Dear Mr. KIA: I’ve just finished my studies in Sydney and now that I have moved back to Bangkok, there’s one thing I really miss—water sports. Diving in the klongs is out and swimming laps at Chula’s Olympic pool is just tedious. So, I’d like to stick to what I do best—wakeboarding. The only problem is, I don’t know where to go and get my skates on?—Frostie

Dear Frostie: With a name like that, you might want to consider taking up ice-skating at Esplanade (MRT Thailand Cultural Center) instead. Seriously though, you can’t go wakeboarding in Lumpini or Chatuchak so you’ll have to head out of town to find your water based thrills. Never mind though, a cab ride costs about half the price of a 15 min wakeboarding ride! Don’t be a cheapskate (pun intended).

Club Taco (Km. 13, Bangna-Trad Rd., 02-316-7809. Open Mon-Fri noon-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm) is a cable water park (no boats) not far from Central Bangna and with reasonable prices. You can choose to pay for a full day (B500), or become a member for 7,500/year which gets you 50 visits. This price gets free use of water-skis, kneeboards and windsurf boards. The wakeboard rental price is B100 for the boards with boot bindings or B50 for boards with strap bindings.

TE Wake N Ski (Pathum Thani, 02-978-8610. Open daily 9am-6pm. www.wakeboard.in.th/Boat/TE-wake-N-ski.htm) is 45 minutes north of the city center. This is a speedboat powered alternative and features three lakes and a slalom course. There’s also a resort with a spa, tennis court and karaoke. Prices for 15-minute rides (dock to dock) start from B875 for one ride to B11,250 for 15 (valid for a week). You can also pay by the hour.

Extreme Sports Cafe (West Highway 9, Outer Ring Rd. Open daily 9am-6pm. No phone, visit www.extremesportscafe.com/wakeboarding_bangkok) is a professional wakeboarding school with centers around the world. The one here, north of Bangkok, has a resort built around two lakes. Accommodation, gear, and training for two days is B19,600/person but a seven-day stay is B22,600/person. Or just pay per ride, from B950/15 minutes to B13,125 for 15 rides.