After a long period of no activities, I participated in a white water rafting which I registered for 2 weeks ago! I was very keen because it was in Kuala Kubu Bharu, and this is one of the must-go places for white water rafting with rapids of Grade 3 and 4. Previously, I did white water rafting in Gopeng and Ulu Slim. I joined a group organised by Maya Xcape Ventures for RM180 which includes snacks (apple, chocolate bar, mineral water, and Apollo chiffon cake), guide, equipment and lunch. Photographs are not provided because there are no locations along the river where one can snapped photos but we may request for one and it costs RM350. Pretty expensive. Luckily, one of our group members have a waterproof casing for handphone and he took most of our photos during the 3-hour activity.
09042016: My friend and I drove to Kuala Kubu Bharu and the meet up point was at the post-office. From there, the group drove to the start point which was close to the Selangor dam. I was worried if there was minimal water level because of the hot season now. According to the guide, the dam is open and hence, the water level is high. I dropped my friend at the starting point, and all the car drivers are brought to the exit point where we parked our cars. The exit point is close to Kem Bina Negara. Then, a 4WD brought us back to the starting point.
At the starting point, the guides and staff were pumping air into the raft. The tourists like me were busy snapping photographs. We put on our lifejackets and helmets. There were 9 of us in the group. Of course, there are other groups on that day too. We got briefed by the guides on the do's and don'ts of white water rafting. Although this was my 3rd time doing this activity, I was still nervous.
That is our group in the raft. It was a small raft. Our guide name is Jess and he is a local. He is fun. Off we go!
During the first 30 minutes, we went through small rapids. Until the 'chicken drop' rapid which is a Grade 3.5. Jess told us that there is a possibility of the raft turning turtle or we will survive. However, considering we are in a small raft, we may get thrown overboard. And we got thrown overboard at 'chicken drop' rapid. I have no idea why they named it 'chicken drop', but it was a pretty funny name! It was my first time being thrown overboard. I had to hold my breath as I got pulled up by my friend. I was worried I may get trapped under the boat. We floated and got rescued by another guide. The water current is strong.
We stopped for a break at a mini waterfall where we had our snacks. The rocks were slippery and I slipped getting to the waterfall. Mostly because I was wearing the wrong pair of shoes. I wore my running shoes and I totally forgot I had my rubber shoes, Kampung Adidas. As you can guess, some part of the soles of my running shoes came out. Well, I have had plans for sometimes to buy myself a new pair of running shoes. Someone in another group commented if I was wearing such for the activity. I said yes. He asked what about swimming attire. I said I am wearing swimming pants. To explain to my readers, I have a long sleeve swimming top but I did not wear it because it will be hot during my drive and I get skin outbreaks from my sweat and heat due to my eczema. So, I opt for a sports bra, a dry-fit top and my cotton sleeves which can be removed anytime. I wear cargo shorts which dries easily over my swimming pants because I did not want to tear my pants if I got caught in any rocks.
Then, we got thrown overboard again at the last rapid. But it was a planned fall to be part of the video. This time, we are prepared for the fall. After the fall, we floated and swam back to the exit point. It was fun. You could see I have a big laugh on my face.
The event ended at 1.30pm, and we had our lunch in the small town of Kuala Kubu Bharu. One must definitely try out this river. Yay, I can now tick it off the check list, and venture to other rivers.
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