At first day break we were rudely awakened by the caretaker telling Huey loudly in thai that we must leave immediately as ‘guests’ were arriving soon. At 6.00 a.m. in the morning? I thought we were ‘guests’ as well. Very un-Buddhist like boorish behavior I thought, making me suspect that this was more of a cult’s retreat if anything else. This was an extravagant and lavish place. Sleepy, cold and hungry we packed up our stuff and headed for our kayaks.

It had rained overnight and the river was swollen as we waved farewell to the small group of curious people who had suddenly turned up from nowhere adding another mystery to this mysterious place. After a short paddle ahead, the bridge too far, but was now really water under the bridge, loomed ahead but our mind was on what’s for breakfast. JP whipped out some cereal bars which he had thoughtfully packed for us before we left and we ate silently while I was still smarting from being booted out. I didn’t swear nor did I exactly wish upon them good karma either. Middle age angst?

An Aborted Paddle Upstream

After ‘breakfast’, Huey announced that we were to watch out for a river on the right, which would lead us to the Ob Luang National Park, where we would be able to take in the sights of a waterfall and other wonders of nature. He left out one vital piece of information – we would be paddling upstream against the currents! Great! JP spotted the river and as we turned towards it we realized that this was not going to be easy as we could see as well as hear the water rushing towards us! Above the roar of the river, Huey yelled for us to follow him closely and stick as close to the riverbanks where the currents would be the easiest, relatively speaking. We struggled for about half an hour before JP pulled up to Huey and between abated breath told him that Miriam is trailing badly behind us. Her beamier but more stable kayak is a beast to paddle upstream. I gladly concurred with JP that a change of plans would be in order. We turned our kayaks around and as we headed back towards the Ping River we were surprised at how much grounds we have actually covered.

Floating and Rafting down a Sudsy River

Due to the change in plan, we would have more time to cover the rest of the distance, so we decided to take it easy and float instead of paddling down the river. The scenery changes as we saw mountain ranges in the distance and we noticed more and more orange-brown suds on the river. I was repulsed but Huey assured us that this was a natural phenomena but I nonetheless tried to avoid touching them wherever possible even with my paddles. We floated past Wang Lung which was located on high grounds above the river but was unable to spot an eating place where we could have lunch. We finally settled on a patch of grass in a cow field near to the river banks. JP heated up some food and we ate lunch under the overcast sky while listening to the rhythmic clanging of bells hung from the necks of the cows. After lunch we got back on the waters and rafted together down the river taking in the scenery and taking it easy in the cool breeze.

We drifted for a while taking naps and snapshots in between with not a care in the world. What could be better than this? Floating along with Miss Chiangmai in one’s arms I suppose.

MIMOSA GARDEN

Huey spotted a fisherman ahead and paddled to check with him on the turn we have to make to get to Doi Tao. Good thing he asked as it was not too far ahead and the turn is easy to miss. Huey took out his old but trusty GPS to take bearings as we changed course into a different waterway. We were still in a stupor when we suddenly realized that the thick growth of vegetation surrounding us and which we had to weave around were mimosa! Yucks! Not the puny garden variety; these are huge, menacing and with giant thorns. Brush against them or worst, crash into them, and you’ll get lacerated. These weeds had proliferated to such an extent that they are clogging up the waterways. There’s no other vegetation but mimosa on the lake.

UNHELPFUL (Politically Correct Word for ArseHoles!) FISHERMEN

After a while trying to maneuver our way around the mimosa garden we realized that it would be easier to find out way to the lake if we ask the fishermen who ply these waters for help. That way one of them pointed this-a-way to Huey. Hmmm seems contrary to what the GPS is showing but local knowledge should be more reliable right? How naïve of us to think that all rural folks are kind and helpful. To be sure Huey asked another fisherman and he pointed that-a-way. We seemed to be going around in circles in the mimosa garden. Finally JP had enough and after conferring with Huey and borrowing my compass he pushed ahead while I took up the rear guard. The pathway narrowed and I heard screams and shouts ahead of me and the reason soon became obvious – we were suddenly pushed by strong currents through this narrow opening, so narrow that our double blade paddle cannot be used. We had to dismantle our two-piece into one piece using it like a canoe paddle. Miriam was distressed as she had never used a single blade paddle before and she lost control of her kayak and was slammed broadside into a thicket of mimosa. Ouch! Since I was watching the drama from behind, I was able to take evasive actions. Finally we cleared the mimosa garden and the huge expanse of the lake loomed majestically before us. It was an awesome vista after the claustophobic mimosa garden.

MAD DASH IN THE DARKNESS

We have found the lake but not our accommodation for the night. Huey enticed us that we would be staying at a floating hotel. Cool! If we can find it that is; as the vastness of the lake resembled a sea and we really could not see beyond the horizon. There were fishermen around and despite our apprehension; we had to ask them for directions to the floating hotel as it was getting dark. Surely they cannot be that mean – but unfortunately they were; sending us in the wrong directions again. Those $*#!% bastards! But by a process of elimination, we had only one last direction left to go. As JP sprinted ahead to make sure, Miriam realizing that it would be another inevitable paddle in the dark asked me not to leave her behind and I reassured her. The wind picked up from behind us whipping up foot high following waves. This would aid our progress but I worried that Miriam not having experienced such conditions before maybe unduly nervous. We paddled in the dark with the sound of the wind and waves and at last long last we saw some lights in the distance. Soon we saw JP and floating buildings anchored to the shore. A man on one of them put on more lights and waved to us. Huey pulled his kayak alongside and as he got up, he knocked his head on a rafter and he nearly fell into the choppy waters; but somehow he managed to hang on to a railing with one hand. Hanging precariously like this for a while he managed to recover and much to our relief pulled himself onboard. We were all watching hapless bopping about in the darkness. One by one we eventually got out of the water, tired but relieved that we had made it to our floating hotel. Another dark landing – this is getting to be a habit; a bad one! Moonlight kayaking anyone?

Stumble It!