We’re not exactly thrill seekers, but we do like to push our limits at times and do things that take us out of our comfort zone. One of the nice things about resort destinations these days is that they provide all sorts of opportunities for those that would like to do something a little more adventurous. Whether you are into diving, snorkeling, paddle-boarding, swimming with dolphins, sharks, turtles, there is something for everyone. When we were in Puerto Vallarta, we decided to give zip lining a try and we weren’t disappointed.
At the time that we travelled to Puerto Vallarta, the swine flu was at its peak in Mexico City and there was a lot of concern about travelling to Mexico. Despite the fact that there were no cases of the swine flu in Jalisco, the state where Puerto Vallarta resides, the airline that we had originally booked our flight on had cancelled. Fortunately we were able to get onto a different airline, but the net result was that while we were in Puerto Vallarta, we practically had everything to ourselves. So, when we booked our zip line tour with Canopy Tours, we ended up with pretty much a private tour.
It was quite an amazing time flying through the jungle over huge canyons. It is also the setting of the Predator movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. We all have a bit of a fear of heights, so this wasn’t an easy task for us to leap off the platform and soar through the air with rocks and boulders hundreds of feet below us. The guides continued to encourage us to be more bold with every attempt, at first going with us and then convincing us to let our hands go from the trolley and hang upside down as we flew backwards with only the harness to keep us from falling. They offered to adjust our harnesses so that we could go face down, “Superman” style, but we chose not to take our chances with not being able to hold onto anything at all.
At the end of the tour, feet a little shaky as we got back onto terra firma, we had a shot of tequila and waited for them to give us the DVD with the film that they had taken of us (don’t worry, we didn’t include that in the post). From there we went to feed the monkeys that were in a large caged preserve. Clearly the monkeys were quite used to the tourists as they climbed all over us, even sitting in our hands and taking the food. Although it isn’t like seeing them in the wild, it was still a lot of fun to interact with the monkeys and have them be so friendly.
Even though our experience was a little unique since it was just the three of us, our guides, and a couple of their girlfriends, it is definitely something that you should consider doing if you get the opportunity. Perhaps it was partially because the guides had their girlfriends with them and they wanted to show off that they pushed our boundaries as much as they did, but at the end of the day, we were grateful for the experience. We would have never imagined ourselves flying upside through the jungle canopy, but now we couldn’t imagine ourselves having not being so daring.