Last night we did a night hike in the jungle. It sounds kind of ridiculous to go hiking in the dark (kind of is ridiculous actually), and even more ridiculous that we actually paid to do it. My trusty headlamp that I brought from home was useless as the batteries were fried so I used this torch that had less of a light than my phone would. Oh well…deep into the forest we go. Our guide pointed out such critters as ants, roaches and drum roll please…moths! Pretty amazing eh! No really…it did get better. Eventually we saw tarantulas, sleeping colourful birds, vipers, sloths, and other interesting animals that sound like pikachoo but I know that is not what they are really called. With critters making odd noises and coyotes howling in the background it was creepy but also pretty fun.

Today was one of those days that I will never forget. This was bungee jumping day!  I have been amping myself up over the past few days in order to get the guts to do it. To be honest it has never been on my bucket list, but I feel like I should seize every opportunity I get and life is short so carpe the effing diem. Excuse the language. 😉

Before the bungee a bunch of us did the amazing zip lines through the jungle forest. The scenery is stunning. Hmmm, haven’t said that much on this trip have I?  There were 15 different cables. Some were short and not extremely high, and others were only for the insane. The longest zip line is where I was harnessed by the chest and feet and they send you head first like superman high over the canopy at speeds of 60km/hr for a full kilometer (and the drop is a mere 540feet). Yah, pretty freaking scary I would say. You couldn’t even see the end of the zip line from the starting point and when you are high above the trees with the wind gusting past you, it felt like death was lurking. But alas, I survived. Another zip line is where they dropped you 196 feet on what they call the Tarzan Swing. Apparently (others told me because I was in a fog of fear) that my feet didn’t leave the platform when they pushed me off so I went head first and came to a crazy jolt when the cord snapped me back. Oh my lord…another glimpse of death. For a few of the cables I was able to go tandem with Michelle. It felt much more secure and we could actually enjoy the view instead of poop ourselves. At one point though I was sailing along at warp speed when instead of slowing down I rammed straight into the metal platform. Injury number 209… Another instance of near death was when I was asking the lovely man where to put my hands on the 98 ft straight down rappel. As I was mid question he shoved me off again. I am sure that the people that work here get total pleasure in pushing tourists off the platforms. I know I probably would if I worked there! By the end I felt like a walking pile of nerves. But it was totally worth it!

Now comes the bungee. I am still waiting to puke because I am so freaked for what I am about to do.Then any woman’s  fear comes true. I had to step on the scale in front of everyone so they knew how much cord I needed for the jump. Not only do I have to get weighed but now they write my weight in large numbers across my hand. A proud moment…NOT!  Next we walked out to the platform which is basically  a cable car that moves out into the middle of the gorge. This is the highest bungee jump in all of Latin America. I don’t think I have ever felt so petrified.They hooked me up to the cables and cords and stuck a helmet on me(because that would do me real good on a 143 death drop).  I edged towards the open part of the cart. There they double checked all my hooks and harnesses and I told me to go further to the edge. At this point I felt like I was going to faint. This is effing nuts. Carpe diem my ass! They start the countdown and I freaked my freak. “No wait, please don’t make me do this,  I don’t care about the money I just don’t want to go”. At this point I would have paid them double to not have me jump. So my friends…I did the walk of shame. They pulled the cable car back to land and I can’t even tell you how relieved I am to be back on the solid ground. I think I have had enough adrenaline for this lifetime in one day. That bungee would have sent me over the edge…literally!

The rest of the day was full of laughter and no regrets. I can fully say with confidence that bungee just isn’t my thing. I love life and think you should experience as much as you can…but I just don’t think my life will be any less exciting just because I didn’t jump.

Tomorrow it is off to Nicaragua…more stories to come