How I chipped a front tooth...

The summer of 2008 is turning out to be one of the most adventurous and most daring summers of my life. It was so daring (or maybe stupid) that I now have a chipped front tooth. Hehe! Still, the chipped front tooth makes this summer all the more memorable.

Anyway, since we finished early with work over the weekend, Saturday morning was spent doing some recreation at Cagayan de Oro. Our flight back to Manila wasn't until 4 in the afternoon so that gave us enough time to do two Fear Factor-ish things.

First is the trip to the Macahambus Adventure Park. For P300, you can endanger your life (just kidding), you can get a lot of thrill from taking the canopy walk aka sky bridge followed by the zip line aka slide for life. The canopy walk is about 120 meters long and about 150 feet high. You get a view of century old trees and the Macahambus Gorge right below you. If you're more adventurous, you can try rappeling down the gorge.

Next is the whitewater rafting along the wild rapids of Cagayan river. There are fourteen rapids to be conquered and the whole adventure runs for about three hours. On the parts where you're not paddling or holding on to the raft for your dear life (again, just kidding) you get a breathtaking view of the beauty of nature and the local communities along the banks. There are certain parts in the river where you can also go swimming or in one particular part, let the seemingly still water take you on a 1KM drifting trip. Hehe!

You need not worry about safety that much because you'll be equipped with helmets, paddles, and life vests, and state of the art rafts. Before you enter the rapids, you'll be given an orientation on the different types of paddling and what to do if you ever get thrown out of the raft. (Don't let this scare you. You'll survive. For your info, among those that have tried the rafting were an 80-year-old grandma and a 5-year-old kid.)

Now, how exactly did I end up having a chipped front tooth? Hmm, I wasn't prepared for the approaching rapids and I didn't hear the command of our guide so I hit myself with the handle of my paddle. Ouch! It all happened so fast but I did feel something fly out of my mouth, and then I saw that small chip on my palm, and then we were out of the rapids. Hehehe!

I feel sorry about the chipped tooth (I feel like I lost a part of me) but the adventure and the adrenaline rush from the experience was somehow worth it. Hehe! I can have my tooth capped anyway. However, I found out that all dentists are out this week because of the Philippine Dental Association convention. But that's another story.

Anyway, if you do find yourself in Cagayan de Oro one of these days, I suggest you check out the Macahambus Adventure Park and experience the whitewater rafting adventure.