White Water Rafting! [CDO]

we left camiguin early in the morning then headed to Cagayan de Oro. As much as we wanted to sleep, we were also ironically, so excited for what's ahead --WHITE WATER RAFTTING! as for me, it was different, I was both excited and nervous at the same time. and the latter didn't come till I knew I was so close to it. must be a psychological thing! hehe.

we arrived in Cagayan River View Inn at around 8am. after settling and all, we took Great White Water Tours' van going to the bridge connecting Cagayan de Oro to Bukidnon, about 30-40 mins away from our hotel. Our tour guides unloaded everything, readied our rafts then gave us our life vests, head gears and paddles. It felt like everything's going to be easy ...till they led us to the bank of Cagayan River, just below the bridge. the current seemed stronger upclose!


getting ready...

before plunging into action, a guide briefed us of what to do. about what to do when you fall, when your friend falls, when the raft capsizes, and all those stuff. he taught us the backward and forward paddling, and when to do it.

(simply when our guide tells so. that easy. whew, I thought there'll be so much thinking involved!)


quick briefing

we were strictly taught to follow the guidelines coz not following may cause accidents. worse, it could cause death. as how some were killed, and were never put into news to save tourism. scary thought huh.

he then informed us what made their agency different from the others (I don't know if this is a marketing strategy or what) --other agencies let clients sign a waiver so they will not be liable for any injury or death. they, on the other hand, will be responsible for whatever happens.

so, it's really a serious matter?! ...gee, that info made me extra nervous. for reals. haha!


pose muna habang buo pa!

we split the group into two, took a while to decide which one --mild or wild... then started rafting at around 10am (we chose the latter btw. hehee. ika nga ni alvin, once in a lifetime 'to!)


"o ano ready na?"

the first few minutes was a bit smooth, till the sound of the violent water came. we were all restless, asking the tour guides all sorts of questions! kakaba kaba?! haha!

Then we came really close to the first rapid --there I realized this is so much scarier than spelunking. for me at least. coz with white water rafting, you'll never know what's ahead!

but contemplating on how much it's dangerous ...is somewhat useless. I was at the point of no return. hahaha!


paddling in action!

"backward! backward!" we all paddled backwards though paddling's nearly impossible. I screamed, coz I needed to boost myself, coz it's scarier than what I imagined, and partly coz I was ironically enjoying the heart-pounding-yet-exhilarating bumpy ride!!!

surviving the first's one of the best, it somehow assured me that surviving the 20+ others is possible. hehe. so, the first thing we asked to the tour guide: Kuya, ganon din pa kahirap ung mga susunod na rapids? his answer: hindi, mas mahirap pa. mild lang yung kanina. eep. haha! si kuya talaga palabiro!


there. apparently, he wasn't joking.


Nth rapid. and we're still alive!

HIGH FIVE! --for the guides, it just meant "we survived the rapids!". Thank God I said that line after every rapid we've passed through. we survived White Water Rafting!!!


"High Five!"

that's what you call ADVENTURE :)
[Dani, thanks for WWR pix!]

Great White Water Tours
tel no: (088) 8562352

Php 1k per head. Includes:

merienda halfway during rafting
(pastel. like you didn't have enough in camiguin. haha!)

lunch after rafting
(chicken bbq and kinilaw. perfect.)

shuttle service to and from the hotel

2 professional guides per raft

tailing 2 rescuers on kayak
(suprisingly... can take pix, will really take care of your cam. hehe.
oh, and you may opt to ride the kayak for a while!)

3 hours rafting, beginner to advanced level
(30+ rapids during rainy season, 20+ during dry season)

Paraiso ng Timog [Camiguin]

Another item was checked on my site checklist when my college friends and I went to camiguin. one down! Ü and it was such a cool experience... camiguin, indeed is beautiful!

bev hired frank (and his jeep) to tour us around. thanks bev! it was a lot more convenient since our group was really big, plus frank not only knew how to drive, he also knew the best spots and the practical sequence of site visits. he must've done it a lot of times to tourists!Ü

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we were really starving and so for a start, we had lunch at J&A fish pen. while my friends didn't find it extraordinary, I loved its ambience, as the whole place is surrounded by its blue-green pond where they breed their fresh water fishes.

I also loved its version of sinuglaw, or the combination of sinugbang liempo (grilled liempo) and kinilaw. it had a lil essence of wild lemon, which we call balibandon in Tandag. nakakaalis umay. sinuglaw satisfied my bisaya taste! 2 thumbs up!!!


J&A fishpen


sinuglaw: sinugba (grilled liempo) + kinilaw. mmm.

after lunch we went to Mantigue Island. we didn't have to worry about the ferry as frank already did all the arrangements. From the shore just beside the the main road, we road a small ferry that brought us to the small island. we were all exhausted to swim, so we just took that quick island visit to appreciate the fresh air, the blue water and the peaceful aura of the island. We just strolled along the shore till we have completely circled the island's perimeter. that's how small mantigue island is!


mantigue island

the ferry then brought us back to the main island's shore, where frank was waiting. it was getting dark and cold so he brought us to Ardent Hot Spring Resort. we loved the loooonng spring dip, it was really relaxing. the hot water was so right for the night atmosphere.

when it was time to go, it was sooo hard to step out of the water... coz it was freezing cold. we all wished we could stay there the whole night! haha!

after our dinner in Vjandep (never ever miss PASTEL!!!) we all slept early coz frank told us that we should leave the hotel as early as 5am the following day. he said it's perfect to visit White Island before sunrise. and so we did. by sunrise we were already on the ferry, heading for white island. can you believe that? it was earlier than our wake up time back in manila!!!

when we were already near the island, I was mesmerized by how it looked. it's smaller than mantigue island. waaay smaller. it looked as if a truck of sand was just spilled on the ocean, forming a small white island that had nothing. seriously nothing. no mangroves, no trees, no huts! I wonder if this island exists during high tide!


white island


me, alvin & dani @ white island

Back in the main island, we had a quick breakfast at some nearby hotel then we started with the whole day roadtrip. first stop: Old Volcano Walkway. pang penitensya, literally. as its uphill path led to stations for the catholics' way of the cross. the steps weren't so steep though, so we somehow reached the 4th station, I think. quick exercise. hehe.


old volcano walkway


3rd station - Jesus falls for the 1st time

2nd stop: Sunken Cemetery. I've seen this in Jomari Yllana and Jelly De Belen's movie, Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin, and so I was really excited to see this for real. As told by the locals there, the sunken cemetery's a REAL cemetery which sunk after a volcanic erruption 137 years ago (1871), putting the whole area under sea level. The big cross that's visible now is just a replica ...the actual one stood even farther from the replica, and of course now submerged under water. Diving in that spot is perhaps a cool experience. sadly, we didn't. di na swak sa time and budget! hehe. I wonder how that old cross looks like now...

As we approached the replica (we rented a boat, for P15 per head) the locals even pointed out some spots which had tombs and crosses but honestly I saw nothing but corals :-| haha. I appreciate the water, it's so clear! the corals beneath could easily be seen! the thought of tombs and crosses and perhaps skeletons beneath those corals freaked me out a bit though. hahaha!


Sunken Cemetery


clear water!

3rd stop: Church Ruins. This place had the same story... the volcanic erruption in 1871 left nothing except the church's walls. it wasn't so hard to imagine how things were a hundred years ago ...the architecture of the church was like any other old church in the philippines, except that it's empty. we did nothing here but to take pix, especially at its garden where the ocean, seen on top view, is so blue and beautiful.


church ruins

4th stop: Soda Pool. This is what I liked most, coz here we took a refreshing dip, and because the pool's water is different. it's unexplainably, CARBONATED. from afar, it didn't show but while we were swimming, we noticed plenty, tiny bubbles coming out from where we are moving. It felt like we're swimming in Sprite! no wonder it was called soda pool!

the locals didn't give so much info about it, all they told us was that it's natural soda that comes from the spring. amazing isn't it? but no, it didn't taste like sprite. it tasted like ordinary water. haha!

frank was the one who suggested it, none of us knew about that soda pool. see the difference when you ask someone who lives there, and relying solely on the internet? hehe.


soda pool

5th stop: Sto Niño Cold Spring. We just shopped for souvenirs, then of course had lunch, we were all tired and hungry! here you could choose your meat -chicken, pork, beef or fish, and have it cooked as desired. we had sinugba & kinilaw (as always), tinola and coconut juice. I was amazed by how coconuts were chilled. they were immersed in one of the spring outlets! practical eh?


cold spring. natural refrigerator for coconuts.

6th stop: Green Church. this isn't really lined up in our itinerary, good thing frank (again) suggested it. it's a woody church (catholic church), and I found it really amazing. the chandeliers are made of twigs, the walls are made of bamboos and sawali, and the altar's made of carved tree trunk. We took a little more time here to checkout the priests' garments that were used over the years. They're all displayed in their mini museum, just behind the church.


woody ambience of green church

last stop: Katibawasan Falls. yet another beautiful falls! the intense sound of water falling from high rocks thrilled me, and so I took a short dip. the water was extremely cold!!!


katibawasan falls

that's it. on our 3rd day, we AGAIN left before dawn and headed for cagayan de oro. we all wished we could have stayed longer! 2 whole days seemed enough, but it didn't give us that relaxing sleep which we wanted for a vacation. so, if you're planning to see camiguin, allot 3 days for that. and don't forget to contact frank, he's really good. here's his number: 0920 5405582 (Frank Pojas)