Active Persuits, Ping River Cruise in Chiangmai

Taxi Chiangmai and Private Tour by Patrick:  Mobile 081 617 2116 Oversea call +66 81 617 2116 E-mail: neomart@gmail.com


Boat Trips -- Within the city, a boat trip along the Mae Ping River is a fun diversion. Head for the boat landing beside Wawee Coffee on the east bank of the Ping River just north of Nawarat Bridge to join a 90-minute tour on a rice barge, starting at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, or 5pm (minimum 2 people, 250B per person), operated by Mae Ping River Cruise Co. (133 Charoen Prathet Rd.; tel. 05327-4822; www.maepingrivercruise.com). They also run private tours, including hotel pickup, which start at Wat Chaimongkol, on Charoen Prathet Road (opposite Alliance Française). These tours follow a similar route (heading about 8km/5 miles north of town before heading back). They last about 2 hours and cost 450B per person with fruit and drinks included. You'll get great views of old teak riverside mansions, behind which rises the tall skyline of this developing burg. While on the outskirts of town, you'll see villages that offer scenes of rural living.
History buffs might prefer to cruise the river in a scorpion-tailed boat of the kind that used to be poled up and down the river in the late 19th century when first missionaries and later teak traders turned up to try their luck in this remote outpost. The modern version is propelled by an engine, but visitors can look forward to a running commentary on the historical significance of places passed along the route. Tours are by arrangement and rates depend on numbers of passengers in the group. Call tel. 053254-5888 or visit www.scorpiontailed.com for more information.


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