Before his last canyoneering tour in Kanlaob River in Alegria town, Aldrin Carba asked his mother Melona to prepare his shoes for the trip to southwest Cebu.
“Whatever earnings he made from his canyoneering, he shared with his family,” Carba’s mother told Cebu Daily News at her son’s wake at home in the next town of Moalboal yesterday.
Carba will be buried at the Moalboal Public Cemetery on Aug. 3.
Carba had a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He discovered his interest for adventure when he was 17 years old.
He worked as a paramedic at Seamen’s Hospital in Mandaue City, said his mother, but spent his weekends outdoors in the province exploring rivers and mountains.
It was raining that Saturday. He had his 23-year-old cousin Tranquilino Temblor Jr. as an assistant to help him handle 22 guests for the tour of Kanlaob River.
Temblor said each guest paid P300 to P500 for the equipment, food, transportation and guide’s services for the canyoneering tour.
Difficulty
Carba gave everyone a safety briefing before the trek. Temblor admitted that they were advised by town residents not to proceed with the trip because of the rain and strong river current but “Aldrin said we could do it, so we continued.”
“We even prayed before we proceeded with the tour,” Temblor said.
He remembers how Carba reminded everyone to tell him if they suffered cramps or had difficulty going up or down.
Temblor said the river current was strong and deep, swirling like a dark mix of coffee. He said their first “jump” was successful and everyone was safe. He said Carba made the second jump, even leading the other guests to safety.
Unfortunately, the guide rope was cut. Carba swam against the water current trying to find the end of the rope. He never surfaced.
Despite what happened to her son, Melona said she had no regrets.
“I know that he was happy doing what was his passion. I told his friends to continue and love adventure. He may be gone but what he did will always be remembered,” she said.
Related Story:
Body of canyoneering ‘pioneer’ found after 29-hour search in Alegria river
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