Antique Heritage Tour Day 3

It was the last day of our Manggad Kang Antique Heritage Tour and I have been waiting for this day. I love anything that’s water but haven’t tried water activities that much. So I was thrilled to hear that we were going to do some Basic Kayaking stuff on our last day in Antique. Hmm. Would I surpass the test?

I woke up early again just before the call time and had my morning coffee on the common area overlooking the fields. When it was time for our most awaited activity, we hopped on our shuttle van and went to Kayak Inn/Tribal Adventures located just atop the Tibiao River to try their White-water Kayaking.

We were ushered to this bahay kubo area where we chose our gear for the activity. This is important for paddles have different sizes and weight and choosing could make or break it. After that, we were briefed on the basic know-how of White-water Kayaking. I have no prior knowledge on the said activity and thought that everything will be just so easy and effortless given that any water form is my best friend. I was utterly wrong.

We went to a relatively calm part of the river for a quick practical examination. Each of us had our own guide that made sure everything was fine. After my guide gave his final instructions to me, I went on with my very first combat with my yellow kayak and yellow paddle.

Paddle inwards to move forward and paddle outwards to slow down or stop completely. Pfft, that easy. I was such a braggart navigating the whole area and scouting my guide for approval. I was doing good and having fun! It was really fun and I can feel my arms getting firmer every time I paddle. I was starting to love kayaking.

Ano ulit ang gagawin natin?

After getting acquainted with the basic techniques of kayaking, we trekked a few hundred meters for the solo rapid kayak ride. This time, we were really in for some adventure. We were set out to go with the surge of waters in between boulders. The challenge was to properly navigate three courses smoothly. Easy eh?

Going with the flow, I was tirelessly paddling away to reach the rapids. And as I move towards it, I started to feel the tension. I hit a boulder and much to my surprise my guide (who was at my back all those times) directed the kayak on the other direction. Whew!

The second of the rapids was next. My guide was constantly giving some tips on how to fall properly and stuff. Maybe he had some inkling of what’s going to happen next. And so he let me on my own. And as I was trying hard to paddle, my kayak went backwards with the flow and hit a boulder. I was trying to push myself back to the right position but it was too late. I toppled down slowly in the rapids and my guide went to save me and put me back in my kayak. Good job kuya.

The third and last of the rapids was really strong. I wasn’t thinking of quitting so I went on with it. Same thing happened as the second one. I went backwards with the raging waters and hit some boulders and I instantly fell out of the kayak. Again, my very dependable guide (who came from the other side of the river) grabbed me and put me back on my kayak. It was so exhausting. I had fun though. It was just me not doing what I was supposed to be doing because I was too preoccupied when the tutorial was done. Or maybe the lampa in me overcame my desire to succeed in this challenge. The group went back to the third rapid to experience it again while I wasted the time swimming in the river.

May quota din ang paghulog sa kayak :)

Will I ever do it again? Yes. No doubt. It’s the rise after the fall that’s important. Naks!

After ~~stumbling and falling~~ kayaking, the group went back to Kayak Inn for a nice Kawa Hot Bath. I’m familiar with kawa or a huge metal basin which they used in cooking sugarcane juice into this thick sweet sauce in our province. Antique is blessed with sugarcanes which explain the abundance of the kawa.

There were six differently-sized kawas and we immediately chose our own and plunged inside it. And yes, they fired it up for the enjoyment of our tired bodies. The heat was bearable and I even asked for more fire on my kawa. There were some leaves in the water which I think also helped in soothing our tired muscles.

We stayed there for quite some time and even tried to fit all seven of us in the biggest kawa available. It was such a fun and relaxing activity after kayaking. You definitely should try this one.

siksik-liglig-apaw

And just before culminating our last day, we went to Vboy’s restaurant to have a feast of their favorite local dishes. The most remarkable item was the ginisang monggo with coconut milk. It was really tasty and yummy!

ginisang monggo with coconut milk - divine!

Everyone was so thrilled in sharing their notable and remarkable parts of the trip as our van navigate its way back to Iloilo. I could only wish that time was much slower to fully savor the experience. More than the fun side of it, the culture and heritage of the place were more noteworthy. For three days, we get to immerse ourselves in the lives of the Antiqueños. And I must say that Antique is so beautiful. Steady. Calm. Chill. And then everyone dozed off.

Special thanks to Mr. Flord Nicson Calawag of Katahum Tours for organizing the first ever Manggad Kang Antique Heritage Tour.