By Harjinder Kler
TIRED of doing the same old thing every weekend? What about doing something a little bit adventurous and more exciting like thundering down river rapids in a rubber boat to get your adrenaline pumping and have lots of fun?
Now you know you are going to have fun shooting rapids that are named after dance moves and cartoon characters along the 10km Padas River rafting area, which ends at the Rayoh Train Station.
That's right, the only way to get to the starting and ending point of the rafting area is by taking a ride on Borneo's only railyway track which links Kota Kinabalu all the way south to Tenom.
The journey begins with the daily train that leaves Beaufort town at about 11am for Tenom.
One quickly realises that this route is the only form of transportation for people living in the area, as everyone seems to use the train and surprisingly, even though there is a road to Tenom, cars are also being transported via the train.
But be prepared, as the train ride is not known for its comfort and it is the only means of transport in the area. It makes frequent stops along many "stations" for passengers to disembark and board the locomotive.
Still, the journey can be described as pleasant, as one gets to see the scenery and a little bit of people as the train line cuts through villages, past homes, schools and of course the Padas River.
The river itself seems like a rather level river and hardly the place to raft really; well that is the impression at least at the beginning of the journey. Perspectives change pretty quick, as we make our way closer to the rafting part of the river.
A quick stop at the Rayoh Station, which serves as the changing room and the end point of the trip, is made before we journey by the 10km of river, whitewater rafting down.
"There's the Lambada Rapid and next we will see The Curve," says one of the many guides from different rafting companies that bring thrill seekers to the Padas for rafting.
"Why is it called the Lambada?" asked one of the rafters, but the guide only grins and says we will soon see enough!
After a quick snack of fruits at about 1pm, the guides give a safety briefing to make sure everyone understands the rules for a safe trip.
Life jackets have to be securely fastened as you would not want it to come off during one of your dips in the river which might be sudden or planned.
Helmets must be worn and if you do fall in, make sure you keep you foot forward (to avoid any rocks) and your hands on your life jackets to keep it down.
Once everyone is ready, it is time to get into the rafts with the guides positioned at the back to steer them.
We jump into our raft with our guide from Riverbug, who tells us to call him Ikan (the Malay word for fish).
The journey down river begins calmly enough as we do a few practice runs with Ikan shouting out instructions.
Then, before you know it, we're heading for the first rapid dubbed Head Hunter Rapids.
Everyone in the raft gets excited, as we brace for a close encounter with the force of the Padas River.
And there is nothing like sitting in a rubber boat being propelled almost like a toy in what might feel like, well a washing machine!
"Alright, well done!" yells Ikan who now teaches us how to celebrate a successful navigation of rapids.
We all lift our paddles into a group salute and then slap the water with our paddles to make a loud slapping sound.
But celebrations are short as we now head for the Scobby Doo Rapids and more thrills and screams with some of us being pushed back onto the deck of the raft by the force of nature.
To celebrate the last rapid, Ikan invites the rafters to enjoy the river up close. "Jump in and float down the river, we'll pick you up before the next rapid," says Ikan cheekily.
It makes you wonder if he will but hey, why not and everyone jumps into the river and floats somewhat gently down the river, remembering to keep our feet in front and our hands on the jacket.
While jumping in maybe simple enough, climbing back on the boat is a whole different matter. Let's just say if one doesn't have upper body strength, just leave it to the guys on the boat to pull you up!
Now off we go to face Cobra Rapid before coming to the fun 180 degree whirling rapid aptly named Lambada Rapids!
This is followed quickly by The Curve which makes a nice finish to the rapids thrill as we almost reach the end.
"Okay guys, last chance to body craft," says Ikan as most jump into the water for the last chance but some are drained from the earlier swim and paddling, as it does sap your energy. Then before you know it, you are at the finishing point and it is time to get out of the water at Rayoh Station for lunch and a change to dry clothes before catching the 3:30pm train back to Beaufort.
So how does rafting down the Padas rate? Well, if losing the concept of time while rating is anything to go by, it rates well because almost all of us couldn't believe that we had spent an hour and a half rafting, as it seemed like 20 minutes.
"I just had so much fun even though I kept falling in the water that I couldn't believe we took that long," said an excited first-time rafter Dayang Khaminah.
So the next time, you are thinking about something different over the weekend, remember Padas River is just a train ride away.
Courtesy of Borneo Post
No comments:
Post a Comment