It’s April, everyone! As much as I am willing to be fooled that the first quarter of 2017 has already come and gone, sadly, that “fooling day” has also… well, come and gone. So it’s time to face up to reality. Yes, it’s April. And yes, time flies so darn fast… but hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t fly with it~ But if, at the moment, you’re stuck at home, you can try recalling those past summers, and how you spent them. Like I’m going to do right now, remembering the first time I tried white water rafting.
Growing up and living in a tropical country with two seasons – either wet (rainy) or dry (summer) – has its upsides and downsides. Certainly, one of the upsides is being able to go to different places to cool down when the summer heat gets too stifling.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I live in a region of the country that is known for its temperate climate. Effects of climate change aside, it still gets pretty cool to cold up here, which is its main draw among local tourists. So when summer gets too hot, they all flock up to Baguio City and Benguet. And theeeeen, it gets hot up here, too. *wryyyy*
So, in the name of all things “summer”, I thought of posting up several summer-related adventures I’ve had, no matter that some of them are going to be major throw backs for the next couple of weeks.
Usually, when it’s summer, people go to the beach to take advantage of the sun; if it’s going to be hot, might as well soak it up, huh? During one summer more than a couple of years back, however, I and three other colleagues had the chance to insert some water-splashy adventure at the end of a work-related convention in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.
This was another first for me…
If you’ve read some of my previous posts, then you’d know that I’m a girl-from-the-boondocks-who-can’t-swim. But that didn’t stop me from still going into the water whenever the opportunity arose. There’s a caveat, though: there HAS TO BE A LIFE VEST. If there’s one, I’m good.
Remember when I posted about the time we visited the Dahilayan Adventure Park in Bukidnon? There were originally just four of us, but we were able to loop in several others to go on an adventure for the day, and this was the result.
I can no longer remember how much each person had to pay, but we got a package that includes ziplines at the Dahilayan Adventure Park AND white water rafting. So, in the morning, we left Cagayan de Oro early, headed to Dahilayan and, after lunch, rode back to the offices of the rafting company.
Before we knew it, our batch became larger, thanks to several other joiners.
(Disclaimer: Photos on the river were taken by 1st Rafting.)
When you say CDO or Cagayan de Oro, and you’re looking for adventure, “white water rafting” is definitely one of the top things that will come up. Look it up online and you will no doubt find CDO as one of the top rafting destinations in the country. In fact, CDO is adjudged as the “white water rafting adventure capital of the Philippines”.
What makes this apparent is the number of professional rafting outfitters in the area. We were saved the trouble of picking one because it has already been arranged beforehand, and it was with 1st Rafting Adventure. (Check them out on Facebook.)
It was already 3pm at this point, and our flight back to Manila was at 10pm later that night, which means we have to be at the airport at around 8. That’s the reason why we chose the middle course, which is not Beginners’, but not quite Advanced. I forgot what they called it, but I’m pretty sure it involved around 14 rapids. If we had more time, we would’ve gone the Advanced Course, with 24 rapids. But anyway…
After registration at their office, we rode on a jeepney for a 30+-minute ride to the jump-off point.
It was such a great day~ There were clouds in the sky, but there were absolutely no signs of a downpour. Incidentally, though, it rained the previous day, and that explains the brown color of the water of the Cagayan de Oro River. It’s not mud, though, so don’t worry. It was just the river soil being “disturbed”, causing the color.
Everything was provided, and so we suited up, and gathered round for a briefing/orientation that lasted for around 10 minutes, where we all met our river guides and were taught the basics. Right off the bat, you can tell these guys are very funny, which is very important in lightening the mood. You see, as excited as we were, there were still nerves, as this was our first time trying this activity.
Paddling with our arms and hearts…
At 3:30pm, we set off.
In my head I was ticking off the instructions taught earlier, especially the commands. I was also trying my darnedest to ward off intrusive images of myself being pitched out of the inflated boat and into the water.
There were 4 boats on the water that time, which meant 4 boats being photographed by just one river guide from 1st Rafting. 🙂 Not complaining, though.
I think the rapids were spaced very well, giving you enough time to recover from the high (or hilarity, in case something or someone happened) before the next one. The guides were also talkative which, I think, is very important just so our nerves will be eased.
At several points, in still and calm waters, the guides will have us slow down, and even encourage us to go into the water. Seeing as the water is a bit murky, though, we weren’t all that enticed. So we mostly stayed on the boat and fooled around with the camera.
Especially for first-timers like us, it was hell on the upper arms. But you don’t really get to feel that in that moment because you’re preoccupied between trying to pay attention to what the guide will say next and trying to stay inside the boat. Which is a difficult thing, especially when the guides seem determined to direct you exactly where the rapids are.
Oh, and one of the other boats also attempted to climb this rock. XDD
You’ll definitely get your money’s worth or, at least, the guides will make sure of it. The boat has to stay afloat through and past the rapids, and they will make you work for it, which is definitely part of the fun. You’re not there to sit back and be taken for a ride by a chauffeur (or, in this case, a river guide). Although they are the ones directing and steering the boat, you’ll also have to pitch in.
And they’ll make you do all sorts of things, like stand on your feet while paddling forward, backward, cling on for dear life, and to look in the direction of the camera. Ahem.
We got to the end of the rapids run at around 5:45, which means we were in the water for close to 3 hours… which we did not really feel at all. I actually felt like we were there for just an hour or so. But THREE??
Needless to say, we were all wet, so darn tired and almost assured aching arms and other parts of the body the next day, but we were also extremely exhilarated and with hearts a-pumpin’. I’d say this was definitely a very good experience for a first-timer in white water rafting.
After this, we showered, went back to 1st Rafting Adventure’s offices to get our copies of the photos, met up with the van that we hired for the day, then proceeded to the airport. We were cutting it close but, that time, it was alllll worth it!
Many asked me afterward, “isn’t it scary?”
If it’s the first time, it definitely is. But isn’t that how it goes for anything that you haven’t tried before and that looked dangerous? Because I will admit, from photos and videos, the whole thing looks scary. But try to look closer and you’ll see the wide grins and smiles as they were whooping with excitement. That alone should be enough to tell you that, yes, it may be scary, but it’s only for a moment. When you’re in it, all those fears will just flow away because you’re having a lot of fun.
So put this on the list of things you should do at least once in your life. And if you can do it again, and again, DO IT. You won’t regret it.
Happy summer, and stay cool, everyone~!
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