Wednesday, 26 December
This morning our ride to go to Selventura did not show up so we went downtown to the tour company to see what happened. Apparently, there was miscommunication so they got us a taxi to the place. We got there just as people were getting geared up for the canopy tour (zip lines). We had to dress in orange jump suits, a helmet, gloves and a harness. We then took a van to the starting point where we were giving brief instructions on hand signals, how to brake with one and two hands and how to pull ourselves to the end if we got stuck. I think this not being my first time helped a lot for I was not nervous at all like I was before I first went in Cancun. There were a total of 11 zip lines that we went on with the longest being about 700 and something meters. It was very cool and fun but I wish that we could do more for I never real got a chance to see the trees and stuff that I was flying through or over. The longest one was very cool because the clouds had moved in and you were flying through the mist while looking over the forest below you. Sadly, I got stuck three times. Two of them were my fault for I had slowed down too much from swinging my legs around. I had to turn around and pull myself in which killed my back for I was trying to do it fast before the next person ran into me. The last time was due to something getting caught between the cable and my pulley – I have no idea what it was but it caused me to stop about 40 feet out so the guy had to come out and pull me in. Pretty damn embarrassing and not the way I wanted to end the zip lines.
After about 8 zip lines, we came to the tarzan swing. This was a platform about 30 feet up that involved the staff attaching rope to your harness and then you jumping off and swinging into the forest. Again, I was surprisingly not afraid of this one. I think I was third to go and it was a blast. It was scary being on the top of the platform while they attached the cables to you and tightened them for it felt like they were trying to pull you off before you were secure. By the time they remove the little gate to open the space to fall out, it is all you can do not to fall out due to the tension. The initial fall goes so quick that by the time you notice it you are swinging into the forest and experiencing an amazing feeling. Apparently I was supposed to keep my legs down so they could keep hitting them to slow me down and eventually stop me. I did not understand what they were yelling at me so it took a few swings before I put my legs within reach. One of the ladies purposely kept her legs up for she said that since she got herself to do the jump, she wanted to enjoy it as much as possible – or something like that. I sat at the bottom waiting for Maria so I could take pictures and there were some really good scared faces of people as they jumped/fell off the tower. All of us took the plunge, but two had to take some convincing – one of which was Maria. Apparently, she has a fear of falling (she does not do roller coaster rides) and so she was on the platform for about 5-10 minutes before she went. At one point I went back up to see how she was doing and to reassure her. I took a video of her doing it so she had proof for her friends and family.
Next was the suspended bridges. In the same park there were about 8 suspended bridges that are connected on a loop trail. We had to catch the 1pm van back so we did not have a lot of time to sit and enjoy the view on the bridges. Some of the bridges actually swung from side to side about a foot or so if there were a lot people walking out of step or if there were guys that thought it was fun to swing the bridge. During the hike, Maria told me about her fear of falling and how she went to Orlando with a friend that could not understand that she does not like to go on any roller coasters. He was not very happy.
We got back and checked with the tour company to see if we could get a bus to Manuel Antonio later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, everything was booked, so Maria was POed and we stayed another night and scheduled a ride for 8am tomorrow. Fortunately, the weather finally cleared up today so it was very nice with no rain and wind. We went to the Tree House for dinner and afterwards walked up a hill on the outskirts of town to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we came back and I packed all of my stuff. Tonight, the dorm room was packed (5 people) so I put my bag in Maria’s room so I would not bother the others in the morning. I watched a little TV and then I went to bed and read for a little while.
Below are pictures from Selventura: