I slapped on an orange-colored life vest, put on a helmet, secured my waterproof camera and picked up my yellow paddle; I’m as ready as I can be for a ride at North Luzon’s mighty Chico River.

Our jeeps descended on a zigzagging dirt road down to Malaking Bato, and met our next highway, the Chico River. The rafts were untied and inflated while we were briefed by Sir Argel; the group was divided into those willing to get dunked down the water and those who are not really good swimmers. We were taught the proper way of paddling, how to get back to raft if ever we get thrown off and how to get out of mini whirlpools. Mini whirlpools eh? That decided it; I chose the non-swimmers group even though I know how to swim.

The bright Lakbay Norte bus lights went out and night lights turned on. We slept the ride from Pantabangan to Tuguegarao with Victory Liner’s aircon chilling everyone to the bone. Our bus rode rolled through the asphalted roads of Northern Luzon for seven long hours.

I awoke at five in the morning, it looks like we stopped and I don’t have the slightest idea where. The sky was still dark as I alighted from the bus; shaking sleepiness off, trying to wake my legs and bringing back some warmth into my rigid body.
It turned out we’re in Tuguegarao already and we’re gonna be staying at the Las Palmas Hotel ‘til tomorrow. That doesn’t mean we got to rest on their soft beds though. After moving our bags, a quick shower and a quicker breakfast, and we’re on the road again; this time on a jeepney bound for Kalinga. We’re gonna rough out raging waters of the mighty Chico River.

The second day of Lakbay Norte 3 started at 5:30 AM. Finally getting full rest on a real bed at Los Palmas in Tuguegarao, we immediately boarded a jeep that would transport us for this day’s itinerary; a full day of whitewater tumble and rumble at the mighty Chico River in Kalinga.

Two hours into the cold and windy ride, we transferred to the jeepney’s roof, were gonna ride topload style! This was gonna be my first time to ride atop a jeep and after seeing the photos taken from such viewpoints, I was quite excited.
Hanging on for dear life, we roared through the zigzags of Tabuk. After an hour of scenic vistas, tree tunnels, sundried coffee beans laid out on the streets, craggy rock formations and chilly weather, we arrived at the border of Tabuk and Pasil.

With our rafts inflated and our briefing done, it was time to ride the rapids! It took us three hours to traverse the waters of Chico River, passing both calm waters and raging rapids. The view was breathtaking, almost Tolkienesque in fact. It was almost impossible not to imagine the two gigantic Argonauts to appear on every bend of the river.