Dominating the scene is the hilltop
temple of Wat Thaton, where a giant white seated Buddha gazes
serenely down on to the river below. With a profusion of other
statuary and an architectural style which draws on both Thai
and Chinese influences, the temple appears flamboyant, almost
garish, prompting its local nickname -- Wat-ney-land. Yet for
all its extravagance, Wat Thaton somehow fits its surroundings,
enhancing a sense of the unreal in this isolated corner which
seems to be world unto itself.
Thaton is not, however, without modern comforts, and the Maekok
River Lodge offers excellent accommodation in a traditional teakwood
building constructed on the river bank opposite Wat Thaton. The
hotel's verandah faces directly on to the water's edge, and so
delicious is the tranquil atmosphere that you could easily be
lulled in spending a day or two simply sitting and watching the
river go by. But the river beckons, too.
Below Thaton, the Kok first snakes
through a broad, fertile valley in a series of wide curves, but
after some 25 kilometres the hills close in and dense vegetation
obscures the banks. Only the occasional hilltribe village peoples
a landscape in which nature, not man, dominates. Traffic along
the river is slight, and the occasional roar of a passing longtail
boat, sleek wooden vessels powered by huge outboard motors with
long propeller shafts, comes as a rude intrusion into a realm
you had come to think of yours alone.
There is no white water as such along
the river, but patches of submerged rocks can make navigation
tricky along this roughly 50-kilometre middle section, adding
excitement to the journey. In the past, a greater danger was
posed by bandits who would now and again hold up and rob boats.
Tragically a British tourist was shot dead in one such attack
several years ago but, thankfully, the Thai border police have
since beefed up security in the area and there have been no incidents
of late. As one resident of Thaton told me, travelling the Kok
river is now "probably safer than crossing Bangkok's busy
Sukhumvit Road".
Along the last 25 kilometres to Chiang
Rai, the valley opens up once again, presenting panoramas of
the distant hills, while a few humped limestone outcrops dot
the foreground. In just a hundred kilometres, the character of
the river has changed from the secretive air of a border town,
to the closed, silent world of a watery trail through jungle
and hills, and on to the wide approach to Chiang Rai, an historic
town founded in 1262 and once briefly the capital of a northern
Thai kingdom.
Perhaps what is most amazing about
such an unspoilt river is that it is so accessible to the traveller.
Scheduled longtail boats ply the route daily from Thaton to Chiang
Rai, taking about four hours to cover the journey. Alternatively,
you can charter your own longtail boats and make stops at hilltribe
villages along the way. Another option is to order your own bamboo
raft for a trip which takes three days and two nights, with overnight
stops at riverine villages.More
