White Water Rafting

So, we almost died yesterday and it was pretty awesome. A few days ago we went rafting as part of our elephant adventure and it was so much fun that we decided to have another go at it. For $30 Canadian we got a 10km all day rafting trip which was a level 4+ and it was AMAZING.

After a very long drive up the mountain, getting a little disenchanted with all the delays and then a terrible lunch, we settled in for our safety talk. Man, I am so glad we learned what we learned during this because it was about to become very useful. They taught as commands like, get left and right, get down, rowing, how to get out from under a capsized raft, and told us about the rescue team that would be at all the bad spots on the river.

Now, this all sounds like it would be standard to learn before you partake in a very dangerous sport but this was not the case on our first rafting adventure. We were not given any instruction on that at all, not even when we were suspended on a rock.

When we were eating our lunch, we were seated across from a middle aged couple from Spain. At one point, the man suddenly jumped up and ran over to the stairs in the bungalow at mach speed. I realized after a minute that a child had fallen and gotten stuck between the stairs. So, before I even realized what was wrong, this guy had sprung into action and saved a child. It was then that B and I decided we were DEFINITELY rafting with that guy. It turns out that he is a police officer in Spain. A damn good choice but I was concerned at first since he spent the majority of the time taking scenic photos with his waterproof camera and barely listening to instructions. I guess his police officer instincts only come out in times of great panic.

We also chose our “Skipper” or guide, his name is Crazy and for good reason. He was a strange guy and legitimately a little off his rocker. He is 22 years old and the number one kayaker in Thailand – we even saw the medals to prove it.

He was insane but he knew that river like the back of his hand. He guided us so specifically through tiny spots between rocks and turns. He truly has a talent. The river had some very rough spots though and at one turn, the boat in front of us lost a passenger. An Australian girl went overboard and we saw it all happen... she was getting whipped through the rapids when Crazy ordered us to ROW and we were on the chase. We got to her and Crazy leaned over, grabbing her life jacket while still ordering us when to row as he dragged this girl through the water and around the rocks. Eventually he got us parked on a rock and we got her into the boat. She was shaken but all in one piece and she made it onto her boat to finish off the day.

We were touting ourselves as the rescue team until our boat hit “flipping corner.” You can imagine what that means – this is a common place for boats to flip overboard and ours was no exception. We had hit a big rock the turn before which left the boat with a lot of water in it, making it impossible to control. As we hit the corner we just flipped entirely over. Both B and I were under the boat but we remembered our instruction and paddled out from under it.

I remember thinking, “Why the fuck is my life jacket not working?” but the undertow from the rocks was just pulling me under again and again. I was gulping water and trying to get myself going feet first down the river so I didn’t hit my head when B grabbed me, “Grab the rope, grab the rope!” The police officer had somehow got a hold of the rescue rope that they threw our way and he then grabbed B who grabbed me. The other two people in our boat had come to a stop higher up the river and when I looked up, Crazy was extending a paddle to help us up to the rocks.

I don’t know what would have happened if that police officer wasn’t there. I was struggling to breathe and even see above the water so there was no way I would have been able to find a rope! Climbing a ton of rocks and getting seriously scraped up, we finally made it back to our boat and finished the day off! I think everyone was a little rattled but we were all fine except a few scrapes and bruises (Ok, a lot of scrapes and bruises – my ankle was BLUE) so we were able to laugh it off – in fact, I want to go again NOW!

S.