Canoeing In Northeast Thailand

[paddlesup]

I am planning on organising a long distance canoe trip down the Songkhram River in the upper Northeast of Thailand during the coming rainy season. It will be the first time that this trip has ever been attempted and so in some ways is a trip into the unknown.

The trip will consist of 12 people in 6 canoes, half locals and half outsiders, who would like to experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, physical challenge and opportunity to learn much about the local society, culture, environment and livelihoods. The going will be tough at times - 25-35 kms per day paddling in all weathers - and staying overnight in villages with local people. The journey will take about 12 days to complete, with various side trips arranged to places of interest. Money raised from the expedition will support a local schools environmental conservation group.

Interested in joining us on the River Songkhram for 2 weeks in July? Then please PM me and I will gladly send you more details.

Cheers,

Paddlesup

[MarcoH]

Hi Paddlesup

That is fantastic idea, unfortunetly im off work that time already.

I use to do similar trips back in Finland with canoe groups where we done up to80KM per day and tenting during night time.Maybe you are familiar of ARC, Kilpisjärvi-Tornio(Finland) Arctic Canoe Race (535km).

Every one has they own Canoe or you will provide? and what type you are using? Grummans aluminium or Fiberglass?

As you start this great activities,, where in TH you can find good canoes?

-Marco-

I am planning on organising a long distance canoe trip down the Songkhram River in the upper Northeast of Thailand during the coming rainy season. It will be the first time that this trip has ever been attempted and so in some ways is a trip into the unknown.

The trip will consist of 12 people in 6 canoes, half locals and half outsiders, who would like to experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, physical challenge and opportunity to learn much about the local society, culture, environment and livelihoods. The going will be tough at times - 25-35 kms per day paddling in all weathers - and staying overnight in villages with local people. The journey will take about 12 days to complete, with various side trips arranged to places of interest. Money raised from the expedition will support a local schools environmental conservation group.

Interested in joining us on the River Songkhram for 2 weeks in July? Then please PM me and I will gladly send you more details.

Cheers,

Paddlesup

[paddlesup]

Hi Paddlesup

That is fantastic idea, unfortunetly im off work that time already.

I use to do similar trips back in Finland with canoe groups where we done up to80KM per day and tenting during night time.Maybe you are familiar of ARC, Kilpisjärvi-Tornio(Finland) Arctic Canoe Race (535km).

Every one has they own Canoe or you will provide? and what type you are using? Grummans aluminium or Fiberglass?

As you start this great activities,, where in TH you can find good canoes?

-Marco-

Hi Marco,

Glad you like the idea! And nice to know there are other paddlers in Issan, all the way from Baltic Finland!

Basically, we will have 6 double canoes minimum available for 12 persons, with a support minibus and trailer. We expect to borrow a couple and buy some canoes for the trip, the latter staying on the river for a schools/youth group to benefit from in the future. They will use them for wetlands conservation activities and potential eco-tourism in future.

I expect they will all be fibreglass Canadian type canoes which are light, manouvarable and can easily be repaired. They can be bought, imported boats, at quite some expense but I've found a guy who will be able to make some locally at a fifth the cost of imported canoes. He's based in Mahasarakham.

There are also plastic sit-a-top kayaks available in Thailand, made in Bangkok, but not great for long distances or speed. Some people also import inflatables, but again, quite expensive.

Hope this helps. If you change your mind and want to join the trip, which will coincide with the fascinating flooding period when you will be able to paddle into the unique flooded forests and see fishing methods long since disappeared from other rivers in Thailand, then do please let me know and I'll be glad to provide more details.

Cheers,

Paddlesup

[Martin]

I like the idea.

In 1991, I went with a group that went down the Sadaan River in Northern Sulawesi in white-water rafts for the first time. There were no rapids on a long stretch on the final day, and your canoeing sounds like being as pleasant as that was.

But I am planning on going back to the Canadian Arctic in July to where I worked in 1959/60, so couldn't join you.

I hope you'll tell about it, with photos, on here; as it would be great if it caught on.

I am still looking for a secondhand sailing dinghy and a sailboard suitable for a big, heavy old man, if anybody knows where there are any gathering dust.

[paddlesup]

I like the idea.

In 1991, I went with a group that went down the Sadaan River in Northern Sulawesi in white-water rafts for the first time. There were no rapids on a long stretch on the final day, and your canoeing sounds like being as pleasant as that was.

But I am planning on going back to the Canadian Arctic in July to where I worked in 1959/60, so couldn't join you.

I hope you'll tell about it, with photos, on here; as it would be great if it caught on.

I am still looking for a secondhand sailing dinghy and a sailboard suitable for a big, heavy old man, if anybody knows where there are any gathering dust.

Hi Martin,

That trip in Sulawesi sounds like it was one to remember. How long? How far? The Songkhram is mostly placid water, bar some eddies near obstacles, although the upper reaches could provide some fun around weirs, dams, etc. While down in the lower reaches, sometimes it actually flows backwards, due to the Mekong's influence. So we could be canoeing downstream against the current towards the end!

Sure, will send some pics and story when over.

Never seen anyone sailing or windsurfing in Isaan, but saw some noisy jetskis in a lake north of Roi-Et, last time I drove down that road. Wind propelled or paddle propelled craft are a sooooo much better way to see and appreciate water and nature, but others seem more addicted to noise and speed these days.

The Songkhram trip will be about stamina and viewing the sights and sounds that the river and its people present. Unscripted enjoyment to the right person.

[phibunmike]

Great idea, unfortunately I will not be able to join you.

I am in the market for a canoe/kayak for use on the Mae Nam Mun; I have also considered trying to find a small sailing boat for the same river....

I agree the jet skis are horrid noisy things, starting to get some in Phibun now towing banana boats for the kids. I just hope it doesn't become too popular.

Cheers,

Mike

[paddlesup]

Yes, agreed, nowt worse than a quiet day in the countryside next to a river somewhere, you sit down, order some food, some beer, the day is getting mellow and you're starting to think "this is the life"..............when all of a sudden the peace is shattered by a banana boat and a shedload of screaming kids (big and small) zooming past at 30 kms/hr. You're just thinking, what the hel_l was that? and down they come again, closer and noisier than before. On the third pass, when they start singing the Thai equivalent of "Agadoo", you've had enough and decide to head home to chill out to your own form of noise pollution.

sorry, I tell a lie, there is something worse than banana boats and riverside restaurants.......in fact, far worse........the dreaded karaoke machine and a tableful of drunk Thais sitting next to you, who collectively can't sing a right note between them. Much, much worse.......especially when they shove the mike in your hands and ask "My friend you sing song". Now that can be really evil for the peaceful riverbank........

hope you find a canoe or kayak to mess around in by the way. The Mun was a really nice river 15 years back, but has been a bit screwed up since Pak Mun Dam blasted or drowned the best rapids.

[phibunmike]

hope you find a canoe or kayak to mess around in by the way. The Mun was a really nice river 15 years back, but has been a bit screwed up since Pak Mun Dam blasted or drowned the best rapids.

I think it still is a beautiful river, especially around 5pm when the late afternoon sunlight casts a golden glow over everything, the trees seem to light up with a rich verdent green, and the water sparkles.....

Although the dam has screwed up the water levels (and led the people living nearby the river to mistrust it and its spritis), there are still extreme seasonal changes - the rapids at Kaeng Saphue are now visible again and will remain so until the next rains in October (or whenever...).

There are also a couple of nice, quiet, tributaries - I think one is called the Dom - which I look forward to exploring - with a portion of sticky rice, some gai ping, and a cool crisp sauvignon blanc, stashed in the storage compartment of the kayak.

Cheers,

Mike

[plachon]

hope you find a canoe or kayak to mess around in by the way. The Mun was a really nice river 15 years back, but has been a bit screwed up since Pak Mun Dam blasted or drowned the best rapids.

I think it still is a beautiful river, especially around 5pm when the late afternoon sunlight casts a golden glow over everything, the trees seem to light up with a rich verdent green, and the water sparkles.....

Although the dam has screwed up the water levels (and led the people living nearby the river to mistrust it and its spritis), there are still extreme seasonal changes - the rapids at Kaeng Saphue are now visible again and will remain so until the next rains in October (or whenever...).

There are also a couple of nice, quiet, tributaries - I think one is called the Dom - which I look forward to exploring - with a portion of sticky rice, some gai ping, and a cool crisp sauvignon blanc, stashed in the storage compartment of the kayak.

Cheers,

Mike

All rivers retain a certain beauty in their own way, even when radically altered by human activity such as dams. I'm sure some people might even find the polluted rivers in China, some running red, black or orange with chemicals, beautiful in their own way, despite an absence of life in the water.

I just saw a film by a guy called Mick O'Shea, an Australian, who was the first person to canoe down the Mekong from near source to sea. An incredible journey, only impeded by the two completed dams and several construction sites underway in Yunnan, including the near 300 m high Xiaowan Dam. Unsurprisingly, he had to porter around these massive structures blocking the flow. But he navigated the gorges further upstream in Tibet, where the river is a maelstrom and also over the Khone Falls in Southern Laos. Awesome whitewater consuming this tiny little kayak in its fury. If you get the chance, I would highly recommend this film, which I think is on a world tour at moment, but not sure if it is to be generally released in Thailand, as the soundtrack is all English at present.

[phibunmike]

All rivers retain a certain beauty in their own way, even when radically altered by human activity such as dams. I'm sure some people might even find the polluted rivers in China, some running red, black or orange with chemicals, beautiful in their own way, despite an absence of life in the water.

I just saw a film by a guy called Mick O'Shea, an Australian, who was the first person to canoe down the Mekong from near source to sea. An incredible journey, only impeded by the two completed dams and several construction sites underway in Yunnan, including the near 300 m high Xiaowan Dam. Unsurprisingly, he had to porter around these massive structures blocking the flow. But he navigated the gorges further upstream in Tibet, where the river is a maelstrom and also over the Khone Falls in Southern Laos. Awesome whitewater consuming this tiny little kayak in its fury. If you get the chance, I would highly recommend this film, which I think is on a world tour at moment, but not sure if it is to be generally released in Thailand, as the soundtrack is all English at present.

I will keep an eye open for the film. By coincidence, I am reading his book about the trip now; I have nearly finished it, and it is a very interesting tale he tells.

[paddlesup]

Be interested to hear your impressions on O'Shea's book when you've finished with it Mike. I've also seen his film and was struck by the sheer guts of the guy to canoe down those gorges uncertain if he'd come out the other end (one way passages). Some great cinetography too, with a lovely sequence down on the Tonle Sap, panning the camera around a floating community and then zooming in on individuals going about their daily routines. The questions the film raises are also pretty profound and relate to the future of this whole region, in a not too distant period of time.

The Songkhram by comparison is a whole lot more gentle and sedate than the Mekong, with no rapids or whitewater to negotiate. But the interest lies primarily on the riverbanks and water-based acitivities of the local people, especially the fisheries and its huge diversity. Anybody up for a paddle along the last great unspoilt river of Issaan?

[phibunmike]

Be interested to hear your impressions on O'Shea's book when you've finished with it Mike. I've also seen his film and was struck by the sheer guts of the guy to canoe down those gorges uncertain if he'd come out the other end (one way passages). Some great cinetography too, with a lovely sequence down on the Tonle Sap, panning the camera around a floating community and then zooming in on individuals going about their daily routines. The questions the film raises are also pretty profound and relate to the future of this whole region, in a not too distant period of time.

The Songkhram by comparison is a whole lot more gentle and sedate than the Mekong, with no rapids or whitewater to negotiate. But the interest lies primarily on the riverbanks and water-based acitivities of the local people, especially the fisheries and its huge diversity. Anybody up for a paddle along the last great unspoilt river of Issaan?

I have finished the book and found it very enjoyable; interesting as travel writing, interesting as a record of the dynamics and inter-personal relationships within the group (which reminds me of Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round) and thought provoking in terms of the damage being done to the Mekong by the Chinese dams. The latter subject is also treated in Milton Osborne's excellent book "The Mekong", if you are interested.

He (O'Shea) is a bit harsh when describing some of his team - it is a pity they haven't the opportunity to give their side of the story. Then again, to pull off a trip like that you probably have to be stubborn, determined and bloody-minded sometimes.

I read quite a lot about the Mekong, so any other books or films you come across please let me know.

I would love to join the Songkhram trip, but will be away part of July. I will see closer to the date if there is any chance to join you as a last-minute addition to the team (if that is permitted). I should by then have my own kayak.

Cheers,

Mike

edit> Added "O'Shea" after "He" to clarify.