Upper Tand Luang - High Flow. Lower gorge - First D.

-The ants that attacked Josh-

After a day of getting stuck in the mud in our 4x4 and no luck finding waterfalls we decided to head back to the Tard Luand. With a few days of heavy rain the water level was up and we held out the possibility of running the lower gorge as well as a re-run of the upper section.

We quickly got changed and ran up the side of the river with our boats - and we were stoked to see the river high and brown, with big holes and swollen channels where before there had only been narrow slides.

After Josh's little run in with some ants (I've never seen someone get out of all their paddling kit so fast!) we put on and headed down.

-Josh on lower Tard Luang Falls-

The river was heaps of fun - everything faster and bigger than the first time we'd paddled it. We made a quick descent of the upper section and were left with enough time to carry on down the lower gorge - another first descent!

-Josh hits a swollen slide on the upper section-

-Josh on the upper section-

-Sam-

-Sam on the lower Tard Luang-

The lower gorge was super fun, heaps of small drops and one meatier one about half way down. Josh jumped out and shouted back the line to me and Sam - waiting upstream in the eddy. Basically you just had to head right to avoid pushing into/under the wall on the left. It was a real fun line - although I was a little too relaxed and lost my nose under the left wall, we all came through no worries and carried on downstream.

-Josh lower Tard Luang gorge-

As the river flattened out before the road we were drifting along next to rice fields and it was an awesome end to an awesome day. We played rock paper scissors to see who had to run up and fetch the car. Sam lost and as he legged it up the hill me and Josh sat at the side of the road with our kayaks getting the funniest looks from everyone who walked past. What are you doing here??!!

-Our trusty wagon at the take out-

Northern Thailand. Part 6.

The Sila Phect.

Two days after running the Tard Luang we found the Sila Phect river 30mins further North from the Tard Luang.

-Thai Village-

Our initial inspection didn't give us much to go on. All we could see were a few rapids coming out of a closed in gorge with no access at river level. But we could see enough that we knew there must be something to run further upstream.

We hiked for over an hour up a steep pass above the river - only occasionally getting a view of the river below. We were slightly apprehensive of dropping into an unknown gorge with potentially no access out, but we were drawn by the possibility of some classic whitewater.

After encountering my first Thai snake that decided to leg it across my foot on the hike in we soon found ourselves blocked into the jungle by bamboo and vines and we had to head down to river level.

-Josh deep in the jungle on the hike in-

What we found was actually two gorge sections and heaps of nice drops and technical lines.

-Sam boofs in the upper gorge-

The upper gorge was characterised by small technical drops and flowing rapids that gave us fast progress downstream.

-Josh in the upper gorge-

The lower section contained the nicest rapid on the river, which unfortunately for us had a tree jam right in the crux section. There was still some more fun to have though with a sweet double drop that just rolled you down and on your way.

-Josh in the lower gorge-

Will
Sam
Josh

Northern Thailand. Part 5. The Tard Luang.

After not much luck in Pai we've headed out to the Nan region of Thailand, about six hours drive East of Chiang Mai. Nan is not really on the tourist map, and it's a much smaller place with a totally different vibe to everywhere else we've been so far. A small town with some of the best food we've had on our trip, Nan is set high in the mountains with 80% of the land on a 45 degree angle or more. Our travels through the region brought us to heaps of small villages where the local people still live a traditional life.

-Josh on the Tard Luang-

Our time in Nan was to bring us some of the first real rain of our trip, Four more first descents and a multi-day expedition.

-Will on the first slide of the Tard Luang-

-Josh slides on the Tard Luang-

The first river we checked out was the Tard Luang. A local guide in Nan had told us he thought there were waterfalls there. We parked next to the river and looked around - we couldn't see much except that the was a steep gradient leading up the valley and a decent amount of water running past us. Then we were met by the park ranger who spoke no English, but pointed upstream and made excited gestures of waterfalls with his hands. Awesome!!

-Sam lines up for a sweet slot-drop-

With that we got our gear and started the hike. What we found was a sweet series of slides and drops, with just one portage in the middle.

-Sam hucks whilst Josh poses with the rangers (our guide is on the right)-

Our guide was invaluable. He led us up the path, across the river and up to the best whitewater on the section. Every time we thought we were at the best drop he'd just wave us on and keep heading upstream. The Tard Luang is a classic run and a beauty of a find.

Will

Sam

Josh

Northern Thailand. Part 4.

Pai. Hippies and dry river-beds.

Our run of luck was bound to run out sooner or later, and it managed to run out in Pai, a hippy hang-out North-West of Chiang Mai. We headed there to run the slides of the Mo Paeng, and to scout a couple more waterfalls in the vicinity. When we got there however there just wasn't enough water to paddle. A feature we've noticed on more than one river in Thailand is the diversion of water for irrigation and other such things. Had these pipes not been here, we may have had enough water to paddle.

-Sam and Josh hike up the Mo Paeng-

-Sam and Josh, not too happy-

With nothing to paddle we decided to stay the night and sample some of the other attractions Pai has to offer the traveller. I forget what happened after the 8th bottle of Sam Song, but I'm pretty sure a good night was had by all.


We got back to Chiang Mai last night and today we're on our way to Nan - hoping for rain.

Will.

Sam.

Josh.

Northern Thailand. Part 3.

First Descent number 2.

Yesterday we headed to the Jae Sawn National Park, two hours drive outside Chiang Mai. At times we weren't sure our car was going to make it - using first gear all too often to get up the mountain roads. But we got there eventually and weren't disappointed with what we found.

The Jae Sawn has a series of six waterfalls. We ran number 1 only. The upper fall (number 6)was runnable, but ran straight into number 5 which had a nasty log jam across it, and no way to get out before. Number 3 will definitely go with a little more water to beef up the landing - as it was it was a clean 40footer into 4-5 feet of plunge pool, and not worth the risk.

-Josh running number 1 on the Jae Sawn-

-Me on the Jae Sawn-

Number 1 looked good to go, and after 30 minutes of throwing logs we'd figured the landing was deep. We had to abseil in from above with our kayaks, then we could get out on the lip and have a final inspection. It certainly looked bigger from the top - and a little trickier too with a nasty fold that could easily send you off line from the start. By the time Josh was ready to go we had a bit of a crowd gathered below the falls, none of them really sure what we were doing - but pretty shocked by what they saw! We ran it a couple of times each, and got some nice video and photos. The last shot of Sam hucking has Josh hanging off the side of the falls getting a really unique angle of the drop on film.

-Sam Hucking-Josh Filming-

All in all it was an awesome day and an awesome drop, and definitely worth a second look if there's a bit more rain.

Will.

Sam.

Josh.

Northern Thailand. Part 2.

Sometimes you find the sweetest things right on your doorstep. This was certainly true for the river we found today.
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.

-Josh styles down number 9-

-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.

-Sam below number 7-

-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

Northern Thailand. Part 1.

Hey everyone - I'm sat in a coffee shop in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. We've pretty much set up shop here for the last few days - enjoying the air conditioning, iced coffee and free internet.

-Thailand Chopper-

I got to Thailand on Thursday. Travelling from Uganda with Sam Ward, and hooking up with Josh Neilson in Bangkok airport. We're here for six weeks - exploring white water and searching for waterfalls. We met up with Pete Buick - a friend of ours out here in Thailand and began our travels north. We took the train from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai, and got some rest as we travelled 15 hours overnight.

-Weighing in at Bangkok Train Station-

-Buffalo Carts-

Now in Chiang Mai we've got ourselves a couple of apartments in the North of the city to base ourselves for our adventures. For the last few days we've been studying maps and getting in-touch with friends and Thai paddlers to get all the info we need to set out on some missions. We've got ourselves a cool little Suzuki to take us around, and yesterday we got on the water for the first time.

-Buddhist Temple in Chiang Mai-

We headed out of the city for a couple of hours to paddle the Mae Taeng River. It's a nice grade 3-3+ boulder garden style river. It was a nice little warm up and good fun to get out in the boats and on to a new river. We were on the water for about an hour and a half - and it was an awesome experience to see elephants bathing in the water and thick jungle hanging from the banks.

-The road to the Mae Taeng-

-Sam boofs on the Mae Taeng-

-Local Transport-

After the Mae Taeng we went to check out a couple of local waterfalls we'd spotted on the map. The driving out here is awesome - either solid tar roads, or fun offroad adventuring! So even if we couldn't paddle we had a lot of fun and saw some really cool places. The first waterfall - just 3km from the main road was a local chill-out spot and the perfect place to hang-out for a BBQ but unfortunately unrunnable. The second - called 'Mae Hon Lae' - we renamed the 'invisible hard to find in the bush waterfall'. After an hour of offroading through the jungle and no sign of it we cut our losses and headed home.

-Our Suzuki in the Jungle-

Now we're getting ready to hit the road again, in search of some big waterfalls and some multi-day kayaking. Next stop is the Nan province - North East of here.

Check back for the next update on what we find.

Will Clark

Sam Ward

Josh Neilson

A River of Change.

It's sad times for the Nile. We knew it was coming and now it's here - at least the beginnings of it anyway. They are building the Bujagali Dam on the River Nile. What does this mean? Well that depends on your point of view.

For all us boaters out here and around the world it's a tragedy. We have already lost some great white-water. Ugly Sisters has gone. No longer does our favourite local play wave exist. The effect of this has meant a back up of the river and that in turn has made 'Total Gunga' a grade 1 bimble instead of what used to be (in my opinion) the best big Grade 5 on this stretch of water. So now we have huge amounts of water heading down Silverback. And I've got to say it's made it interesting!! A huge wave train with confused, messy, boily water. It is not a good idea to swim here as you will go down for a long time!!

Total Gunga? Not any more!

For Uganda this project is welcomed. 250megawatts of predicted power, really will be a saviour for the country. However we'll have to wait and see the real political impact of all this. With oil up north in Lake Albert - renewed conflict with the DRC - and heaps of other things going on in preparation for CHOGM this November, who knows how Uganda will fare.

Silverback, new and improved?!

All I know is some of my favourite white-water is being destroyed, and a noisy dirty building site is now on the banks of the Nile. Check out the photos - Total Gunga in the first and Silverback in the last.

I'm heading to Thailand this week for some creeking action up in the North. Myself, Sam Ward (UK) and Josh Nielson (NZ). We're hooking up with some of the local boys and it all looks set to be an epic adventure. Check here and www.dkayaking.net for updates on our travels and the rivers we find.

Happy paddling and Safe Travels!!

Fish Eagle