January 27, 2014

• Adrenaline water fun.

  What’s the best way to take advantage of the non-stop pour in this wretched rain season?  RAFTING.

  We were determined to have fun.  No amount of murky water able to deter us.  With the rain kept pouring down, the rivers by the mountain side gushed with strength, begging adventurers to join in on the adrenaline fun of water rafting.

  And so we took off early in the morning.  Left the city by 5AM to take a four-hour bus ride to Sukabumi area, the west region of Java island.  All geared in shorts and sandals, we sat in anticipation and excitement, though dozed off in the first hour or two.  We were content, knowing a serious fun was about to put a big smile on our sleepy faces.  We would be divided into three separate rafts later, each accompanied by a professional guide.  Most of us have done this before, with only a few first timers.

  The bus was large enough to accommodate 30 people, but there were only about 15 of us.  Leaving ample space to stretch and place our belongings.  Many of us carried extra snacks.  Bags of them.  Yeah, we are a greedy bunch.  The long ride was forgivable.  Seats were comfortable.  The air conditioner was cooling.  The large glass windows enabled us to see the green side of this island that we rarely get to see living in the big city of Jakarta.  A different region, a different landscape, a different way of life.

    

  When we got there, nobody took his or her time in exiting the bus.  We got out, headed straight to the reception area, registered, got changed, applied some sun-tan lotion (mine SPF50, as I get burned easily), and was briefed by the head-guide, before we all walked down the large cobble-stoned steps leading to the riverside to our designated raft.

  The entire three-hour raft ride was filled with a serious fun.  The water level and strength of current were perfect.  Our chatty bunch was constantly laughing and screaming (not me.  I don’t scream.  I swear).  We got all wet.  But we loved it.  We almost got thrown out of our raft numerous times.  But we loved it.  One of our friends on a different raft got thrown out, carried away by the current for a good five minutes, hurt his leg, and got rescued.  But he still loved it.  We were all in a very good mood.

  We did get a 15-minute break in between.  At the appointed resting location, the rafting management team waited there to provide complimentary whole coconuts for us to quench our thirst.  That’s when we took out the many snacks we brought with us, which include Kueh Lapis Legit (local layered butter cake), cheese and chocolate cookies, fried snacks, and steamed bananas.  We gulped everything down like nobody’s business.  Something about playing in water and getting wet that always got us all craving for food.  And then we were ready to get wet again.

  At the end of our three-hour fun, we got a buffet lunch.  It’s part of the rafting package we paid for.  Simple local fix that included soup, rice, meat, veggies, condiments, and beverages.  Then the rafting management team showed us on a computer slide show the photo shots taken at various locations during our three-hour rafting session.  A cd of the digital photos cost a little extra, but it was worth it.  We wanted to have fun and we got it and were satisfied with what we got.  No complaint.

  Here are a few shots of me and my crazy friends in action.

     

  By the time we were ready to leave, rain started to pour.  Hard.  We were lucky it didn’t rain the entire three hours of our rafting fun.  Not that it would make any difference, as we got all wet anyway.  But the sky was perfectly clear and the sun was out.  Only after we were ready to leave that the sky turned dark and the storm came.  We left at around 2PM but we didn’t get back to the city until after 7.30PM.  The traffic was bad and the rain made it worse.  But we didn’t care.  Most of us were sound asleep almost the entire ride back.  It had been a very tiring yet pleasant Saturday.  We were glad we did it and swore we would be back.

  • 1:14 pm
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