The secret to a good ride is
teamwork. You have to move with
the craft as one. And, yes,
everybody gets to paddle
''YOU want action?'' grins Rafael
Agbuya, a hefty 27-year-old
adventure sports enthusiast. ''This
is action!''
Together with six friends, Agbuya
manages the increasingly popular
white-water rafting expeditions
down the Cagayan de Oro River.
''Down'' may not be the word, though, since the adventure
happens at the upper reaches of the river, not at the often seen
portion sandwiched by the Carmen Bridge and the ''Bag-ong
Tulay'' at the highway.
In fact, the ride ends at a bend 45 minutes before reaching the
city proper. ''Beyond that stop, which is near the Macahambus
Cave, there are no more rapids, and the water becomes
unbelievably dirty,'' Agbuya grimaces in mock horror.
The whole-day scream-all-you-can ride begins at Mambuaya, in
the rugged mountain terrain where Cagayan de Oro City melts
into Bukidnon territory.
It's a desolate jump-off point, where a helter-skelter of tall grass
ripples at the slightest breeze as if beckoning for some nibbling.
Down the slope you go to the riverbank. There Agbuya and one
of his groupmates in the Northern Mindanao Mountaineering
Society (NORMMS)-Ecological Foundation, Inc.--Rolly John
Barretto, 27, agri-businessman; Julius Bioco, 33, electrical
engineer; Ronnie Vidal, 30, engineer; Manny Seriqa, 50,
chemical engineer; Rupert Domingo, 37, catering entrepreneur,
and; Randolf Corrales, 38, cashier at Chinabank--will inflate the
raft.
''After we organized a national congress climb of Mt.
Kalatungan in Pangantucan in 1995, we used the proceeds to
buy a raft,'' says Agbuya. ''We got our first raft for only P12,000
at a sale at Duty Free. It turned out to be a fishing raft, not a
river rafting craft, but we had to make do with it. Nabili na, eh.''
After two years of innumerable repairs, however, the group was
able to earn enough in 1997 to snap up what Agbuya proudly
calls ''a truly rigid raft''--a Kittatinny from Delaware in the United
States. It's an eight-seater rubber craft, described by NORMMS
groupie Barretto (''I'm really a farmer'') as ''very stable--it doesn't
flip over easily.''
This is the raft, or craft, as you please, which will take you down
the river. Before hopping on, though, you have to hand over
your bags, which will be put inside the craft's dry bag (a large
container where food stuff, first aid kits, and all other necessary
equipment are stored).
Bring nothing but yourself
You have to divest yourself of all other items, like watches,
jewelry, ballpens, pen knives, even wallets.
Bring-nothing-but-yourself seems to be the guiding philosophy
here.
Once seated at your designated seat, please listen to the
instructions as if your life depended on them (it does): fasten
your seatbelt and don on your issued life jacket and helmet.
And don't request for another seating arrangement: your body
weight has been taken into account, and a change of seat will
require a total overhaul. (In other words, sit down and shut up.)
''The secret to a good ride is teamwork,'' Agbuya declares. ''You
have to move with the craft as one. And, yes, everybody gets to
paddle.''
The ride begins casually enough. The river looks mesmerizingly
drowsy. No waves, no ripples, no action--yet.
All of a sudden, you hear an agitation downstream. It's what the
NORMMS people call the ''pasi-unang dalit'' (welcome
treat)--the first rapids with a scream-your-lungs-out 45-meter
drop.
Once you've gotten hold of yourself and recovered your
composure (general rule in life: maintain a sanguine composure),
thankful that you've survived that initial jolt, don't relax: pray
and brace yourself for more harrowing thrills.
''What makes the white-water rafting adventure down the
Cagayan de Oro River unique is that it offers the full range of
white-water rafting thrills--the only river in the Philippines to be
so lucky,'' Agbuya enthuses, citing testimonies from foreign
guests who've tried river rafting in Aklan, the Cordilleras, and
Davao.
to be continued...
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