I mentioned that I’ll try to describe the sights we have gone with a tiny more details for better understanding. As previously mentioned as well, we rented a van for the whole day (Php 3,500 if I remember it right, 8 hours for around 10 people). I am not sure how inconvenient it will be to commute on your own if ever you decide to, except wheng heading to Mayon Rest House and Tiwi which are quite far from where we stayed at in Legazpi. It probably took us an hour per way to go to those places. I suggest if you are a big group, it is definitely advisable to just rent a van. This way, you may dictate the places and pace you prefer.

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Fine, I rest my case. During our experience, the water was brown due to the rain the night before. So, muddy water rafting or wild water rafting it is (instead of white water rafting)! Hehe.

I’m always up for adventure and doing crazy things I’ve never done before. That is not to say I don’t get scared. As a matter of fact, I always go through these crazy adventures terrified. I’m too afraid of heights and I don’t like unpredictability. That being said, it takes a ton of effort to talk to myself to be calm and convince myself to just go through whatever it is that I will regret at the end if I didn’t.

And so this was one of the entries in my bucket list. White water rafting sounded to me like a lot of fun. It seemed exhilarating to be going through that entire experience, especially hearing the gushing water all throughout. I was initially planning to try this if not in Cagayan de Oro, then maybe in New Zealand. But as life would happen, nothing is ever predictable. Thus, I gave this one a go. Also, this was included in the voucher that we availed.

We were dropped-off at the same place where the Crocodile Farm was. The guests were gathered inside, where gears (life jacket, paddles, helmets, rafts, etc.) rest and other amenities such as locker cabinets and water were. A television in this area was playing a video on loop about the water rafting happened in the past.

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I found myself at the edge of a plank. I wouldn’t let go of the wooden rail. It was at a cliff that is around 30 feet high. I could feel my hands tremble, knees wobble and my heart racing so fast I found it hard to breathe. I was thinking, what have I gotten myself into? How in the world did I end up doing something out of choice, yet subject myself into one of the scariest moments of my life?

The dreaded anticipation

Walking towards the plank was already a problem for me. I could feel the heat absorbed by the wood as I very slowly made my way up the edge. It was moving every time I moved. When I reached the end point, I paused. I inhaled… too many times. It was serene. There was that bliss from feeling that you are giving up yourself to nature, to the sea, to the world. There was that deafening silence I experienced which contributed to my fear. The wind was blowing as if it was going to take me with it if I let go of the rail. At that point, I felt alone. I was full of fear. It might have been how people feel when they are about to die. After a little bit less than 10 minutes of just staring at the horizon, constantly trying to breathe, trying to have that presence of mind, I finally jumped.

That feeling during the drop

Falling was a long way down. I was wondering, WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS THE SEA? How come I haven’t reached it yet? I saw a very fast woosh of blue colours from the horizon, then somewhere along the way, I closed my eyes. Still, there was no sea. Then a splash. It was a mixture of pain and exhilaration. Pain because I actually didn’t fall off the proper way (which I would describe) but at the same time, my entire body felt really alive. It was a great adrenalin rush.

After the fact

I did it not because I wanted to die, nor do I have a death wish. I was longing for that rush for a very long time now since I haven’t seen some huge waves this year and I’m really itching for a surf. But really, it was all about that sense of fulfillment. It was that sense of accomplishment and being able to tell yourself, I can actually do it. No job description asks for that particular “skill”, but I did it. And if you ask me, next time I go back, I would do it again. Because in the end, it is something that is going to be a memory etched in my brain. It is about that confidence I can possibly build, it is that long exhale, it is that smile on my face every time I remember it, it is how life should be… an adventure.

My fear of heights will never go away. I was at the tip of a 6-foot-high jump and I couldn’t do it. One thing was that my thighs were aching like hell and there was no way I was going to let myself get hurt unless it was for a higher height. I can still remember the fear I felt in anticipation of the jump. My hands still get a little bit sweaty. Sadly, there were people who hurt themselves when they jumped off the highest tip while I was there (dislocated shoulder, bleeding nose and lip), so I got scared to do that. I was thinking, jumping off from a height of 30 feet was enough adventure. It was extra scary because I couldn’t see anyone at all during my preparation to jump. The raft was at the other side of the mountain, so it was just me, the sea, the skies, the horizon and my fear. But it felt really really great. It made me feel happy that I was alive.

Here’s the video, watch how scared I was. And oh, this was edited, it took me a little less than 10 minutes to jump off but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Tips/Pointers

So, for the scared like me, read this so that you won’t get yourself unnecessary bruises like I did, jumping off should be totally safe:

1. Take a moment. Enjoy the view prior to jumping. Enjoy the silence, enjoy that moment that you hear nothing but the wind. Smile. Then concentrate.

2. Unless you are an expert diver, remember to jump feet first. Also, point your toe so that your feet won’t hurt. And it is in fact, an effort to do that (what I did was just let nature take its course because I didn’t know that you actually have to exert some effort to keep your legs together and stand during the fall). It is important to stand still so that you won’t fall butt first (like I did).

3. Remember to exhale or to hold on to your nose before getting in the water. This I was able to do. This is important so you won’t have that feeling of discomfort after your jump due to the pressure of water entering your nose.

4. Scream at the top of your lungs once you get your head out of the water.

I hope you enjoy your experience as much as I did. This is best to do with the daredevil ones because once you are with a bunch of scared people, them being chicken might rub off on you.

Contact Trondz at 09228876639 to book. It normally costs P1,200 (inclusive of the boat ride that’s around 40 minutes per way, buffet lunch, free flowing drinks and snorkeling gears) but he might be able to give the price a little less if you guys are a big group.