The river wild in Davao

One of the best things about living in our beautiful archipelago is that with over 7,000 spectacular islands at our fingertips we will never run out of fun and exciting things to do. I’ve never been to Sagada (which is still tops on my list) and the one time I made it to Palawan it was only long enough to board a boat to sail out into the middle of the Sulu Sea (which is another story altogether!). Last week though, I ticked another must-see destination off my list and, on the invitation of the Department of Tourism, hopped on a plane to Davao to try their newest attraction for adventure lovers – white water rafting!

I began my sojourn by getting onboard a Cebu Pacific plane early last Monday. It being my first time to take Cebu Pacific, I was pleasantly surprised to find their planes were big and spacious and very well maintained (not to mention, I really liked the soothing blue and green color motif). Mid-flight I was surprised to be pulled away from my reading by an in-flight game conducted by the flight attendants wherein they challenged the passengers to guess which movies certain lines came from and awarded them with prizes such as Cebu Pacific T-shirts. Seeing as how one of the prizes included a tube of Off Insect Repellent which I had forgotten to bring along I joined in the game and won.

After landing in Davao I was whisked off to a delicious brunch at the Waterfront Hotel before boarding the ferry to beautiful Samal Island. I could already see why Davao is seen as a perfect synergy between sprawling metropolis and exotic wilderness. The thriving city bustled but a mere 45-minute boat ride ferried us to the untouched beauty of a pristine beach resort mere miles from the metropolis. Indeed, as the boat pulled into the jetty at Samal Island Pearl Farm, I couldn’t help but feel I had entered a small piece of paradise.

Samal Island Pearl Farm is the perfect destination for the worldly traveler and a wonderful respite for the occasional Davao city slicker tired of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and looking for some relaxation. The resort is nestled on the quiet side of Samal Island and covers 14 hectares of nature’s beautiful serenity. It was once a pearl farm where thousands of white-lipped oysters cultivated their pink, white, and gold pearls. Today, the resort promises a relaxing and private retreat under the care of its friendly and attentive staff.

I was met by the resort’s friendly receptionist, Edna, and the general manager, Juan Roca, who informed me of the diverse list of activities I could indulge in while there. From sports-lovers to spa-a-holics, Samal Island Pearl Farm has something for you. It offers tennis courts day and night and for the water enthusiast (such as myself) the resort offers a wide array of water sport activities such as kayaking, jet skiing, water skiing, banana boat rides and scuba diving. For scuba lovers Davao is a great well-kept scuba secret. Just off the shoreline of Pearl Farm is an incredible World War II Japanese vessel, awaiting discovery. "We truly cater to everyone’s needs," Pearl Farm’s GM relates. "Whether it be relaxation, sports, or cuisine that brings our guests here we have something for everyone."

I decided to indulge my inner spa brat and had a wonderful and relaxing massage by Ester at the Ylang-Ylang Spa beautifully situated right beside a waterfall. It was just what I needed to soothe all my cares away.

The next day, we awoke gruelingly early to prepare for the big white water adventure. Taking the ferry back into the city, we met the regional director Sonja Garcia and transferred our bags to the quaint Casa Ruby. Then we headed off for Davao Crocodile Farm to begin the Wild Over Water rafting adventure. As it turned out though, the Davao Crocodile Farm was just the meeting point and proprietors of the farm and the white water rafting adventure Sonny and Jackie Dizon gave everyone a quick briefing before we piled back into our cars and headed off for the Davao river.

After about an hour drive, we reached our destination at the start of the rapids and the group congregated at the river bank for the safety briefing by Val Camarra while strapping on our life vests, hard hats, and picking out our paddles. The entire group managed to fill out three rubber rafts for eight people each, two single inflatable kayaks, and two inflatable kayaks for three.

A light drizzle followed us for the entire three and a half hours it took to get down the river and, despite being soaked the entire time and the rapids being especially stronger with the downpour, the rain was such a blessing as it kept us cool and the cloud cover it provided prevented the sun from making it an incredibly hot trip.

Now, despite the fun of white water rafting, it is important to note that it’s a pretty dangerous pastime and all the proper precautions should be taken. As for our little kayak of three, being intrepid adventure seekers, we were so gung-ho at the start of the run that we were actually looking for the roughest rapids and hitting the current as hard as we possibly could.

When we hit a fork in the river, our confident little kayak ended up taking the "path less traveled" and we found ourselves on a part of the river that was, as of then, not yet explored. We were happy because this trail was obviously stronger and we were excited to see what adventure we’d hit along the way. Within a few short minutes we got our wish. On what were undoubtedly the roughest set of rapids on the run, our kayak hit the proverbial "eye of the storm" sideways and capsized. Remembering that we weren’t supposed to fight the current (and at that point it was impossible anyway) we all allowed the river to take us bumping into every single rock along the way (I swear, my legs took the brunt of that and I sure as heck felt it the morning after). Finally, after what seemed like forever but was probably only a few short minutes, we were dumped into a calm area and were able to spit the water out of our mouths and catch our breaths.

As we were continuously pushed downwards by the current, I managed to ricochet off a mini whirlpool and swam to rescue our boat knowing our poor aching bodies couldn’t hit another set of rapids without it. Forsaking my paddle, I grabbed the kayak and managed to swim with it to the bank. While I caught my breath on the riverbank.

While our little disaster in the river was definitely exciting, it was quite a humbling experience and after lunch we focused on hitting all the rapids the right way and steering clear of rock-laden areas. Talk about experience being the mother of all knowledge, for the remaining two and half hours of the run we made it through like experts. Personally, I think it was mainly because we didn’t want to get blasted again.

I must admit, bruises and injuries aside, it was a great run. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect! White water rafting is definitely a sport I can see myself getting into. It was a blast, and as we pulled up to the end of the run at the Lacson-Laman Bridge, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride for making the whole run in one piece (even though several of my body parts were already throbbing and sore).

We stripped off our life vests and gear, toweled up, and pulled on some dry clothes. Then we piled back into the cars and headed back to the crocodile farm where Jackie and animal experts and breeders Sid Buenafe and Donard Muñoz showed me all the wonderful creatures they care for there. It was incredible! I happen to love animals so I thought nothing of cuddling with a gigantic snake, a sea eagle, a baby crocodile, and my personal favorite Carlo, the adorable baby orangutan who (after I bribed him with a sweet lansones) really took to me and didn’t even want to go back to his trainer. It was so cute!

Finally, our long day came to an end. Sonja invited us out to dinner for our final night but after showering I was just too exhausted to do anything but collapse on the bed and rest, thinking about all the wonderful things we had done and experienced over the last two days.