Go Bamboo Rafting

“When we reached the village, we were greeted by a soft blow of a crisp, cool wind, as if ushering us to the river. We walked down a concrete, waterward street that ended at a wharf where dozens of motorized bamboo rafts were docked. The rafts followed the traditional design, with its front end slightly skewed upward. When I hopped onto one, I knew instantly that they were not really made of bamboo but probably painted PVC pipes. Each could accommodate up to six passengers (not including the boatman), but there were only four of us at the time. I sat in the rear row, put on a life vest, and heard the roar of the engine drown the gentle splashes of the river, signaling the start of our journey. The day could not get any clearer: no mist to block the view and no clouds to block the sun. The raft had a roof, but the sides and the front were wide open for a full, unobstructed vista.”

“It was 6:30 am when we departed for our 1-hour drive to Yangdi to catch the boat to XingPing. We were the first ones there and the mist had barely started to rise above the numerous limestone cliffs. Our boat was more modern than we expected. I had visions of men using bamboo poles to push us down the river as we teetered on a thin hull. Instead, we boarded a large raft of plastic piping in the shape of bamboo that easily seated 4 people. The engine started up and put an end to the quiet dawn. As we sipped our very strong coffee in paper cups we took in the scenery and waved to other boats captained by men heading to work for the day.”