A scream-all-you-can ride down the Cagayan de Oro River /2

...continuation

Classifying the rides

What Agbuya refers to is the white-water rafting classification

used by experts. The Cagayan de Oro River has still water (class

1), ripply stream (class 2), straight rapids (class 3), extremely

difficult rapids (class 4), and rapids requiring technically

challenging maneuvers (class 5).

''That is why we offer different packages,'' says Agbuya.

The juvenile ride is for children (who must know how to swim): a

calm, yawningly sedate river cruise. The classic ride consists of

five easy-to-navigate rapids. The advance ride brings you

through 14 rapids. And the masters ride passes through what

the NORMMS guys call Tata's Choice, a swiftly swirling point

where different water sources converge and where the raft

enters a tiny, tricky rock hole. Only five successful passes were

ever made here.

''When we reach that area,'' Agbuya relates, ''we usually get off

the raft and walk on the riverbank, carrying the raft on our

shoulders. And then one day, our friend Tata insisted on

tackling the passage. Pinabayaan namin. Nakalusot naman

siya. That's why we named it after him. But we do not normally

take our passengers through it: you can get crushed by the

rocks, or you can be thrown against the cliff walls.''

When Agbuya and his friends were still using the raft they

bought from Duty Free, they encountered one accident too

many. The currents would slam the raft against the mountain

wall. Or, as usually happened, the raft's plastic skin would be

punched by sharp rocks, and it would go pffft and sink in a

funny, sorry way.

''Once, the raft got stuck at the rapids, and the abrupt stop threw

off some of the passengers up in the air,'' Agbuya recalls,

quickly adding, ''but there were no serious injuries.''

Nowadays, though, with the appropriate river-rafting craft, there

have been no accidents so far. Quips Agbuya, ''Nonetheless we

have to take precautions. Hadlok man gani nang linaw, unsa

pa kaha nang rapids ang bangga-on? (Cruising the river on

calm days is already dangerous, how much more when we shoot

the rapids?)''

Best time

The best time to shoot the rapids is during the rainy season,

when the onrush of water is supremely swift.

''But the Cagayan de Oro River is a good ride the whole year

round because the water sources are the ever-reliable Mt.

Kitanglad and Lake Lanao,'' Agbuya points out.

Beyond the adrenaline rush the rapids provide, the ride down

Cagayan de Oro River offers a breathtaking peek at pristine

natural landscapes: lush forests, dramatic cliffs, picturesque

prairies, mysterious coves and caves, exquisite rock formations.

The ride even showcases six footbridges (hanging bridges, if

you like). ''You can ask us to stop the raft for some

picture-taking,'' Agbuya shrugs his shoulders insouciantly. ''We

can even snap the photos for you.''

From some kind of barkada fun, the Cagayan de Oro White

Water Adventure has become a highly popular adventure sport.

During the recent Travelmart, the northern Mindanao regional

office of the Dept. of Tourism showcased the river rafting

adventure in its popularly acclaimed booths.

According to Jean Pabayo, tourism director for northern

Mindanao, ''the white-water expedition is an ingenuously

designed eco-tourism package and we are proud of it.''

Agbuya says his clients come from all over: foreigners,

out-of-towners on the lookout for alternative travel highs, even

religious folk like Columbans and Opus Dei groups.

''Once,'' Agbuya confides, ''the entire family of a well-off Chinese

businessman in the city took the ride--from grandchildren to the

lola.

Acceptable family fun

Although they did not take the whole ride, we were so glad they

even tried it. Para bang nagiging acceptable family fun. Which

is what the ride really is all about.''

The ride's perks include a camp-out lunch in a scenic picnic spot

by the riverbank.

You can also ask for an overnight camping package and even a

spelunking (cave exploring) adventure.

''The river is like a woman--seductive but sinister,'' says

Agbuya. ''The trick is not to try taming her but to savor the

fullness of the experience, taking all the necessary precautions.''

And so it flows, the river--of hope and adventure--running

through our lives.