Well, on our second day in Belize, we went off to go Ziplining and Cave tubing. We have never done Ziplining before I had no idea what to expect. Darren was clearly excited about going, as was I. At Pook's Hill we made a friend, Melissa, and so she was joining us for the day. The area was beautiful, of course you are ziplining through the jungle and over the river. There is some hiking involved but nothing strenuous, mostly stairs and the guides will stop frequently to show you various different plants and wild life along the way.
Safety was a priority. We met at the set up area where we met the two guides who were going to take us along the zip lines. They geared us up with helmets, gloves and harnesses. They explained every step as to what to expect along the way, how long it would roughly take and if we had any questions or concerns. They guides were very professional and organized, I felt very safe and secure.
Of course I wanted to go first. I was more then happy to do the practice run. They hooked me up to the line, there were two safety back ups, so if one should fail, there was another. They also explained to me that in my right hand, the glove had a piece of leather, this hand was to ride along the bottom line (like the pick above) and if I wanted to slow down, I was to pull down on the zip line cord. The leather would cause the friction to stop. Knowing that I had to stop myself was a little unerving, I had assumed there was a breaking system at the bottom. He said the guide at the other end with show hand motions to tell me to start breaking or to keep going. It was easy to catch on. Also, if I found myself starting to turn, I just had to move my right had back a little further behind me and I would straighten out. I didn't find myself turning at all during the ride.
After the practice run, we continued along the path where we came across this termite mound. The guide asked us if we have ever eaten termite and naturally we all said no. So he asked who wanted to give it a try. Darren was very quick to volunteer (surprise surprise). He tappened the entrance of the hold in the mound and left his finger there to let them climb into his finger, then he ate them. Minty...was the best description he could give them. Naturally...I was curious.
Yup....minty was a close comparison. They are not too bad, maybe a little chocolate and termite balls or something...they are very high in protein too.
The views along the way were amazing. This run here was the longest run. You can pick up quite a bit of speed, but we never ran into any trouble along the way.
Ziplining was alot of fun and I would encourage everyone to give it a try. I didn't find it strenuous and it was great having the wind blow in your hair in the heat.
After the adrenalin rush of Ziplining, we made our way back to the car to change into our swim suites to get ready for the cave tubing. How does floating down the river into the cave and doing nothing but enjoying the sights and sounds of the jungle sound to you? Peaceful? It sure was. There is about a 45 min walk to the beginning of the cave tubing. Along the trail, you get to see the different types of tree that are labelled and our guide Mario was happy to tell us the story and show us the different trees along the way. It is a flat walk the most of the way, and you get to make a small pit stop at a cave where you can see some bats, and we saw a giant spider that was really creepy looking.
This was the swimming hole at the entrance of the cave. It is a slow moving river that runs through the cave and it takes about 40 min to make your way through it. You are given a head lamp and life jacket for the ride, so you can see what is inside the cave.
Clearly we were looking forward to letting the river carry us away.
This is from inside the cave it was dark. Half way though, we turned off all our lights and let ourselves be surrounded by darkness. After a little bit, we heard the sound of rapids, or a waterfall. Mario, our guide, asked if we were ready to go down a waterfall and this is what he illuminated for us to see....
Ummm.....I don't think we will be falling off of any waterfall along the way but I couldn't help but take a picture of this little water fall. The cave was big and the formations were amazing. We just don't have this kind of stuff in Vancouver BC to see. I was always amazed at what I was seeing on this whole trip and this was only the beginning!
I was happy with the whole thing, after the cave, you float down the river in the jungle and get to enjoy the bright vivid colors of the nature around you. This was a fun day, and we headed back to Pook's Hill to share our stories.
