BUGSAY!

Cagayan de Oro is known for its whitewater rafting that turns the Cagayan de Oro river into a tourist destination for people who want a good dose of adrenaline. It is the same river that overflowed when typhoon Sendong happened. The very river that claimed the lives of many Kagayanons. Our minds reeled with thoughts of finding dead bodies floating in the river or decaying zombies that would suddenly grab our paddles and drown us, or even worse... eat us! Waah! But of course, that was just our imaginations running wild. Hehe.

Woke up looking forward to a day of fun and adventure. Asked the woman in the canteen what's for breakfast and she said that we're having afritada. Good thing it turned out to be giniling with fried egg coz I don't think I wanted to eat afritada for breakfast. Hehe. They only served coffee and because I'm no coffee drinker, I just had hot water. Api! Haha. We then prepared ourselves and our things then went down the lobby to wait for our ride.

The jeepney arrived around 8am and we were on the road for about an hour. When we reached the jump-off point, there were vendors selling arm sleeves, gloves, keychains, magnets, etc. Since we would be paddling under the sun for about 3 hours, I bought myself a pair of arm sleeves. I kinda regretted wearing a sando coz even with the sleeves, a small portion of my shoulder was still exposed.

We were joined by a group of three siblings - Yam, Paolo and Gustav. I couldn't help but admire their closeness and spontaneity. According to Yam, they just arranged this trip on the spur of the moment. Sila na ang hindi kailangan ng seat sale para maka-gala! Haha. So glad to be grouped with them. Diba Jhe? Hehe. Though they looked like rich kids, they were all very down-to-earth. Coz if they weren't, if they were a bunch of brats, we would've tossed them out of the raft every chance we got. Haha.

They geared us up with life vests and helmets. Then our guide, Kuya Arman, gave us an orientation. He said a number of safety precautions and guidelines in the event that someone falls off the raft. That we should lift our feet, grab hold of the paddle's handle and most importantly, "Wag mag-panek!" Hehe.

The Beginners Course is a 12 kilometer river stretch with 14 rapids. There were times though that the still waters were too long, it just felt like a river cruise. Now I know why a lot insisted that we take the Advanced Course if not the the Expert Course. Next time! Hihi.

There was one rapid that was so rough, Paolo and Gustav literally flew out of the raft! Yam lost her grip and hit Derick's face with her helmet. I also lost mine but thanks to Jhe I didn't fall off the raft. Life saver! Hehe. For every rapid we conquered, Kuya Arman would shout "High Five!" and we would raise our paddles and shout "Bugsay!"

Derick: "Napapa-whooo ako eh! Pwede bang 'Whooo!' muna bago 'Bugsay!'? Whooo! Bugsay! Haha!"

Another highlight was the mini waterfalls. Our guides maneuvered the raft so we could all take turns in enjoying the falls and freshening up. I think we stayed there for like 10 to 15 minutes. Sarap!

We also climbed and jumped off a rock into the river. Funny how the five of us were able to jump within a minute and it took Jhe three minutes before she could get into the water! I think at one point, Kuya Arman wanted to push her already. Hehe. :P

Then there was the flip. We all sat on one side of the raft, then at the count of three, Kuya Arman would flip it over. 1...2...3! Wag mag-panek! He told us to get into the gaps so we could breathe before swimming out into the open.

Here's the action caught on video:
- The Rapids
- The Falls
- The Jump
- The Flip

Cagayan de Oro literally means "River of Gold". I wonder if there really is gold hidden somewhere. Hehe. In the short span of time that we spent in CdO, we've felt the warmness and the friendliness of its people. They give out their smiles generously and they exude with positive vibes. Well, maybe the "Oro" is not really hidden in the lush forests or the raging rivers.  I guess the "Oro" is really found in the hearts of the Kagayanons. Naks! Hehe.

HIGH FIVE! BUGSAY!!! [===|)