So we thought the instructions for tubing were “light” but for kayaking they were equally lacking. The guide did say “Man must go at back” as Pete got in the front of our kayak but Pete told him I was a “pro”. Thankfully for the rest of the unexperienced group the double sit on tops are pretty stable as the only heads up we were given was when we were told that cameras/phones should go in the supplied dry bag – as we were coming to fast flowig rapids – and that was it – off we go.
Ooh, first I discovered a tickly stowaway on my leg. A gecko!!!!! We had to return to shore to put him on land using the paddle.
We set off with two guides on one kayak at the front and one behind the group of 14 of us. We had to laugh because the guides had no safety kit, no buoyancy aids, and between them not one whole paddle blade (the red paddles belonged to the guides)!
Down stream we landed and crossed an island (and some interesting bridges and bamboo structures) to get to a waterfall.
Then some more some swimming and lunch. And then we headed off down some fast flowing rapids. Again no instructions so I did hear some people at the back of the group getting stuck in a tree and others on exposed rocks.
Then we got to see some endangered irrawaddy dolphins. Unfortunately everytime a motor boat went past they dissapeared but we got a few sightings and when the engine noise had subsided you could hear them blowing air through their blow holes.
As you can see – Pete quite liked being paddled around in a double.
Next we landed on the mainland by tuk tuk van and went to the largest waterfall in SE Asia, called Khonephapheng.
Unfortunately there was the usual plastic and rubbish floating around in the eddy but apart from that it was lovely.
Then as the sun was dropping in the sky, we paddled back to Don Det island from Ban Nakasang with a few “helpers”.
Yippee, everyone survived and the worst thing was a bit of sunburn for everyone plus one guy had burned soles of his feet as he left his shoes on the kayak thinking the walk to the first waterfall was going to be short (not 30 mins) – oops. He mustn’t have listened to the extensive information supplied by the guides once more !
What a great day!
