Trip to Chumphon for the Phato Rafting Festival

One of the areas that was hit hard by the recent flooding in Southern Thailand was Chumphon Province. The people in Phato district said it was the worst flooding in living memory. Although the flood has now receded and the water in the river has returned to a normal color, the scars still remain. I met the owner of Malin Rafting Service in Phato. Her house & rafts were washed away in a flash flood. She spent the night in the tree. Despite losing everything, she was determined to continue. With help from the government, she was able to buy new rafts. This weekend her company took part in the annual Phato Raft Festival. I tweeted the following photos during my trip to Chumphon.

[tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830221689522790401] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830245028551233536] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830288345431371780] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830305187797413888] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830307824563400704] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830309822243299329] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830329928956514304] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830364617482203136] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830366086373601280] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830367881934168066] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830392118883409920] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830572290597220352] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830600083620057089] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830606433066430468] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830608222159396868] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830643935294787584] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830644886772736000] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830679117477449728] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830685887247716352] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830695928902193152] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830698290429595650] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830712167817043968] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830713804346454019] [tweet https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/830755042701438978]

2 thoughts on “Trip to Chumphon for the Phato Rafting Festival

  • April 3, 2018 at 1:35 am
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    Hi
    Really enjoyed reading about rafting in Phato. A couple of years ago we went and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We tried a different rafting outfit – Kasorn Tours. Food was amazing unlike anything I had tried before. We are visiting Thailand again this summer and reading this article makes me want to revisit the river. Unfortunately it will be the rainy season.

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  • February 21, 2017 at 9:15 pm
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    Somebody should tell the Minister that sitting on lifejackets reduces their buoyancy and effectiveness ….sorry, forgot where we are, safety does not count for much here. “Bamboo rafts “? Blue bamboo ??

    Reply

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