Chasing Courage in Davao

Davao City is the biggest city in Mindanao and the third most popular city in the Philippines next to Manila and Cebu.Davao is dubbed as the Fruit Basket of the Philippines. I got an opportunity to visit Davao City because of work and I had just one day to tour it.My two friends from Davao were very kind to show me around. They both love the outdoors so they took me to the Outland Adventure to try the Zip Line.The zip line is set at 200 meters high and runs to about 700-meters long.We took a good 30-minute hike to get to the jump-off point.We crossed a small river about 30 feet wide.We used a “balsa” to cross the river.Balsa is a makeshift floating platform made of bamboo poles.It is tied like a pulley on both sides of the river.We pulled the rope to propel the balsa to bring us to the other side.After that,we climbed a steep hill to get to the jump-off point.The jump-off is a small tower about 8 feet tall standing on the edge of the hill.When I saw the height of the line from there,I wanted to back out.It was scary.I haven’t done anything risky like this before.But my friends encouraged me to brave this challenge.It took me some time to calm my nerves.I focused on the view,which was simply amazing.It’s a display of green in various shades.The river running across the zip line is as green as olives with the water sparkling under the noontime sun.The hill was green as emerald with some patches of lime green in random areas. I summoned all my courage and went for it. I was going! The first five seconds of the ride were the scariest,after that,fear was replaced by sheer exhilaration. I was gushing forth at incredible speed,laughing and screaming all at the same time. I tried to soak in the view as it flash before me as I cut through the wind.It was an adrenalin rush,big time! It was a proud moment for me because I have conquered my fear. I was grateful for my Davaoeño friends who showed me how to have fun in the face of challenges. Their fun-loving nature is inspiring.