Shooting the rapids

By Pam Pastor
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The adventure starts way before you hit the water.

When people start warning you about the dangers, when you hear about how hard you have to paddle, when you ask yourself if you’re really ready to hit the rapids.

But you push those thoughts away and only start entertaining them again when you see the brightly colored jeepney pulling up in front of your hotel, with two big red rafts secured to its roof.

You wonder if you should bolt back into the hotel room and hide under the covers. But, instead, you hop aboard enthusiastically.

Long and bumpy

The ride to the river is long and bumpy and by the time you get there, you have forgotten about being nervous. There are a lot of things to be done — sunblock to be applied, life vest to be worn, helmet to be put on. Besides, your paddle is waiting.

The guides ask you to get into the water for a quick orientation. The river is ice-cold and you stifle a scream. The guide asks the first-timers in the group to raise their hands. He then says it’s his first time to guide, too. You laugh nervously, telling yourself that he’s kidding.

The guide demonstrates the different ways to paddle and you try to copy him. One of your rafting buddies starts laughing at the way you’re holding your paddle.

Soon, you are asked to separate into two groups. You are grateful that you are in a raft with people who have gone white-water rafting before.

Stellar klutziness

Since there are just five of you, you end up sitting on the right side with only one other person. You are glad there is no one behind you. Otherwise, with your stellar klutziness, you would have ended up accidentally whacking that person on the head with the paddle.

You find yourself in the middle of Cagayan River, paddling away. Your guide Mau says the current appears strong that day and you will be hitting 14 rapids.

At that point, no trace of nervousness is left. You are actually excited.

You keep your foot constantly locked to make sure you don’t fall out of the raft. Sure, the guide has taught you what to do in case you fell into the water (just lie back and spread your legs) — but you have no plans of giving that a shot.

Safe and extreme

Mau says each rapid has a safe and extreme side. If he feels your group is good enough at paddling, he will give you the option of taking the extreme side.

You are with a group of enthusiastic paddlers and you can proudly say you have taken the extreme side of every rapid except for one. After surviving each rapid, Mau would shout, “High five!” and you would knock paddles with the people with you, celebrating the fact that your raft did not tip over.

Your group is so hyper that when you’re paddling between rapids, you actually make your raft spin to add to the excitement.

Because the strong current has made your raft move fast and you have time to spare, your guides decide it’s time to give you a little treat. You are asked to get off the rafts. With a lot of difficulty, you slip and trip your way to what looks like a cave.

The current is even stronger there and you have to form a line and hold on to the people beside you. Mau is there to guide you, asking you to lie back, spread your legs and let the current carry you out of the cave.

They call it “riding the rapids,” you call it “getting river water into your nose and mouth and not caring because you are having too much fun.”

The graduation rock

Soon, you’re back on the raft, ready to hit the last two rapids. After the last one, Mau says you are headed to the Graduation Rock. That’s a rock where people who’ve survived the rapids can climb and leap off.

Strangely, you feel a strong urge to do the jump. When Mau asks who would want to come, you’re one of only four people to raise their hands. You can feel the others’ eyes on you, their faces covered with expressions of disbelief.

You, the sissy who dove into the middle of the raft to avoid falling into the water, would actually leap off a rock into the icy river?

Soon, you’re grappling your way up the rock. There’s another guide there and he tells you where to stand. From up there, the Graduation Rock no longer looks like a rock, it looks more like a cliff. And jumping seems extra-difficult because you have no steady footing, the rock’s surface being too rough and jagged.

The guide tells you to get ready. He says you have to make sure you jump far to avoid hitting the rock. Your heart starts pounding as he starts counting. “One, two, th—”

Plunging to your death

“Wait wait wait wait!” you say, looking at your companions who are sitting in the rafts, their cameras ready to capture your fall.

You take a deep breath, telling yourself that it’s fine, that even if you plunged to your own death at least you were able to ask your companions to tell your mom that you just wanted to see if you could do it.

The guide starts counting again, “One, two, three!”

“Waiiit!” you say again. Your companions are laughing at this point and you start wondering if the guide is about to just push you off the rock.

You take another deep breath and this time, when he counts, you fling yourself off the rock. Soon, you’re falling falling falling, and you have only one thought in your head. “Where’s the water? Where’s the water?”

The answer comes soon — when the water welcomes your body.

High fives

You grab the rope and pull yourself towards the raft. You climb onboard again, your knees still shaking. You exchange high fives with the other people who have jumped and you start wondering if you can do it again.

Soon you’re paddling your way to the end of your adventure—and the end of the adventure signals the start of lunch.

You have a feast of lechon, chicken, prawns, fish, steamed rice and bananas waiting. The river of your great adventure now serves as a backdrop for a good meal.

On the way back to the city, heavy rain assaults the jeepney you’re riding, but you don’t mind. A little downpour is nothing, not when you’re dreaming of shooting more rapids and leaping off many more rocks masquerading as mini-cliffs.

Have your own rapid adventure

White water rafting costs around P1, 200 per person and that includes lunch (but sadly, not the lechon). Visit www.raftingcdo.com. Our guides came from Red Rafts River Tours.

Photo by Jill Lejano

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