Chaing Mai Bamboo Rafting

Our last full day in Chiang Mai was scheduled to do absolute, pure, touristy stuff. We were going to an elephant preserve, then we were going to go rafting on bamboo rafts and end the day at an orchid farm and butterfly sanctuary.

We actually had the conversation about whether to ditch this day or not. After all, we don’t care for watercraft. We’d ridden in enough of them.

We’d already seen, touched, and rode on an elephant.

And orchids and butterflies – well, OK, they’re pretty, but are they worth a trip out of town?

There was a meditation school nearby, and we discussed going there instead. Maybe do an afternoon seminar, see what we could pick up.

Again, our ignorance shows through in spades. The shortest “seminar” they offered was a 26 day live-in, intensive course of study.

De-tox at the Ms. Betty Ford Clinic is only 28 days!

It seemed that we’d be going on the Elephant trip after all.

Unlike our earlier excursions, this was a “shared” trip, where we had a different guide and picked up a lot of different people to combine together for the trip. In addition to us, there were two women from Kenya, a guy from France and his Thai girlfriend, a couple and two single guys from Italy and a retired college professor from Maine. Eleven, total, plus the guide.

We got there and found out that we were going to go rafting first.

Let us pause here to reflect on the fact that some people are “boat” people, and some are not. We fall into the “not” category, having no desire to board any vessel that doesn’t have the name of a cruise line plastered across the side and several bars and buffet lines on board.

Yet, for some reason, we continue to be placed on a variety of watercraft as a means of transportation.

In this particular case, it was a square raft, roughly 20 feet long and 5 ft. wide, upon which 6 of us were to go down the river for about 45 minutes. We had one pole guy on the front, and one of the back.

They were all of 16 years.

We had box seats on the raft.

Not the kind you find at the theater, but these literally looked like a wooden box nailed to the bamboo.

We were talking to one guy later who chatted with one of their drivers and learned that these kids make 80 Baht a day working this job.

That’s $2.43 US for those trying to figure out the conversion. They have to make the trip down the river at least three times during their shift.

How many people in the US would take that kind of job, in the sun, for that kind of money? This kid walked 4 kilometers in from the jungle to get to work today, and he has that same walk back home this evening.

4 kilometers is about 2 ½ miles.

We don’t know how good we got it sometimes.

Note to self – tip well, and be grateful.

All that being said, it was fun.  The river scenery is very nice, and it was early enough in the day that it wasn't too terribly hot.
 
The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well on the water, too, as you can see by the floating commissaries that happened along.  One guy wanted a coke - he simply flagged the boat over, got his drink and everyone went on their way.

Getting onto and off of the rafts was infinitely easier than getting into and out of the longtail boats in Bangkok, for which we were very happy.  Then it was off to see the elephants.