we continued.
Back at the centre we were given copies of the photos and videos the company’s staff had taken for a small fee. Sometimes these are a rip off.
Trump wins USA Election
When I got back to my hotel in Chiang Mai, the television stations were confirming that Trump had won that US election.
Flickr Links
Photos (1)
Photos (2)
Videos
Adventure Company
https://8adventures.com/whitewater-rafting-chiang-mai/
billrider2013 