Tour
Guides and Tour Leaders
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Dave "Old School" Williams
Dave
Williams, a lifelong naturalist, is an American expat who has lived
in Thailand in both Phuket and Krabi since 1992. Dave is well-traveled
and has lived in New Mexico, Florida, Indiana, Hawaii, and Virginia.
He left Virginia in early 1992 and headed for the tropics.
He
started paddling in 1978. He has a great deal of experience in both
very serious whitewater and sea kayaking. He has, of course, paddled
extensively in Thailand and in the rivers of Laos.
He is the only person of all of the tour operations in Phuket who was a hardcore recreational paddler well before going into the paddling business. PaddleAsia is his "labor of love."
Dave is a certified British Canoe Union Level 2 Coach and the most experienced paddler in Southern Thailand. Just as important if not more, is the fact that Dave has over 30 years of experience in both hardcore whitewater and sea kayaking.
Dave
is also a certified Emergency First Response Instructor, certified by
the prestigious ITC Outdoor-specific first aid organization, a certified
assessor for the International Award for Young People organization and
he is a BCU certified lifeguard.
He is a lifelong student of ornithology, geology, biology, botany, and Eastern Philosophy. He has a very broad knowledge of the birds of Thailand and a very good working knowledge of the mangroves and other plants of Thailand. He’s also interested in all facets of seamanship, oceanography, mountain biking, survival skills, wild edible plants, and responsible tourism.
Dave has been an instructor for many of the guides in other companies as well.
Walaporn
"Moo" Jitprathep
Moo was born and raised in Bangkok. She moved to Phuket over a decade ago. She has a love for life that is beyond words. For some strange reason, she's always happy...
Moo comes from a dirt-poor family and only had six years of formal education. Her family simply couldn't afford to keep her in school. Still, she made it a point to keep learning. Moo taught herself English! Not only is she fluent in spoken English, but she is very good at reading and writing.
Moo and Dave have been married since 1993. They live outside of Phuket Town with daughter Mook ('Pearl' in Thai), granny and their four pampered dogs.
Moo is a guide, tour leader, cooks at times and helps with trip planning and coordinating. If Moo is on your trip, you'll be taken very good care of.
To read about some of the other talented people in PaddleAsia, check out our other tour leaders page.
Our Guides - a huge part of the heart of PaddleAsia
Nipon
"Tom" Pannoi 
Tom comes from Phatthalung Province in Southern Thailand. He has a degree in tourism from Ratchapat University, graduating in 1997. He has been in the tourism industry 1997. CPR, First Aid, Swimming and several touch-up first aid courses since then.
He loves taking care of people and showing them the wonders of his country. His personality is one of his many strong points. Guests find having Tom lead them to be both fun and educational.
Guest Comment:
"Our guide, Tom,was an excellent wildlife spotter, and it seemed to me that he took pride in showing us the environment and that he enjoyed just being there. There was only one time that I spotted a bird before he did!"
Walter Davison, Khao Sok, December 2009
Just wanted to send a short note to say that Jane and I had a fabulous
day of kayaking yesterday with our guide, "Tom." He was friendly,
professional, and knowledgeable about the area, flora and fauna. His
English was good and he had a good attitude. Our vegetarian meal was
delicious and abundant. I'll be sure to spread the word about the excellent
service and extraordinary experience your company offers!
Thanks for all,
Penny Cousins and Jane Mennie (2 satisfied customers) Phang Nga Bay
day trip Oct 2007
Our guide, Tom, was brilliant. He was very attentive but not pushy and just always seemed to say and do the right thing. Moo was also fantastic and lots of fun, but she also showed us by example how to be very still and quiet. The bungalows were just awesome and so was the time we spent on water and on land.
Jackie Spragg - Khao Sok National Park January 2008
Just a quick
note to let you know how impressed I was with the recent trip..........I
could not get over how well everything was organised and I
felt very privileged to have one on one with Tom (Nipon) for the kayaking
he was very knowledgeable and entertaining to say the least. The accommodation,
food and friendly people all added up to a very memorable time &
I'll be back.
Thanks Dave for such a great experience. John Hiscock - Phang Nga Bay November 2007
You're never too old or
too young to start kayaking.
It's a gentle sport that suitable for all who have a sense of adventure
and who wish to explore the natural wonders of the world in comfort.
If you can trek, you can paddle! It's that easy.
Related web sites: Paddle Asia Tours • Birding in Thailand • Thailand Eco tours • Thailand Khao Sok Adventure • Mountain Biking Tourism Authority of Thailand License Number
31/0204
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