We began our second day with a scrumptious buffet in order to fuel up for the strenuous day ahead. We packed our packs and were soon on our way to the Mae Taeng rapids! Throughout the journey our attention was snared by the wondrous leafy scenery, the bountiful rice paddies, and most of all, the grand elephants. But soon the sight-seeing was over and we arrived. With a quick change, various instructions and geared up with life jackets and helmets, we were ready to face the perilous adventure that was the raging rapids. We boarded our vessels and launched into the white washed current, with looks of both excitement and terror in our eyes. We rode the torrents of the river, braving the churning water and evading the barricades of lurking rocks, and were greeted at the finish line by a delicious, nutritious lunch of vegetable stir fry, rice and salted, silky egg. It was great, but the day’s excitements were yet to conclude! A lesson in Thailand’s national sport, Thai boxing or as the locals say, Muay Thai!
The instructors bound our hands in supportive bandages before they were quickly thrust into a pair of boxing gloves. We sparred with the pros, skipped to our heart’s content and the boys attempted to woo the girls with their physical prowess in the ring and on the bars. We all sweated like small piglets due to the blanket-like humidity. We left the complex enlightened, inspired, and to put it plainly… absolutely exhausted.
Our day was over, but was it…no! A wander through the night markets saw us gorge ourselves on traditional Thai cuisine with the tantalising treat of shopping to wrap up the day’s adventure. With a quick haggle and barter, we were off to our hotel rooms to pack for our village stay.
Sarah and Sabre