Barely a week in my new placement I got the opportunity to do some water rafting in the Khek River. A bunch of Western teachers headed over to Phitsanulok, excited for what laid ahead and accompanied by our Thai agent and her friend. The trip from Sukhothai took us about an hour by car through some beautiful mountainous scenery. As we arrived, we were ushered to a jeep that transported us down to the river. Looking around, we soon realised that there were no other foreigners and that it seemed like a very popular destination with local Thai people. This is always a great sign of fun times ahead! The Khek River is considered one of the top five rafting spots in Thailand, taking two to three hours to cover the 8km course. The levels range from level 1 (this isn’t so bad) to level 5 (W.T.F!). Although the rapids where quite large in some stretches, we were told that the water levels were actually low for the rainy season. This is due to the fact that Thailand is currently experiencing its worst drought in the last decade. The guides don’t speak much English so it was great to have our agent with us who helped translate the entire safety briefing – we soon realised that this would be crucial information. We made our way onto the rubber boat, which held ten of us (including two guides) comfortably. It soon became clear that if nothing else, we were expected to remember two Thai phrases… Mhob (meaning get down) and Pai (meaning paddle). As we set off down the river, we Mhob-bed and Pai-ed pretty effortlessly through the first two rapids. The initial fear had subsided and soon I was imagining our group as Olympic athletes gliding effortlessly through the water. Alas, rapid three was there to shatter my fantasy. The rapids were larger than before, and many of the trees had low lying branches that became almost impossible to miss. Crouching as low as possible with a paddle in your hand whilst maintaining your balance - and as much rowboat etiquette as possible - is no easy task! We made it out of this one, and our Thai guides were clear that the rapids ahead where not child’s play. Listening to their instructions was important to ensure that we didn’t capsize. I was seated at the back of the boat and was closest to the guide giving directions. The next few rapids were crazy, and I felt genuine fear a few times. The louder the guide shouted in Thai, over the sound of rushing water the louder I tried to offer the English phrase to the rest of the team. Shouting “Get Down” from the back of the boat, I soon sounded like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Towards the last few rapids, we lost two paddles and got stuck on top of a huge rock. Our guides were amazing. Not only did they retrieve both paddles, help us untangle ourselves from a tree we got stuck under and push us single-handily off the rocks but they were also gracious enough not to tell us how much we sucked at water rafting. All in all the experience was great fun and a memorable lesson in the importance of team work. The scenery is great, and there are a few calm moments between rapids to relax and take it all in. If you are ever in Phitsanulok, give the Khek River a try!
Some quick tips to remember:
For more info on white water rafting in the Khek, visit http://www.tourismthailand.org/Events-and-Festivals/Kek-River-Rafting-Festival--5501.
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July 2017
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