Thailand!!!!!

[ednaout]

I'm getting ready to travel to Thailand and am psyched to do some rafting/paddling while I'm there! I've been doing a fair amount of research on the rivers and even have a friend who will be guiding for one of the outfitters in Chiangmai but thought I would see what anyone wanted to put their 2 cents in on their favorite spots... I will, probably, also be spending some time in either Laos/Cambodia and or Vietnam.
All in all, I will be in SE Asia for about 3 months and although I will be studying for about 1/2 of that time I will be exploring Thailand from the tippity top to the bittomy bottom Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Thanks!

[yakmom]

You will be psyched with Thailand, we traveled there for our honeymoon and had a blast. We did the same thing you are planning....explore it all! We rafted the Maeng Taeng river out of Chang Mai and loved it! It was an all day excursion and we fell in love with the jungly big river! Good luck and have fun, make sure you check out the sweet beaches in the south as well. We hung out on an island called Koh Tao and highly recommend it.

[mountainbuns]

You are SOOO psyched!

I was in Bangkok, S. Laos (4000 islands region of Mekong), S. Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh and Cantho) and Siem Riep, Cambodia for 3 weeks in January of 2007. I am so envious of your 3 months!! My brother and his wife just moved to Hanoi, so I'm looking forward to a a visit to N Vietnam and N Laos sometime soon! I was recovering from shoulder surgery and didn't paddle (except sit on top kayaking on the Mekong in Laos, which was AWESOME). From the little I know, I'd say DO NOT MISS Angkor Wat/Siem Riep and Hanoi/ Halong Bay. Angkor area was perhaps the most amazing sight I've ever seen. I also loved going to 4000 Islands (I think we were on Don Khon island) - super beautiful, fun, with some amenities yet a very rural sleepy place. Cantho was great for it's floating markets. In Bangkok eat dinner at Cabbages and Condoms.

Re: boating, I don't have much to add to what you already know. But in 2007 the Banff Mtn Film fest had a film that I'd highly recommend seeing. I'm a freshwater ecologist so it was particularly interesting to me, but just and amazing kayaking feat and environmentally enlightening too:
Exploring The Mother of Waters (Australia/2006/45 min) The first complete navigation of the Mekong River, from its source in Tibet to the South China Sea.

I have some photos here if you're interested:
Snapfish: Share:Registration_Opt1

Feel free to email if you'd like: riverbioatyahoo

-Claire