This was my last day in Bangkok so how fitting it is that I did the best activity I’ve ever done in Bangkok! Knowing I was headed to Europe soon, I made a checklist of things to do before I left the city. Kayaking in the canals was something I’ve always dreamed of doing but didn’t know it was practical until I found a Meetup posted by a local group.

I signed up and met with the group at the Jam hostel. This was the second event I’d done there. The gal who runs the hostel came up with a great group for meeting fellow solo travelers. The other event I went to was a food buffet on the roof of the hostel. She created an ingenious game for everyone to play that encouraged us to mingle.

When you checked in, you had to fill out a questionnaire with a series of choices like: Wonder Woman or Cat Woman, mountains or ocean, whips or handcuffs. Not only did it help us to meet others, but it led to some funny conversations as you can imagine.

The long ride from the hostel to the kayaking place made me wish we had another get to know you game. About 30 minutes in, people began to make jokes about whether we were about to become part of the human trafficking circuit. It wasn’t that the drive was so far, but our host hadn’t really told us beforehand how long the ride would be. It turned out to be about an hour.

The van transportation wasn’t included in the price of the tour so we had to collect cash for the driver. Our host told us that the amount included the toll, but I noticed we never passed through a toll booth. Perhaps the reason that it took so long to get to our destination is because the driver took back roads to avoid paying the toll and pocketed the extra cash. The driver did seem to have a bit of chicanery to him.

After driving for almost an hour, he pulled off to the side of the road and said “we’re here”. As there was nothing on the side of the road and no sign of a canal, we questioned him on what “here” meant. He told us we would have to walk the rest of the way to the kayak put-in point, which according to our maps was about a mile down the dirt road behind us.

Since none of us spoke enough Thai to challenge him, we began to file out of the van. After two of us got out, he chuckled and said, “I’m joking. I’ll drive you there.” We all laughed and breathed a sigh of relief since both the temperature and the humidity outside felt to be about 90. Our driver took us to the end of the dirt road where he let us off. I’m not sure whether he intended to tease us or he didn’t know where he was going, but he covered it well, and we walked directly from the van to a lush garden setting.

It was clear that this was not a tourist attraction. While there were plenty of kayaks stacked in the front yard, the rest of the property was undeveloped. There were bathrooms in an outbuilding beside the kayaks, but the only other structure on the property appeared to be the private residence of our kayaking hosts.

There was a nice vine covered trellis covering a deck with a view of the canal, and our hosts invited us to gather there. They provided slices of watermelon and jugs to fill our water bottles. They had also set up fans to keep us cool, which was necessary even under the shade of the trellis. The place reminded me a bit of the bayou I saw when visiting a relative in Louisiana. It was the kind of place you could just sit with an iced drink and watch the river flow lazily by.

We all got to know each other as we enjoyed the watermelon and topped off our water bottles. Then the hosts called us to put on our life jackets. Most of us had to choose the extra large size as Thai people are typically much smaller than Westerners.

Donning life jackets is another fun get to know you activity as there’s no way you can do it without making jokes, whether it’s to alleviate fear of the potential for needing one or questioning the last time they were cleaned. Regardless, it’s a process that almost always requires the guide to shout in order to bring your attention to the next step in the process.

We were handed paddles and instructed to walk down to the launch ramp where the kayaks had been placed. They had us pair up with whoever we wanted to share a kayak with and paired those who were by themselves. As the kayaks began to depart the ramp, you couldn’t help but notice the remaining people calculating the number of people still standing on the ramp compared to the number of kayaks still available. One thing was definitely clear without counting. There were not enough kayaks!

As it turned out, there were only two people without a kayak, and I was one of them. To be forthcoming, I’d heard the hosts talking about putting the rest of the people in the Coleman. I assumed this to be a power boat and hung in the back of the group hoping to get out of paddling on such a hot day. The girl next to me confided she had the same hope.

Our hosts seemed a bit surprised that there weren’t enough kayaks. The two of us assured them we were fine going in the Coleman, but we were a little confused when they handed us our paddles. As it turns out, the Coleman was a canoe not a power boat. Still, in my opinion, a canoe is more comfortable in calm water than a kayak.

Two of us got into the kayak, then three, then four, then the dog. To be fair, our host asked us whether we minded if she brought her daughter, and being polite, we said “of course not”. The dog, on the other hand, was a welcome addition. I am kidding, but those who know me understand that a dog is my favorite kind of kid.

Once we were all settled into our watercraft, our lead guide stepped off the dock and into the canal. That wasn’t his intention. He was actually trying to get into his kayak when he misstepped and fell into the water up to his chest. It didn’t instill us with great confidence, and we rethought our feelings about the life jackets we’d been mocking earlier.

The canal was about 15 feet wide and for most of our trip it remained in the shade of the trees growing over it. Once again it felt like my visit to the Louisiana bayou with houses intermittently perched along the canal. The occasional dog came out to warn us should we be planning an invasion of its porch. Occasionally a tree limb hung so low that we had to duck our heads down, hoping not to pick up any spiders as the leaves brushed through our hair.

That is how we spent the next hour as we did a rectangular loop connecting four canals. At each bend, our guide mentioned what we’d have seen had we had more time; something I often find myself doing as a guide, and on occasion, intentionally when people show up late and I remind them of the cost of their tardiness, while sharing how much more I can do if they are punctual.

The kayaking experience was not nearly long enough, but we still had another adventure ahead that I’d been looking forward to just as much. The previous week I’d gone to the Natura cafe and wanted to catch a boat back to the Skytrain station. Unfortunately the American couple I asked was not open to sharing the boat they’d reserved, and I didn’t want to pay $20 to go by myself.

This time I got to ride a long tail boat almost three times the distance to the Skytrain station, and we even passed by the cafe along the way. The cost of sharing the trip with 12 other people is that the small canal boat was heavily laden and was riding pretty deep in the water. I mentioned to the guy next to me that I hoped the driver had accounted for that extra weight and depth as he made the turns. The guy picked his life jacket off the floor in front of him and put it over his head.

It was never an issue however. Our driver slowed every time we turned a corner or passed another canal boat. It was amazing to see Bangkok from this vantage point. At first the landscape we passed was very rural, but as we got closer to the city, we began to see more signs of population. It was a mix of big concrete apartment buildings that looked like tenements and large mansions built by those who recognized the curb appeal of having a house on the canal.

Eventually we crossed under a freeway and the tracks of the Skytrain we’d be taking home. One last turn before we were dropped off took us by the giant Buddha, and our driver slowed to let us take pictures and because the canal was packed with tourist boats.

The dock where we disembarked was perfectly located just a couple blocks from the Skytrain and a block from the Talat Phlu market. It is the same market I enjoyed when taking the local train to the folding train market.

The food options seemed more desirable than my previous visit or maybe it was just that I’d worked up an appetite. I began with a Thai iced tea which is a perfect combination of cold, caffeine, and sugar to quickly revive you. I also ordered a shrimp omelet from the vendor that caught everyone’s attention as we walked off the boat. We weren’t alone because the vendor told us to come back in fifteen minutes to order as he was backed up with previous orders.

I stocked up on a couple quick bites, like pork shumai, and found the others eating at a table beside the street. Though we had gotten off the boat there so that we had easy access to the Skytrain, most of the group car pooled in a few Uber vehicles. Since I was only a couple stops away, I took the train.

As I rode, I reviewed my pictures from the day. I texted the group leader to tell her it was definitely a repeatable event and probably one she could make a significant income from as it was the most unique experience I’d ever done in Bangkok and not one I’d known about before today. One more dream fulfilled.