Canlaob canyoning

by Maria Eleanor E. Valeros, #CebuBloggingCommunity

Caption: Outdoorsy chums on a drift after seven leaps at Canlaob in Alegria. Photo by guide Cris Comendador.

ALEGRIA, CEBU, PHILIPPINES (May 31, 2015) — Fear is a very beautiful emotion. It makes you think twice, thrice. It assures you’re just too human to let go of your precious life any minute. But the power to control that fear is the most beautiful function of your brain. You engage in seven leaps even though you understand how great, sweet things can go wrong at some twists.

Canlaob River in the town of Alegria, over a hundred kilometers away from Cebu City, pumps up adrenaline rush via canyoning, which some outdoor adventure enthusiasts prefer to call “canyoneering” presumably to fuse canyoning and mountaineering which are two great outdoor activities.

Canlaob is around seven kilometers long, but the tackling requires from around three to four hours before one exits at the Kawasan Falls in adjacent Badian town (or near the major water source rushing out of holes on the ground).

There are varying heights to deal with – 10 to 15 feet, 30 feet to serve as “graduation jump” in capping the adventure; and another an optional 50-footer drop of which celebrity, travel show host Drew Arellano, is the only one so far among thousands of guests here, who was crazy enough to dare take the challenge.

With the prevalent dry spell, say extended El Nino phenomenon according to state meteorologists, the waters offered enough reason for us to enjoy the scenery, the greens, the boulders, the crystal-like formations, a loooong stretch of astounding, gorgeous gorge!

I am a Cebuana. A literally restless Cebuana. And I have almost been around town, nook and cranny. I made my share of leaps at Kawasan too, which is the most popular of all Cebu waterfalls, to date. But today I discovered Canlaob and is just sooo glad to be in perfect company — people who are out to chill even in the most challenging of territories; people who are “photophiliacs”: who will try every pose possible to make the situation worthy of the capture, cheese and freeze. LOL!

Seven jumps. Amazingly, the rocky promontories have ledges carved by raging waters. Nature definitely understands our playful ways. The last of these ledges is the perfect one, or it wouldn’t be tagged site for a “graduation leap.” It was a note on fear with a splash of sheer will. “I will die anyway, so why not do it now?” the nerves in my hippocampus compounded by a blow on my tummy, by some force of whatever, pushed me off my limits. And there – that most beautiful, daredevil, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious side of me – comes in union with the river, drifting to the rhythm of turquoise waters.

For companionship services so you won’t waste time and money haggling and figuring out who to ask what, email me @ eleanor.newmedia@gmail.com. Tag along outdoorsy chums only, those keen on jumping. This is a high-risk engagement, but local guides are already trained on swift water guiding management, search/rescue/retrieval. In PhP, the entrance fee is 20, the safety gears are up for 140 (set of safety floating device and helmet); while the exit fee in Kawasan is another 20. ###