Early in the morning everyone rolled out of bed and got dressed in t-shirts,
sneakers, and shorts, and headed out to the lobby. A short while later, a
large truck complete with very study benches in the middle of the bed and
bars around the perimeter arrived and we all piled in by ladder. Once we
arrived at ¨Da Flying Frog Canopy Tour¨ headquarters, everyone put on lovely
(and quite flattering) harnesses and helmets, and then the adventure began
with a rough truck ride up a mountain.
We got to the first platform and all started to get a little nervous; we
were basically standing on the edge of a mountain. And better yet, we were
going to be flying from one giant tree to another, on top of the rainforest,
hanging only by a cable. We were told the method to the madness; hold on and
brake only when told to. Marissa later learned that when they say don¹t
brake, they mean don¹t brake. After the short lesson, our little daredevil
of the group, Mariah, started us off.
One by one, we zip-lined across the huge rainforest, on a total of 17
platforms, getting eaten by mosquitoes between each and every one. Whenever
someone got stuck, one of the tour guide guys had to slide on out to her,
wrap his legs around her and pull her back to safety. The best part was when
Rico had to be helped back. No one can describe how unique and fun this
experience was and, by the end, everyone admitted that it was a blast.
After this eventful morning, we all piled back into the trucks, unaware of
the adventure to come. We were standing in the truck gripping onto the bars
around us as we bumped along the rocky roads. Nicole was standing on the
bench acting as our tour guide and shouting ¨tree¨ every time a branch was
coming towards the rest of our faces. I think we all started to realize the
drive was only going to get crazier as we headed down this road and straight
into the Nicaraguan Rainforest. Complete with going through rivers, down
river banks, around huge trees and getting stuck in the mud, covered in
spiders, and equipped with bruises the size of Texas from the bars, this
truck ride was the type that Disney World only dreamed of recreating. But,
once we all safely got out of this jungle, we arrived at the mayor¹s
family¹s private beach, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Here we surfed, laid on the beach, walked around, and ate the most delicious
fish and plantains cooked for us right there on the beach front by the local
family that guards the beach.
The water was nice and refreshing. Nicole, Kamryn, and Taylor were cautious
of stingrays as they shuffled their feet on the ocean floor. Some people,
such as Chelsea and Jordan, became surfin¹ pros, while others had some scary
experiences like getting hit in the head with a board (poor Driggers). Other
than that, it was a wonderful day to chill on rocks and sing like the little
mermaid as waves came and crashed behind us. Well, Mariah was the only one
who did that successfully. Between collecting sand dollars, taking a
gazillion pictures, getting scorched by the sun (Brian felt the burn for
that), and enjoying the delicious local comida, this day was unforgettable. |
