Are you game for a White Water Rafting experience?

I know I'm game and up for it because you know what I've DONE it! My first ever white water rafting a.k.a WWR experience was at Sg.Kampar, Gopeng. When one of the Mat Sallehs who were about to go for their first WWR that afternoon asked how was it? I just had to say with full of enthusiasm, "IT WAS AWESOME!". And that got them all hyped up and excited!

[caption id="attachment_582" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="White water rafting at Sg.Kampar"][/caption]


Since it was our first time, we were randomly making our bookings with any tour services that can provide the best service for us. After much attempts, we finally settled for a tour service with Gopeng Rainforest Resort. Little that we know that our WWR was going to be manned by The White Water Rafting Specialist - RIVERBUG!

[caption id="attachment_583" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Riverbug Banner Sg Kampar"][/caption]

RIVERBUG rafting guides are a bunch of awesome Dusun people from Sabah. Being Sabahan, I can't help noticing that they are really 'good looking' too! Another more reason for you to go WWR with these guys. LOL! Anyways, the guides are professionally trained and certified by the IRF ( International Rafting Federation) and they have WWR experience over at Kiulu River, Tamparuli the place of their natives home. So worry not about your safety because I can guarantee you that these guides are professionals and they know what they are doing.

The session kicks off with a 15 minutes technical briefing on your safety, about the boat and those important things you need to know about your ride. Next, you have to literally carry the raft to the starting point which is like a 5 minutes walk. The raft was pretty heavy and I ended up didn't do much lifting at all. LOL! I believe our strong, petite guides were carrying all the heavy load.

The starting point of the journey for this Sg.Kampar rafting is over at the bridge. If I'm not mistaken, the water is already graded on Grade III at this starting point. Oh, since it was just the two of us, we have two guides on the raft with us. One is the lead guide, Max and the other is just a trainee guide. We also had two kayakers coming along with us with one of them being the photographer cum safety guide kayaker.

The rafting experience was not merely paddling through the graded rapid from grade 1 until grade 3, we also got to do:

- human surfing which was the point I was out of breath and still had to keep holding my breath because I had to go through the rapid, swallowed water before I was 'rescued with the thrown safety rope'

-banana boat where the guide capsized the raft and I got washed away with the water current and got saved by trying to hold on the front point of the kayak and hold on the end of paddle before Max pulled me back up on the raft. Right before that, my sister were stuck under the capsized raft so they had to get her out.
- surfing with the raft under a hydraulic rapid where we were literally stuck at the rapid for close to 5 minutes and I didn't know that we were actually in 'trouble' because Max just kept saying,"Oh, we are just surfing here" but we managed to get out of it later.
- my sister fell off the raft like 6th times for some unknown reason and she was enjoying every moment of the fall. Haha. Crazy woman she is!
- the trainee guide accidentally hit his head with a tree branch but he turned out to be okay and smiling with his gapey front tooth. Haha. He also fell off the boat once for no reason.
- Oh yeah, one of the kayaker actually asked me if I was a Malaysian when all the while I was talking in a mix of English and Malay with him. Haha.
- Max was crapping about many things on the 'environment' and the Sg. Kampar history. But we shared a lot of ideas on the places we should visit next for more adventure outdoor activities in Malaysia. He also mentioned that we should probably come down to Tamparuli next when he and the gang will be going back home for the Keamatan celebration and we all got excited after I mentioned I just visited Kota Kinabalu earlier this year and more stories about Sabah.

All in all the experience was mind blowing fun. I would be lying to you if I said I was not scared to go on the ride. Despite all that, my adrenaline got me pumping and saved me throughout the journey. You got to be an adrenaline junkie, ready to say 'YES to challenges', of course brave and yeah a fun, crazy person to be on this white water rafting adventure. I'm waiting for my second WWR sometime soon and the mere thought of it can just get me all pumped up! Yay for WWR! and RIVERBUG kicks ASS!