Cagayan de Oro (part 2- RAFTING)

DAY 3- Extreme-level White River Rafting
(read part 1 here)

Before we got to the river we had to trek 45 minutes downhill and we weren't prepared for that. As if forgetting my rash guard wasn't enough, it was a challenge to tread using my super thin flipflops. I'm just thankful they survived. Red's rubber shoes fell apart (the soles detached) and Steven's sandals were broken into pieces! Nevertheless, I had so much fun during the hike down but we had to wait for about 20 minutes for the rest to arrive. This part made me rethink bringing my family over for rafting. Maybe the advance level requires much less walking? The guys who weren't too active before this trip had their legs shaking for about an hour because of the trail (or lack thereof). 

Diving into the cold water after the hike down = pure bliss 

Oh dear, I pose like a dude. 

I'm not sure if it was because we were all famished, but this meal was just SO GOOD. The guides set up a fire at one of our stops and cooked these on the spot. 

Yes, our boat capsized. Our guide said it was the first time this had happened to him in 7 years! And to think their group's used to all the extreme sports. 

You can see our raft approaching at 0:24 and I'm the one at the back with the grey sleeves and black helmet. Being the one farthest from the side where the boat tipped, I was stuck under it for a while! I was seriously scared of being underwater for too long since I couldn't open my eyes because of my contact lenses. I had to feel around the boat and I even tried pushing it to get it off me (major fail). Good thing the guides were able to move it away just so I can resurface and gasp for air. The vest was pushing me up while I was below the boat underwater- it was a challenge!

Fear just hit me after looking at this video- what if they weren't able to move the boat? I swallowed and inhaled so much water in panic. SO thankful I came out of that unscathed. My first thought when I came out of the water was to look for the rest. Apparently they had already been "rescued" by the other rafts.

Honestly, I'm not scared of anything (bugs, heights, animals, horror flicks, ghosts/spirits - nada) but I am scared of drowning. Have you seen the movie The Rage: Carrie 2? The ending still haunts me to this day and I think dying that way is just so painful. So far I've had 3 near-drowning experiences but it has never stopped me from hitting the waves. I just think the need to get laser eye surgery is even stronger.

Ayen and Red fell off their boat twice and yes, it was also captured on video. You can't really drown because you have a vest on, so the only risk is getting squished in between the rocks OR accidentally having your foot lodged in between two rocks and then eventually breaking it (okay, I may have sourced that from my imagination). We were taught to always keep our feet up before waiting to get rescued. 

Ew, I look too happy.

One of the bridges damaged by [typhoon] Sendong

The entire trip I kept a deadpan face and my friends always make fun of me for that, but I was really just trying to take it all in. Being stuck in a building and in a city of noise and pollution with strategically-placed trees just drains you. I will always be in awe of nature and its untouched beauty!

Hope you guys had fun looking through the photos! These were all taken by one of the guides from Bugsay Rafting. The whole experience was just too much fun and I wish I could do it every year!

❤