For the adventure cruise, the people of Barangay Tenani in Paranas town formed the Tenani Boat Operators for River Protection and Environmental Development Organization (Torpedo). They also named their boats “torpedo.” The 4-meter boats have elevated sides to prevent water from coming in—a design similar to that of boats used in the past to bring out illegally cut lumber. The DOT trained Torpedo members in dealing with and guiding tourists, administering first aid and in white-water rescue. On Nov. 30, 2010, the adventure project was launched. It was stopped barely two months after, however, when floods hit the area. It reopened in March 2011 after the quality of water in the river improved. More than 1,600 people, including 150 foreigners, have already tried the cruise. VISITORS prepare to go swimming in the cool, clear water of the Ulot River at Denit Point, an area surrounded by a jungle, and return to the base camp after a two-hour torpedo boat ride. The first time she went on the 21-kilometer cruise along the Ulot River in Paranas town, Samar province, almost two years ago, Canadian Elaine Springgay was awed by its raw, natural beauty. “It is really beautiful and I was really surprised by the color of the water. It’s almost turquoise green and it’s very peaceful,” she said. Springgay, 29, has ridden the Torpedo Boat Ride Extreme Adventure on the Ulot several times, but she still enjoys it. She even jokes that it has become her favorite “office.” “When you go on Torpedo, especially after the first couple of kilometers … you really get to see what the environment must have looked like before people started to cut trees,” said Springgay, ecotourism and enterprise adviser of the Ulot Watershed Model Forest (UWMF).
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 00:44:42 +0000
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