I’m right in the canopy, the top branches of the trees just inches from my feet. I’m on a sort of bridge consisting of two horizontal metal wires for your hands with wire loops hanging down about a step width apart for your feet. With the harness and double safety lines I know I’m safe but there is still a feeling of apprehension when looking down and I keep a steady grip with both hands.… Read the rest
I’m really high up now, zooming along a wire spanning the breadth of the valley. Down below the canopy of the jungle rushing by beneath my feet. To the right the mountain rises steeply to the booming waterfall and to the left, the view opens up to the valley beyond.… Read the rest
I’ve woken up and can’t go back to sleep, so I stand at the railing looking out into the night. Despite not having any lights I can see shapes in the darkness, the silhouettes of the trees, jet black against the charcoal grey of the night sky. Beyond that, stars, more of them than I have ever seen before, twinkling all over the sky. I take in the scene for a few moments before the night chill forces me back under the covers.… Read the rest
I’m lying in my bed listening to music before going to sleep. I can feel the chill of the night air on my bare skin and hear, over the sounds of the music, the whoosh of the waterfall in the background and the occasional frup frup of a moth hitting the protective cocoon of the mosquito net surrounding my bed. It is pitch black like it only gets in really remote areas, far from any kind of civilization, the only light is the tiny amount spilling out around the edges of my phone where it lies face down on the … Read the rest
I’m on a bridge consisting of three thin metal wires in a V-shape, one for your feet and two for your hands. I am balancing precariously as the single line for my feet keeps moving side to side with every step I take. Right below me a is the river, the water cascading over dark grey cliffs that would surely kill me if I fell. I would be scared if it wasn’t for the double safety rope that goes from a fourth wire down to my harness.… Read the rest
I’m whizzing through the air along a metal wire suspended over a gorge. All around me is lush greenery, jungle spilling down the sides of the valley. To my left a bare rock face, water cascading over the edge to form a huge waterfall, a rainbow down at the bottom where the sunlight hits the spray off the rocks. The speed is exhilarating and I shriek with joy, drowning out both the whining wirr of the zip line and the rush of the waterfall.… Read the rest
We’re in the jungle now: the track, if you can even call it that, slopes steeply downwards over roots and moss clad boulders. Except for the track there’s trees and plants all around, you can only see a few meters in front of you. Despite not having rained for several days, everything is damp, the track muddy and the rocks and trees are slippery. All around is the sound of insects and in the distance the rush of a waterfall. I have a nylon strap harness strapped to my legs and shoulders, two safety cords and a zip line pulley … Read the rest
I’m only a couple of blocks from the main street but the place is almost empty. A few cars and scooters passing by, an open shop down the street shining like a beacon and the warm orange glow of the street lights that shine for no-one. With so many travelers coming here you would think the place would be more active but it no, everything seems dead and deserted.… Read the rest
The chamber we are in is enormous, the vaulted roof as high as that of a church and at least 30 meters from wall to wall. On the sides, gentle slopes of bare rock come down towards the water, forming a sort of outcrop where there is a bend in the river, the boat skimming across the gravel just inches below the surface. The whole scene illuminated by the greyish light of our flashlights as they focus on different parts of the surroundings.… Read the rest
We are on a small outcrop of rock, both behind and in front of us lies the shallow river. We are waiting while the driver pulls the boat over some rocky rapids. In the distance sunlight spills in through the jagged mouth of the cave, illuminating the white and ochre colored walls, and the green of the jungle outside reflected in the surface of the water. A large white rock topped with green sits right in the middle of the opening, the only place exposed to enough light for something to grow.… Read the rest
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