White Water Rafting- The daredevil in me….

These sequent of pictures, taken from my water rafting trip in Sedim, Kedah.

I just realized that (well, after not blogging for some time, that’s why!) I have not post anything about my passion of water rafting. I started rafting in 2009. It was when I wanted to conquer Kinabalu. During that time, my friend suggested other adrenaline rush activity-water rafting. Well, to thell you the truth, when I first started hearing about it, I just couldn’t imagine myself doing it. I could barely swim (in the swimming pool only), and the thought of such daredevil activity just scare the hell out of me. Yes, I AM an adrenaline junkie, but water rafting? I dunno! But after much discussions between us, we agreed to go with it. There are 2 rafting spots in KK, namely Kiulu and Padas. I quickly agreed on Kiulu, however one of us wanted to do Padas. Kiulu is level 1-3.  While Padas is level 3-4. Read here, taken from http://www.malaysia-trulyasia.com:

Grades of Whitewater
All whitewater is graded using an international system and can range from safe to life threatening. Whitewater rafting is not a day at the beach. Some of the more common injuries include getting hit by a paddle, dislocating a shoulder, breaking glasses on rocks, breaking a hand and cuts from hitting debris in the water. That is just a list of all the bad things that could go wrong, but mishaps can be avoided if you stay alert and listen to instructions and of course, choosing a lower class river.

Class 1 – no rapids, flat water
Class 2 - mild rapids, suitable for children and anyone seeking an enjoyable experience
Class 3 – larger rapids, requiring a little more skill but with little real danger
Class 4 – powerful rapids, needing more advanced techniques
Class 5 – heart-stopping rapids, for the brave only

Class 6 - Extreme

The reason I wanted to do Kiulu is because it is easier, but my friends insisted on Padas since we did one adventure on climbing Kinabalu, why not continue doing another adventure with Padas? They gave me no choice. Ok, so we agreed on Padas. Since we prepared ourselves for Mount Kinabalu, we also needed to be prepared for Padas. So, the first place we went for’practising’ is Sungai Slim, Perak.

Actually, we signed up for Kuala Kubu Baru in Selangor. It’s a quit a famous rafting spot with 2-5 rating. However, during the last minute, the organizer decided to change spot to Slim River, Perak. This is because, the dam at Kuala Kubu Baru is closed, hence less water flowing thru the river. For white water rafting enthusiastic, this is a less ideal condition. The more water in the river, the faster the raft flows, and increases the adrenaline rushing in you. Slim River has 1 to 4 rating. But when we were there, it’s a definitely a 4! Imagine beginners like us, doing a 4. But it was truly a worth experience.  

Slim River was grade 3 to 4 during our trip since it just rained. The river is narrow, maneuvering the raft was quite a challenge. 

 My adrenaline junkie friends...we always look for new rafting sites...This is what we put on before venturing into the water. Safety helmet and vest.

Put on strapped sandal. If not, be prepared to loose them in the river!

Once we did Slim River, we did Kuala Kubu Baru and Kampar. Kuala Kubu Baru is very famous for its rapid and body rafting activity. For water rafting activity, some sites like in Sedim has water confidence test. This is where you have to jump into the river and not being afraid of the water. This is because, in white water rafting, there are high chances you will be thrown out of the raft, due to the rapid. 

Water confidence test, monitored by the guides.

I've been thrown out of the raft multiple times till I lost count. It was scary the first time but you have to always believe that the vest you put on can really float you above the water. Positive attitude is really important when doing this kinda extreme activities. When the raft is capsized or somebody is out in the water, rescue will be done. 

My friends and I did Slim River, Kuala Kubu Baru, Kampar, Sedim and Padas already. These are grades 1 to 5. The most extreme? Definitely Padas. And we did Padas right after climbing Kinabalu. Our legs were really sore after Kinabalu but luckily, not much leg is used for rafting. It rained when we got there. And from our expereince, rain means more volume of water in the river and flow is faster. However, the guides told us that even with heavy water, once the dam is closed, there is no water flowing to the river. Which means that it's totally grade 1! Arghh...we prayed it was at max speed, Grade 5.And we got it! The river are just unbelievably violent. 

But being an experienced rafters, we maneuver the raft quite well. But we lost the battle at one of the rapids, the Washing Machine rapid.

These pictures show how we try to rescue one of us. All of us were thrown out of the raft bcause the raft capsized. It took nearly half an hour to rescue all of us. Some are drifted far away from the raft because of the violent water. The current keep hitting on you. Luckily, all of us made it.

Padas has murky water, unlike other white water rafting spots and it has waves.  It just happened that when we were there, the rain plus the opening of the dam really made it up to Grade 5. But it is totally worth it!

After Padas, we did Sedim. Sedim is Grade 4. Sedim is great, but for us, nothing tops Padas, as of now. There has been some talks on Singor. Singor is the only rafting spot in Malaysia with Grade 6. But up until now, this has not materialze. With Singor, we need to camp overnight since it is located deep into the jungle. But who knows? One day, I will be able to say, "I've conqured Singor!". Let's pray for that....

 Faces after rafting....we did it!!

Also, dun get so serious here, throwing water at other teams are definitely a must!