I held a life jacket in my hands but hesitated to put it on. When I was frist-told to prepare for whire-water rafting on Tone Pariwat, a stream flowing through lush jungle of Phangnga province, I expected a strong flow of water that would be hard to navigate. But what I saw was a narrow stream, only 30 cm deep and flowing slowly.
Although late April is the dry season in Thailand, rafting on the Tone Pariwat should still be possible because Phangnga is well known for rain all year round. But I was surprised at how dry it was.
The stream flows from Tone Pariwat, the waterfall in the Tone Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary, 3 km to the rafting area.
I almost laughed out lond when a group of foreign tourists wearing helmets and life jackets sat down in a raft next to the dry stream.
Do you still expect some fun rafting? Somebody asked. With this stream, I think we’ll have to push the raft all the way. However, I was warned by the staff of the rafting company to put on my safety gear and get raedy.
I sat in the rubber raft with no idea how we were going to go rafting .But within five minutes the water level rose to one mettre and the raft started drifting away.
We opened the dam gates, a staff member shouted. There are four small reservoirs around here and we open them once every afternoon. There will be enough water for about an hour’s worth of rafting.
Another dam gate was then opened, adding more water to the stream.
Go! Shouted one of the rafting, as 20 colourful rubber raft strated their exciting journey down the stream. We only have an hour before the stream dries up again.
The small stream now turned into a torrent, splashing everybody with white waves. The raft could not avoid all the rocks, but those we hit, we just bounced off. Nobody was injured, and the raft was filled with laughter.
We’ll raft for 5 km, so take care of your camera and hold on tight, I was told by the staff.
The stream snaked though orchards and jungle, allowing the rafters to enjoy the wilds of Phangnga.