First time to set on foot in Mindanao.
Thrill. Adventure. Fun. Excitement.
All of these are the things we experienced last Feb 27-29, and it all started in Whitewater Rafting, Cagayan De Oro.
Blame it with the CDO-Bukidnon-Camiguin trip of the family and friends. Until now, I cannot move-on. Gusto ko na bumalik agad-agad at itry ang extreme with hulog/lunod factor! At hindi pa rin ko makapag upload sa FB. hehe
The 3d2n staycation ay katas ng napurnadang flight back to Manila on the last day ng family from Coron trip last year. But I considered it blessings because we were able to avail the Travel Fund and experienced such adrenalin rush brought by the White Water Rafting in Cagayan De Oro!
Our flight was early as 4:15am. Most of us did not sleep nor had even time to nap. We reached terminal 3 at around past 2am. Take note, too much to my disappointment I forgot my Tripod at the cab! siengot lang! Hay...sayang. Excited kasi. Grrrr!
Although Cagayan De Oro was among those hardly hit by tropical storm "Sendong" last year, still it does not stop us to visit the said province in Mindanao. Sayang ang "miles" noh!
From Lumbia airport, it was still early so we grabbed our breakfast first to those pile up Carinderia (eatery) at the left side corner of the airport while our chosen host to this adventure (Kagay, the Cagayan de Oro's Premiere Whiterwater Rafting Voyages) is waiting for us.
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| Jeepney service by Kagay. |
Kagay (which means river) offers not only a higher level of adventure and safety but also a different kind of memories/experience! That is why, even we were all FIRST TIMER, we availed their Advance Course wherein it would lasts from 3 to 4 hours.
Kagay operates for 6 years now.
Kagay offers: Beginners
Advance
Expert/ Extreme White Water Rafting!
Why is it called WHITE WATER?
Water naturally flows downhill because of gravity. When it constricted, it pushes in from the sides and sides and sides and speeds up. Speed also increases when the gradient gets steeper and obstructions makes the water swirl around as the flow tries to find the best way to follow gravity. Each of these events causes rapids and the resulting turbulence churns the water, resulting in "WHITE WATER."
Originally, rafting was the last itinerary but we opted to put it first in line. Along the way, our guide showed us what does the water looked like at ang nakita namin from the bridge ay kulay kape gatas na ilog! This was due to typhoon Sendong. Hopefully, the city continue recovers from its tragedy.
Kagay operates for 6 years now.
Kagay offers: Beginners
Advance
Expert/ Extreme White Water Rafting!
Why is it called WHITE WATER?
Water naturally flows downhill because of gravity. When it constricted, it pushes in from the sides and sides and sides and speeds up. Speed also increases when the gradient gets steeper and obstructions makes the water swirl around as the flow tries to find the best way to follow gravity. Each of these events causes rapids and the resulting turbulence churns the water, resulting in "WHITE WATER."
Originally, rafting was the last itinerary but we opted to put it first in line. Along the way, our guide showed us what does the water looked like at ang nakita namin from the bridge ay kulay kape gatas na ilog! This was due to typhoon Sendong. Hopefully, the city continue recovers from its tragedy.
So hold your breath
Be ready to get wet, but
don't taste your muddy sweat .... :)
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| Keribels mag pose kahit kabado :O |
Safety first of course!
Once the gears are all set in (life vest, helmet, paddle), we go right away for the briefing. Let me tell you, this briefing closely freaked me out and almost, made my mom to back out! It was led by Kuya Joel at masahol pa ang takot ko dito kesa sa actual rafting! Yabang naman...hehe. Honest to goodness, it was a scary briefing! (OA ko noh!)
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| Hindi halata sa mga muka namin na may masaya, natatakot at aral na aral ang briefing! |
Though I knew, most of us had nearly acquired nervous breakdown when we finally absorb that this thing that we were about to going through is dreadful one, we still able to pursue it! Kaya tara na nang matapos na! Hahahaha! (That was the thought at the back of my mind). Yes, indeed when you did not listen on how to do it right, you might considered it dangerous adventure.
STARTING POINT
Advance course: Estimated time 3 to 4 hours/ 17 kilometers/ 24 rapids. GO.Go.GO!STARTING POINT
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| Let us start this, before we all start thinking to back out! |
We were blessed of a very fine weather then..
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| We would not let our fears interfere our long waited trip to C.D.O |
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| Honestly, all of my fears and apprehension were gone after a few rapids... |
We were divided into two groups. Maximum no. in one inflatable boat is about 6 to 8 persons. On our boat, we were six (6) two of them were the guides. Another boat consists of one guide and that is Kuya Joel, the great!
While on water, do not forget to follow instructions given by the guides:
1. Forward - my favorite!!!
2. Backward
3. Stop (favorite ni Ronnel) hihihi.
4. Buckling In - (lock one's feet) By tucking them on the boat, the passengers can avoid from falling. (An automatic gestures for all of us). Pag ngawit na ko, nilalabas ko paa ko para makahinga naman. ")
5. Hi5!!! - For every succeed rapids, and for not falling from the raft, we shout hi5!! (Kapag nalagpasan ang unos, hindi malulunod!)
Guide: Shouting, "Forward"! Two strokes!
Me: Nel, Forward daw.... paddle!
Here comes the big waves....
Ronnel: "Sorry, Che ang lakas ng alon. Hindi ko kaya!" Hindi ako maka paddle".
Me&Nel: bwahahahahaha! Stop na nga lang! Sabay kapit sa handle..
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| Kitang kita ang ebidensiya oh Nel.. FORWARD!! |
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| STOP! Cool down |
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| Hi5!! |
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| Hi5 to the max! |
Wala kaming shots ng backward eh.. Oh hindi lang halata...hehe
In the middle of the wide river, there was once particular moment when our boat suddenly stopped and rotate facing backward, kinabahan ako bakit. Buti nalang our two guides were best maneuvers. There was just this rock which apparently stuck in to our boat.
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| Taas kamay Nel.. Kapit na kapit ha. |
Cagayan River is one of the rivers draining the northern central part of island of Mindanao. The river has its headwaters on the Kalatungan Mountain Range found in the central part of the province of Bukidnon.
Rapids are formed by three factors - constriction, gradient and obstruction. Ano meaning, alamin niyo nalang!
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| smile lang kami...wala yang rapids na mga yan! |
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| Rapids, pede relax...teka, san na sila dito.. waaaah. losers!hahaha |
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| ENJOY nga lng! |
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| It was such a breathtaking experience/view! |
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| "Discover the thrill of nature at its wildest! It has everything that makes a memorable experience with awesome roar and power of water cascading over rocks and boulders." |
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| Saraaap! More rapids.... |
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| Advance o Extreme? |
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| Rapids attack! |
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| Spell ADRENALIN RUSH |
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| Pag nilalamon na ng rapids ang boat, makikita mo ang different facial expressions :) |
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| There were times during still water, we just enjoyed watching great scenery of Cagayan River |
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| A_S_T_I_G |
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| We have no dull moments, guide keep on wento kahit minsan di na namin maintindihan.. hehe |
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| Still water runs deep, right peeps? |
And there were series of calm waters, our guides (two boat) required us to stand up, wasn't it crazy but we did and it was hilariously, dangerously hell funny experienced!!!
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| Whoooo!! Ang galing ng mama kong tumayo ay, nakaupo pa la siya, si Trel nalang..kitang kitang nakakapit pa rin! |
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| Can't help but shout na whooo! While gripping tightly at the handle of the boat! Nel, umiiyak!!! |
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| One of the tricky part of the course |
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| Oh, ingget kayo sa the MOVES namin noh... |
Ang galing ng guides, they were able to maneuver right away when we're about to hit the huge rock!
The challenge, you have to lean your body backwards to be able your boat to pass swiftly and safely to these big rocks. Thanks for the helmet!
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| Ayun na nga! Sumayad na eh...hehe, but still controlled by the " 3G" great guide guys. |
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| enjoying the falls |
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| nice one guys..... |
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| see the boulders around the river? |
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| Let your strength and endurance be tested by the harsh rapids |
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| Presented also during the trip was the variety pictures of plants in C.D.O, extraordinary rocks/ boulders |
Our guides have techniques so that the rafting journey would be memorable. They let us go down from the raft and enjoyed each other's company while having some pictures and while we were all submerged to the color brown surface of the water...
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| un oh, parang mga kalabaw lang. hehe |
Sendong, really affects rafting industry in the area. The water turns into a muddy color. Big boulders were actually crushed into a smaller rocks and it lessen harsh water which is more enjoyable for visitors!
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| Amazing rapids but you will not win over us! |
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| the mere sounds of the running water, keeps my heart a bit.. (kanta?) |
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| It was tiring but SUPERB one!!!! |
At 11:30, we successfully at the ground again, sound and kicking with NO ONE FALL out of the raft! It was really an adventure of a lifetime. It all made more special, more thrilling and more exciting when you spend it with your love ones!
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| Hep Hep, HOORAY!! HI5!!! |
Things to bear in mind:
1. The Cagayan River has two important sides: Facing upfront, the Cagayan is always at the left side while the Bukidnon is always at the Right side. (to further explain, please try the rafting, hehe).
2. Whitewater rafting has a certain risk factor. SAFETY is of the greatest importance! All rafters truly need to wear the helmets and life vests in all time.
3. Follow instructions from the guide
4. Do not swallow the water, otherwise.... Eh napanganga ka while the rapids hit your face. ok lang yun! hehe
5. Relax if you ever fall, just go with the flow.
6. Wear something light and which you can protect from sunburn. (or sublock) The journey would take until 4 hours, under the heat of the sun. Bring aqua shoes, or any comfortable shoes. Kami nga nelas lang. hehe7. Bring water with you. Long hours of dry mouth is not good to your system. You need some liquid.
8. Sum up all your valuable things. Be sure to lock it up so you won't shock when your stuffs get lost during the whole period that you do rafting.
9. Trust your guide and team mates! (in short, teamwork)!
10. Enjoy the scenery and the whole adventure!!! Hi5!!
Enjoy the Video..Special thanks to all our guides and all KAGAY team..!
Cheers!
CLICK HERE FOR OUR NEXT STOP: DAHILAYAN ADVENTURE PARK, BUKIDNON
buti ka pa na hindi taga-CDO, nakapagwhite water rafting na. ako hindi pa talaga! hahah.. i really should try it na. it's good to hear that you had fun =) i hope CDO made you happy and that you'll come back =)
ReplyDeleteche, curious lng sino nagpipic sa inio jan?hehe
ReplyDeleteJess: the package includes hundreds of pictures and video clips plus a buffet lunch. The photographer...ako. Char! Si kuya..nalimutan ko name pero Kagay din, unnamed, the official photographer.
ReplyDeleteEunica: yeha, you really should try.. Wa plan to try extreme naman. sana.
Looks like you really had fun water rafting! isama ko na yan sa things to do before I retire. hehe.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun experience! Great action shots! Enjoyed this post! Anyways, I'm a new follower, which I hope you don't mind ;) Feel free to stop by my blog any time!
ReplyDeleteXoXo,
Jen
cupofsimplici-tea.blogspot.com
Aaaawwee!! So cool!! This looks like so much fun!! Water Rafting in Cagayan de Oro is definitely in my Bucket List. Thanks for this :)
ReplyDeleteKisses! xxx
ilikeyourears.blogspot.com
Hiyee! I'm just new here. White Water Rafting in CDO is really fun. Hope i could get to experience this too. I"m your new follower. Feel free to drop by my blog site too - iamjessiegarcia.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteit's me,
Jessie
Ma aksyon ang pictures nyo! ganda!! Exciting naman. Parang di ko yata kaya yan. hehehe, duwag! I'd like to try it pero pag iisipan ko pa. nyahaha!
ReplyDeletewow! i envy those photos, those rapids looks really crazy! haha I love the captions. the place really looks breathtaking.
ReplyDeletebtw- come drop by my blog if you have time and maybe follow each other if you like, I would love to have more filipina bloggers friends :)
http://smallfrequentdressing.blogspot.com/
wow!!! nanghihinayang tuloy ako di ko to na try nung nag cdo kami!
ReplyDeleteWOW! this i havent tried in CDO... thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteHi Mitch! Looks like I enjoyed White water rafting as much as you did kahit wala ako dun. Salamt sa napakaganda mong post. As if I can hear your screams and shrills of excitement. Kainggit! Will plan for CDO too for our next family travel.
ReplyDeleteThanks ulit! Enjoy talaga ako dito sa post mo!
T: Retiring? if you will, yeah, better if you done it with rafting! extreme!
ReplyDeleteJen: Thanks Jen for following..
Mara: Winner talaga! Hope you try it too.
Jessie: Hehe..thanks for following.. I will too.
Anney: If you read the whole adventure story, it was not that scary pala..very exciting lang!yihey..
Roxanne: Thanks for dropping by...
Kuya Christian: Hay u you missed that adventure? eiwei, kaw pa, balik ka and this time, you MUST try it!
Pinoyadventurista: Oh, add on to your bucket list! GO!
Ate Beng: It was sooo great experience for the family! Yeah, ur not mistaken, we're crazily yelling for the great ride of our life! hehe
woohoo, i liek rafting as well nakakatanggal ng stress. ansaya ng activity na yan! =)
ReplyDeleteChyng: Trulalu. Ansabe ng first timer rafters? hehe..more @ extreme!!
ReplyDeleteshit! namiss ko talaga ang rafting. Enjoy na enjoy ako. I also tried Water Tubing in Gensan. Ang cute nun. nakasakay ka lang sa gulong. hihihi! Mas extreme yun kung ganun ang sinakyan nyo diyan. hahaha!
ReplyDeleteMaricar: AY korek, on the bucket list yang Tubing na yan, kung san di ko alam. Sana ma try ko din, mas exciting kasi solo ka dun! hehe
ReplyDeletewater rafting ftw! high five! kagay din nag guide sa amin, ang saya saya!
ReplyDeleteNice Article! Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteRiver Rafting at Rishikesh
This is an interesting and so well maintained blog. Whole article is too good and well written.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you really enjoy on what you experience in white water rafting in Cagayan de Oro.. :-) You must try as well the extreme course.. :-)
ReplyDelete