White-water Rafting in Chiang Mai ? Northern Thailand

We’d come donw from the hippie town of Pai. After days of heavy rains and stormy conditions, the weather finally breaks and the intense sun can be felt once again. We're travelling in a Landrover alongside the Mae Tang River, fighting through deep ruts and muddy conditions that were caused by a storm. The gorge to our left drops away dramatically and we finally get out first glimpse of the raging waters. I'm hoping my partner, who was reluctant to come on the trip, won't be deterred by the sight of the ferocious river.

Jason, our guide, thankfully reassures us that he never rafts an angry river. He stops and points to some rocks by the river's edge. “See this boulder here”, he points out, “when this is above the water level, it’s safe to raft this river”. The rain from the recent typhoon has inundated the valley and there is forest debris strewn all along the river banks. We weren’t sure whether to raft here or in Pai. Fortunately, he is internationally trained and qualified in water rescue so we take his word for it.

We reach our camp at the charming village of Sop Kai, where the river is slower due to the flat nature of the land. The jungle birds are singing, the water is glistening and everybody is in a more jovial mood. We are given some coffee and snacks and left to relax for a while in this peaceful, sleepy community. Few tourists make it here to enjoy the wonderful scenery. His camp was much like the laid back atmosphere in Pai a few days back.

Before we get too comfortable, we are kitted out with paddles, helmets and buoyancy aids. We are given a comprehensive safety briefing, and told that the guides will be in control of the rafts and that we must follow their orders. We practice our strokes on a quiet section of the river. “Forward paddle! Back paddle! Lean left! Right! Get down!” he screams as we try our best to appear competent.

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Hotel located just off the famous Chang Klan road, the 131 rooms dusitD2 sits in the heart of downtown Chiang Mai, with the bustling night bazaar, restaurants and entertainment at its doorstep. Guests are welcomed by a warm chic interior that represents the refreshing urbane face of contemporary thai design, the deluxe, club deluxe, studio suite and D'suite accommodations are decorated to provide sanctuaries of comfort, privacy and delight. Discover it with this video brought to you by Best Destination Travel TV channel (www.BestDestination.com), travel guides(www.thailandtourist.net), information and travel directory by Travelindex Network (www.travelindex.com).

Source: Dusit D2 Chiang Mai « Inside Chiang Mai

Hey! Wow… where do I even begin. I have so much to tell all of you. Chiang Mai is awesome! But DREADFULLY hot. Texas does not know hot. Thailand does. Also, everything is bigger in Thailand, not Texas. Spiders are everywhere. I don’t have much time to write but I’ll tell you what we did today. We went to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep which is the biggest Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai. It’s up on top of a mountain and there are close to 400 stairs to reach the top. It’s so extravagant. I was really excited about it, but the second we walked in I got really depressed. There are so many people there praying to false gods and doing rituals that get them nowhere. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll try to attach pictures maybe later today. After the wat we went to the market. That was an experience too. We’re leaving in about 10 minutes to go to Nate’s in laws house for dinner and discussion. Please continue to pray for us to adjust to this new life style and for our health. I’m going to try to update later tonight. Miss you and love you all!!

-Trayce

Source: Friday 5/14 Chiang Mai « Church of the Springs – Missions

From Chiang Khong it is a short boat trip to Huay Xai in Laos, and after the usual immigration paperwork we were free to go and find some accommodation. It does seem sometimes that once a guest house makes its way into the Lonely Planet guidebook that it then takes the liberty to drop its standards. We felt this of B.A.P. Guest House, which charged us 600 baht for the night. The following day was the start of the Laos Gibbon Experience. Man, what a cool way to start our time in Laos. We packed out a couple of utes (cab and tray) and set out on the two-hour drive to the start point. They drive on the right in Laos, but in reality they drive wherever there are less potholes, and overtaking on corners is par for the course. Needless to say, we made it in one piece, and so began the hour-long uphill slog in the blistering midday heat. Having a flu didn't help matters, but I certainly sweat most of the bloody thing out by the end of the trek. They gave us a good 20 minutes breather, and then distributed the harnesses and divided us up into our separate tree houses, in groups of six or so. Zip lining from place to place was an amazing experience and we all had a lot of fun. There was a bit of walking to do between zip lines, but it was worth building up a sweat to have the instant cool-down effect of flying 150 metres over the forest. We stayed two nights in the treehouses, and while we only saw a fleeting glimpse of a gibbon, it was still well worth it. The excitement was added to by the thunderstorms we had both nights. And these weren't just run of the mill thunderstorms, the lightening and thunder was a constant melee for hours on end, and when the thunder was right over head it really was almost deafening. The wind (in our minds) threatened to topple the tree house, and one of the other houses was evacuated by their guides, while another self-evacuated to a small hut for 4 hours. We were bitten by mosquitoes, had our blood sucked...

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People roam the streets with containers of water or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok which the New Year begins. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the time come, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.

Source: Songkran Festival Chiang Mai « Inside Chiang Mai