We were searching on the internet last night for waterfalls and the like throughout the whole northern region of Thailand. We found a few possibilities. One of the falls looked pretty runable and only a 30 minute drive from Chiang Mai, so this morning we loaded the boats and headed out.
What we found was a gem. Immediately we saw the fall from the internet - and then another, and another and another! It turned out this river - the Mae Sa - had a series of ten waterfalls in a row, with a load of cool little rapids and slides in between. It's in a national park, and luckily for us there was a path and wooden steps along both sides of the river. We hiked up to see what we could run, and wern't dissapointed. This is what we're here for, and we were stoked!
The first couple of falls were a little bit sketchy - but will definitly go - maybe with a little more water. So we started with the third one down. Josh hit it first and stomped the line. I went up next and hit it sweet. This got us fired up for the rest of the run.
-Me on number 9-
Next up was a portage around a drop we wern't fully keen to run - but next time I reckon we'll hit it. A sweet little slide followed to the next drop. This one was pretty messy, with an awkward run in and a load of ledges all the way down. The photo doesn't quite do it justice, but Josh stepped up and again nailed the line.
-Josh on number 6-
After that we came down to the drop we'd seen the day before on the internet. A sweet 20footer to boof off. Sam hit it first with Josh following him down. Then I ran up for my go. Half way to the top I see a dude on a mo-ped carrying a Rescue-ring (those red and white ones you get on the side of boats). The word had gotten out that the crazy phalangs (White people) we doing crazy stuff on the river!! I was told to stop and that it was dangerous, but with Jedi-like powers of persuasion I got them to go watch me instead. They loved it!
-Josh lines up the boof on 5-
-Sam on number 5-
The last section was a mix of portages and some cool slots and drops with a fun slide thrown in for good measure. And then we were off the water and back to Suzy Suzuki for some much needed water and a quick drive back to Chiang Mai.
-Sam on number 3-
-Me on number 1-
So right now, me and Josh are sitting back in our favourite coffee shop updating our blogs and trying to make some plans for tomorrow, while Sam's headed off for a massage. Our trip is getting off to a good start - The Mae Sa, from what we can gather is a first descent and that always makes us happy. Chiang Mai is a cool place to hang out, and there's always things going on to keep us busy. Thailand is not a bad place!
-Chiang Mai nightlife-
-Traditional Thai dancing-
We're off to do some more exploring tomorrow, so we'll keep you posted.
Happy paddling and Safe travels!
Will.
Josh.
Sam.
All Photos (c) Will Clark
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