March 20 We started the day early (as in 230 am early) because our drummer has to be in the airport by 4am. Since we still have time left, we slept in the van for around an hour and a half before going white water rafting. This is what CDO is known for and Alexis, our producer, will not let us leave unless we experience this ourselves. In fact Alexis and my super great, adorable, generous, thoughtful, influential friend Nikka Sotelo (o ayan, quits na tayo) has already planned this beforehand (in fact what they have prepared for us was over and beyond their call of duty, we can't be more thankful) and we are all looking forward to this experience... all of us except Acel :)
We had our start on the Great White Water Tours Office where we transferred to a jeepney which will bring us to Cagayan River, the rafting site. On our way, Acel said she won't be joining us because she has back problems. It was a truly valid excuse so I told the rest that she will be left behind and will be in charge of guarding our possessions and taking our pictures (haha). Nevertheless since she will be staying near the river, we told her to dress accordingly as she might get wet.
Here's our picture on the Great White Water Tours Headquarters before we went off to Uguiaban- the starting point of our river trek:
When we arrived near Uguiaban, we were given life jackets, helmets and paddles to use during trip. We were convincing Acel to join us since were only going to take the easy route in the river but since she cannot be convinced we told her just to wear the life jacket, helmet and paddles for picture-taking purposes.
Off we walk to the river like children going to their first day at school. We were laughing on our way because Acel is still wearing all the gears (helmet, life vest and all) when she has no plans to join the rafting. When we got to the river, we saw a local washing clothes on the rocks. We told Acel she can do the same and use the paddle to squeeze the dirt out of the clothes.. Haha...
At long last, afloat is the boat that will bring us to adventure land. And after numerous tries and failures, the team finally, at the last minute, convinced Acel to join the trip. With one foot on the raft and another on eternal goodness, Acel once again dedicated her life to our Creator as she dared to brace the rapids of Cagayan... And the rest was history.
The trip started from Uguiaban to Cabula and lasted around 3-4 hours. We passed 21 rapids with different sizes and difficulties. It was exhilirating, refreshing and exciting, not only because the view was breath taking and the rapids challenging but also because our trip was marked with laughter from one end to another. Here are some snippets of the action.
Here are some of the fun shots:
As we neared the end of our trip, Acel came to the realization of how much she would have missed had she not joined. Thank goodness for "B.I." friends. Here's her Titanic shot ala "I'm the queen of the world". Its an image of the triumph of the human spirit.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alexis Valdivia, Nikka Sotelo (who was with us in the spirit), Richard (our driver and tour guide) and the staff and crew of Great White Water Tours for giving us this wonderful opportunity to scare ourselves to death.. haha. Seriously, it was "Great White Waters" indeed!
The next day we're headed back to Manila for Acel's next gig. Another chapter has ended and were now off to our next adventure.
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