Exciting White Water Rafting In Ulu Slim River

By Hazlinda Hamzah TANJUNG MALIM (Perak,Malaysia), Feb 4 (Bernama) -- Recently, this writer went white water rafting in Ulu Slim River, close to Proton City, near Behrang here. She left Kuala Lumpur at 6.30 am and went to Tanjung Malim. After reaching the river bank, this writer saw six male instructors with three inflatable rafts. They were getting ready to take 12 people on the rafts. CLASS III RIVER Ulu Slim River is considered a class III river, which means that there are a number of obstacles and turns along the river. The international scale of river difficulty is a standard used to rate the safety of a stretch of a river or a single rapid. A class I river has an easy course, with no major obstacles, while the course of a class II river is filled with more obstacles. “Today, 12 people will be going white water rafting along a class III river. We will go in three rafts. The course of a class III river is considered difficult. However, people without any experience in white water rafting and swimming can still choose this course. "We have to wear life jackets. This way, if the raft overturns, we will still be able to float in the water,” said Mohd Firdaus Tajuddin, the lead instructor. He is an outdoor enthusiast and a professional river guide who specialises in white water rafting. RAPIDS A class III river has numerous waves and they are quite high and irregular. Since the course of a class III river is narrow, a person should be good at manoeuvring the raft. “An instructor/guide should go white water rafting along this river before he takes a group of people on a white water rafting journey. To have immense fun along a class III river, it is important to have a good operator and a sturdy boat,” said Amit, an Orang Asli (Indigenious people) guide from Kuala Kubu Baru. Amit and his partner, Au, also an Orang Asli guide from Kuala Kubu Baru, decided to lead a boat with two adults and a teenager. They are experienced guides. Although it was their first white water rafting duty at Ulu Slim that day, they manoeuvred the raft well. RAFTS OVERTURN If a raft overturns, one should not panic. He/she should stay calm. “We will throw a string bag into the water if you float away when the raft capsizes. Just look downstream and hold the string bag tightly. Let the string bag rest on your shoulders," said one of the instructors. As it turned out, two of the three boats overturned and capsized. The writer’s raft, however, was spared the ordeal. People on the overturned boats were saved and brought to safety due to the quick response of the guides. FRIGHTENING? “I will never forget this experience. It was quite frightening at first, especially when my boat capsized and my sister floated downstream," said one of the participants, Na Yi Da. "However, we had fun. We learnt how to overcome our fear when our boat was cruising along the river. We also had to listen to our guide’s instructions carefully, especially those given by our guides whether to paddle or stay inside the boat and even the part where we had to tilt the boat to one side when going in between the rocks,” she said” she said. This writer witnessed two boats overturning at different locations along the river. It is important to remain calm although adrenaline rush is difficult to control. It is also important to listen to a guide’s instructions so that people are safe throughout the journey. VALUE FOR MONEY A white water rafting package costs between RM140 and RM200, inclusive of food and equipment.(US$1=RM3.10) This package is for one day. Activities that require an overnight stay will definitely cost more, between RM300 and RM400 per person, excluding the cost of insurance. An insurance package can be obtained for an additional fee of RM30-RM50 per person. Throughout the day, participants are allowed to relax for a few minutes. During this time, snacks and water are provided. These dedicated guides need to rest so that they have the energy to continue rafting. “We use a lot of energy when manoeuvring around the rocks and also when we take on the rapids. We use our muscles to manoeuvre the rafts when most of the participants have no experience in white water rafting,” Amit said. This water activity is suitable for anyone above the age of 12. Ability to swim is an advantage but non-swimmers can take part in this activity too. White water rafting is enjoyable for families who want to spend quality time on weekends. Children, siblings and parents can interact while enjoying the activity and the freshwater environment. -- BERNAMA