Summer in Sankhlaburi is a phenomenon of not knowing what to expect after a bountiful rainfall. Surprisingly it gets really hot, and when the water pumps for the water are busted, you need to find natural ways to get yourself cleaned and freshened up. Fortunately, it is also the midterm holidays and all our children are eager for excitement and any excuse is good for them to get the opportunity to go swimming at the waterfall or at the reservoir.
Our teenage boys were eager for some excitement and they were demanding some boys time to enjoy the company of the elder boys to challenge and compare their strength and masculinity. So off they went to the Song Khalia, a nearby water retreat where the sports of river rafting can be achieved in an economical manner. This place offers truck tyre tubes which act as rafts, and where your arms and your legs are the oars to change the direction, in the fast-flowing rapid river. Small kids are not allowed to participate in this sport. They were with 16 people in total, with 6 adults taking care of the children.
The 2 hours rafting in the cold, mercurous water flowing through the jungle, which was untouched and hence pure from humans, was an out of the world experience. Rafting was not easy, because with all the obstacles like fallen trees, huge boulders etc, you have to be alert and pay attention to even the smallest movement in the water. There were many instances where the floater would unwittingly float towards the shore and have a hard time getting back to the river because of the back flow. Eventually they landed on a secluded beach side where they all played around with the sand before heading home.
This was not the only experience for the boys they also had a 2 days camping in the national park at Sai yok.
The forest guard escorted them through all the wonders of the nature. they went to the cave where the could find the smallest kind of bats in the world. Everything was so interesting and beautiful. In the jungle they also came across the dead railway from the world war II. It was a very knowledgeable trip.
It was an amazing experience where they learnt tons about nature and how you should treat it with respect and how it has the potential of bringing that sense of awe. The kids in Baan Unrak already knew that, but for the volunteers it was definitely an unforgettable experience.
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