Swimming in the River Kwai

Mom and Dad have always come home from their holidays saying how much they wish they could do things with their kids like they are able to do in the various tropical places they visit. They talk of ruins, developing cultures, swimming with sea turtles and other things that one can only experience first-hand. Well, Dad and I were able to share one of those experiences whilst we were in Kanchanaburi.

Flowing through Kanchanaburi is the River Kwai. That's right, the historic river of asian death that is renowned for its carnage, and famous for the film named after the rail bridge that crosses it. The Kwai River is actually made of two rivers coming together; the River Kwai Yai and the River Kwai Noi ("yai" meaning "big" and "noi" meaning "small").

My folks, Cheryl, and I all went on a tour one day to various locations around Kanchanaburi such as waterfalls, caves, elephant rides, a train ride on the famous railway, hotsprings and bamboo rafting down the River Kwai Yai. The tour was nice and all but I think the highlight event for both my father and I was the bamboo raft adventure.

We boarded the raft and pushed on down the river. The raft consisted of a bundle of bamboo lined up flat and bound together. The bamboo was enough to keep us afloat with a limited amount of water coming through. Not long after we had embarked on our river tour our boat driver disappeared from the front of the boat proceeded only by a collection of widening ripples upon the water. It appears he had decided it was a hot day and that a dip in the river was the proper medicine for the heat. He surfaced with a smile on his face and the water did look inviting.

It took me about 1.5 seconds to picture myself in the water. It took another 5 seconds to ask our driver if I could also jump overboard. Then it took dad about 8 more seconds to decide that he was coming in after me. Soon we were stripped down to our swimsuits (which were still wet from the hotsprings) and had abandoned our inhibitions to the river.

The River Kwai Yai isn't just called big. The river is wide and at least ten feet deep at its shallow points. We were able to dive clear off the bamboo raft. We swam, jumped, dove, and dunked for several kilometers downstream. The experience was refreshing to say the least. Mom and Cheryl stayed aboard the raft enjoying the smooth ride, taking pictures, and watching Dad and I play in the water.

Finally, I was part of the tropical story sharing the experience with my parents instead of just looking at the pictures and hearing the tale.

I know my parents are getting older but they have taken on Thailand with a fervor matched only by those of adventurous spirit. I can only hope that I have the umption in my gumption to jump from the bamboo to the river when I am in my sixties.

*Note: Above you see pictures of us on the raft, our driver getting in, Mom pushing me off of the raft, me dunking Dad in the water (I add this only to give him a good 'ol punch in the ego), and lastly, the big River Kwai.