wakeboarding in Bangkok

Weaving down congested city streets on a motorbike yesterday afternoon, whizzing by electronics factories and seafood packing plants, i was becoming more and more skeptical of Ivy's assurance that there was a wakeboarding center just a few blocks away.. but then, a left-hand turn and just 2 or 3 kilometers later down a dusty unpaved road, a brownish body of water came into view. Here in the middle of this urban, industrial area in greater Bangkok was a giant (relatively speaking) lake surrounded by green marshes and palm trees. There are no boats here; towering metal scaffolding rises from the water, supporting a system of constantly turning cables, dragging wakeboarders in a circle around the lake. It's similar to the horrible rope tow I remember from my childhood, learning to snow ski.

We ducked into a little shed, handed a woman 300 baht and got handed a couple of somewhat dodgy looking boards. No release to sign, no paperwork whatsoever. Without any sort of instruction (especially for me, as I don't speak the language) you strap on a board, shimmy up to the front of the line and - still standing upright on the wooden dock, a good 4 feet from the edge - get handed your rope which is unattached to the cable whizzing overhead, for the moment being. And now, while everyone eagerly watches, you wait for a clip to come whooshing around, which will snag your rope and yank you out into the water... if you're lucky. I saw several unfortunate people lurch forward spectacularly at the initial yank, get violently whacked down, face first into the dock, and then continue to hold onto the rope as it raced along, scraping them along the dock and into the water.

I won't pretend that it wasn't a fantastic spectacle to watch, and I saw no serious injuries (except, perhaps, some shattered egos), so I don't feel bad for pointing and laughing. I, luckily, am somewhat used to the feel of standing up and getting pulled around on top of the water, so I got to avoid most of the embarrassment and came away generally unscathed.

waiting with trepidation at the starting dock

wakeboarder chicks

ivy and me...
mere moments before I performed a graceful faceplant (into the water) for the gathered audience

Floating jumps anchored throughout the course.
I avoided these at all costs