ZIPlining!

Yesterday I alluded to fun plans for today and if you're paying attention (and read the title!), you've figured out by now that those plans were to do a canopy tour and go ziplining. My friends over at LaAventura Project had told me how much fun they'd had doing it, so I set out to find a tour company practically upon arrival in Granada. 

It wasn't easy, though. After deciding to use Leo Tours (because it's 100% Nica owned and operated, and because Leo was so awesome), I had to make multiple trips back to their office. You see, there was a two person minimum and clearly I'm only one person. I put my name on a list with Leo and checked back with him three times over two days to see whether any other groups had come along that I could join. Finally, yesterday he told me that he'd arrange for me to go today, even if it was just me, and it would be the same price. Awesome! Guess who's getting a five star review from me on TripAdvisor? :-)

This morning it was a short drive to the foot of the Mombacho Volcano and the Cutirre coffee plantation. The staff were really great about getting us safely strapped into the gear and explaining how the ziplines worked. The cables were up to 100 feet above the ground, with 17 platforms that had ziplines and bridges connecting them. The platforms give you pretty good views all around. I saw a baby falcon and a family of howler monkeys (who stared at us and seemed very curious about what exactly we were doing).

The guides take pictures with your camera so you can take it all in (and brake when necessary). You also have options to travel the ziplines in different ways:

(The "wonderwoman")

(The "monkey")

But most of the time, you're just right side up and zipping along. I don't know how fast you go, but you really move!

In that video, the guide just told me to keep looking at him (which is why I kind of look like a goon)...this is why I crashed into the other guide at the end of the line! You can hear me laughing as I say sorry. Whoops!

The last cable was probably the most fun, I think. It was the longest of all the cables and one guide was at the end, rocking the cables. This meant that I got bounced all around, swinging and swaying like crazy. It was really fun. :-)

It's pretty warm right now, so I'm lying low and taking it easy. But in a couple of hours I have a massage scheduled at Seeing Hands. Seeing Hands is one of those initiatives that trains blind Nicaraguans to give them a way to support themselves. I did this once before and really enjoyed it, so I figured I'd give it another try. Plus, why not? Massage. Who needs an excuse for that?