For those who love to travel around the Philippines, have you ever been to Cagayan de Oro? Why, what is in CDO, you may ask. Well, in case you haven’t tried this yet or haven’t heard of it, whitewater rafting is popular there.
My friends and I went on a long weekend for a provincial chill, something new and far from the buzz of busy cities. One of the activities we did was whitewater rafting. To be honest, this was my first “intense” activity, aside from the rollercoaster rides and other high-thrill rides that I was able to survive in my younger years. 😳
I was convinced by my friends that it was safe. Well, it is safe, as long as we follow the instructions of the guides.
So, there we were on that fun day when my bravery and courage were still at an all-time high. 😂 We wore safety outfits. We were given instructions to listen carefully as we maneuvered the river. So, there we were. On the raft. With two guides with us and the third one who was documenting us the entire time.
As with all journeys, it started smoothly.
Then came the teamwork. As they say, “teamwork makes the dream work.” We were happily rowing on each side, carefully following our guide's instructions.
And then, of course, came the exciting part. The river’s roughest part. The THRILL. What we came for. “Hold on tight!” said one of our guides. We did.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
While the other guide was maneuvering, the other kuya fell. 😂
All we could do was hold on for our sakes. Don’t worry, he was able to immediately get back on with us. He just laughed it off and then jokingly turned to me and said, “You pushed me, didn’t you?” And all I could do was laugh while holding tightly.
“Sorry kuya, paningkamot lang sah ug imo ha!” (In English, “Sorry Kuya ha, you do you!” awww joke. 😂 “Sorry Kuya, please try hard on your own for now.”)
Here's the video on how this all went down. It was really funny. 😂
And then came the part of the river where we were just asked to go down the raft and float.
Yes, we all float down there.
By the time we finished the activity, it was truly fun. I was glad I got convinced to join. This was one of my core memories. A core memory, too, for the kuya guide who fell because we all talked about it repetitively afterwards. He was also teased by his colleagues. 🤣
So if you ever find yourself in Cagayan de Oro, give this a try.
Note: All pictures were taken by our Kuya tour guide, who then gave us a copy via USB.
P.S. Special thanks to 