Vacation Recap -- Part Two
Sorry for the delay -- still trying to get back into the swing of things. That's a post in and of itself, but I'm going to finish my recap so I can relive my vacation whilst avoiding reality.
Our next port of call was Belize. We booked a day excursion to the rain forest to do a zip line and some cave tubing. There are some other things I want to say about Belize, but I'll hold off on that for the time being.
I forgot to mention that during our trek through the Mayan ruins in Cozumel, I managed to get injured. Walking along a very cleared stone path, I found the only downed tree limb left in Cozumel, and scratched/bruised the hell out of my right leg. I preface with this because I want you to see the humor in this thing I call a vacation.
Zip lining is that crazy-assed thing you do where you hike up to the top of a rainforest, then hook yourself up to some cables and zip through the top of the canopy. The "zip" is a series of platforms atop the trees. You zip along a cable, one to the other, very fast. Being terrified of heights, I have no idea why I thought this would be a good idea. Add to that the fact that I appeared to be cursed with a temporary spell of accident prone-ness, and you have a recipe for disaster.
So we trek through some mud until we've reached the first platform. I'm wearing something akin to a canvas diaper, and it feels both comforting and constricting. The canopy guide dude immediately locks me to the tree by one of three hooks. Then he locks me me onto a cable with some more pulleys and hooks. My fate is sealed. There's no turning back. I'm told that I can go into this night gently, or with a push. I hold my breath and step off the platform.
Atop the canopy, I found myself zipping out of control. As I neared the second platform I saw my guide giving me the signal to "break!break!" so I did. Now, you're supposed to break by using your gloved hand on the cable to slow your speed. I did the "break" in the same manner as I would break my car to avoid a collision. Right foot first, right into the platform. It worked, but I bruised the arch of my foot so severely that I limped for several hours afteward.
As nervous as heights make me, I was surprised at how thouroughly I enjoyed this activity. My only moment of sheer panic was atop the highest platform. I noticed it was SWAYING. It wasn't just vibrating, but rocking with the wind. My son, being the jackass that he is, kept standing on the edge of the platform, pretending to loose his balance. Nevermind the fact that we were all harnessed to a safety cable -- I almost broke into tears as I begged him to hug the fucking tree. That being said, once the kids realized I was NOT in the mood for their antics, they settled into the activity and we had a great experience.
Following the zip line, we took a two-mile hike through the rain forest to the first cave. I was mostly trying not to cry because my foot was killing me, AND because the tour guide said, "Look a tarantula!" but once we hopped in our tubes and started going through the cave, all fear and anxiety left me. I wish I had pictures to show you, but I didn't take my camera for obvious reasons. However, the interior of that cave was simply stunning. There was a point where the daylight broke through the cave and trees were growing in it's path -- well, I remarked out loud that I had found heaven. When I said I never wanted to leave, I meant it.
After the tubing portion of our excursion we had a wonderful lunch with some new friends and then noticed we were running "a bit behind schedule." Since we didn't book this tour through our boat, that meant we were in "a bit" of danger of missing our fucking boat. The tour driver raced through Belize at lightening speed. It was a bit of an adventure to say the least, but at least I forgot about the throbbing pain in my foot for awhile. We made the boat with a few minutes to spare. My husband left his water shoes in Belize. I left a piece of my heart. More on that later.
This is Funky, and that is all.
Our next port of call was Belize. We booked a day excursion to the rain forest to do a zip line and some cave tubing. There are some other things I want to say about Belize, but I'll hold off on that for the time being.
I forgot to mention that during our trek through the Mayan ruins in Cozumel, I managed to get injured. Walking along a very cleared stone path, I found the only downed tree limb left in Cozumel, and scratched/bruised the hell out of my right leg. I preface with this because I want you to see the humor in this thing I call a vacation.
Zip lining is that crazy-assed thing you do where you hike up to the top of a rainforest, then hook yourself up to some cables and zip through the top of the canopy. The "zip" is a series of platforms atop the trees. You zip along a cable, one to the other, very fast. Being terrified of heights, I have no idea why I thought this would be a good idea. Add to that the fact that I appeared to be cursed with a temporary spell of accident prone-ness, and you have a recipe for disaster.
So we trek through some mud until we've reached the first platform. I'm wearing something akin to a canvas diaper, and it feels both comforting and constricting. The canopy guide dude immediately locks me to the tree by one of three hooks. Then he locks me me onto a cable with some more pulleys and hooks. My fate is sealed. There's no turning back. I'm told that I can go into this night gently, or with a push. I hold my breath and step off the platform.
Atop the canopy, I found myself zipping out of control. As I neared the second platform I saw my guide giving me the signal to "break!break!" so I did. Now, you're supposed to break by using your gloved hand on the cable to slow your speed. I did the "break" in the same manner as I would break my car to avoid a collision. Right foot first, right into the platform. It worked, but I bruised the arch of my foot so severely that I limped for several hours afteward.
As nervous as heights make me, I was surprised at how thouroughly I enjoyed this activity. My only moment of sheer panic was atop the highest platform. I noticed it was SWAYING. It wasn't just vibrating, but rocking with the wind. My son, being the jackass that he is, kept standing on the edge of the platform, pretending to loose his balance. Nevermind the fact that we were all harnessed to a safety cable -- I almost broke into tears as I begged him to hug the fucking tree. That being said, once the kids realized I was NOT in the mood for their antics, they settled into the activity and we had a great experience.
Following the zip line, we took a two-mile hike through the rain forest to the first cave. I was mostly trying not to cry because my foot was killing me, AND because the tour guide said, "Look a tarantula!" but once we hopped in our tubes and started going through the cave, all fear and anxiety left me. I wish I had pictures to show you, but I didn't take my camera for obvious reasons. However, the interior of that cave was simply stunning. There was a point where the daylight broke through the cave and trees were growing in it's path -- well, I remarked out loud that I had found heaven. When I said I never wanted to leave, I meant it.
After the tubing portion of our excursion we had a wonderful lunch with some new friends and then noticed we were running "a bit behind schedule." Since we didn't book this tour through our boat, that meant we were in "a bit" of danger of missing our fucking boat. The tour driver raced through Belize at lightening speed. It was a bit of an adventure to say the least, but at least I forgot about the throbbing pain in my foot for awhile. We made the boat with a few minutes to spare. My husband left his water shoes in Belize. I left a piece of my heart. More on that later.
This is Funky, and that is all.
posted by Robin at 11:10 PM
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