Day 7 Friday
Mike left this morning at 3am for the airport. John (missionary) will be spending the day with us today. We got up early (6 am) to start our FUN DAY. The cooks weren’t there to make breakfast (miscommunication), but it was fine. This gave us the chance to stop at ‘On the Run’ convenience store and get snacks for breakfast. I was happy that the 2 ½ hour drive wouldn’t be made on a heavy breakfast. (I tend to get car sick.) We picked up Chico and John and were on our way.
First stop was the Canopy Tour Miravalle near Granada. This is a zip line tour through the tree tops on the side of a mountain/volcano. I had absolutely no intention of doing this crazy activity. None. Nada. But as the team was getting ready and I was thinking about how everyone had stepped outside of their comfort zones in so many ways all week long, I started giving in. I noticed there was a picture of someone doing the zip line in tandem with a guide. I actually gave in and said I would do it IF the guide promised to NEVER let go of me! My heart was beating like crazy starting with signing the ‘release’ paper and paying my money. What in the world was I doing??? My guide’s name was Daniel, but was called Pinky. He was reassuring. He told me I was in good hands and that he started the day before. Ha. I asked if the reason he agreed to go tandem was because he was afraid to go by himself. Ha ha.
With my heart pounding and my palms sweating, I jumped in the truck that took us up to the first tree. Oh my word!! That was high up!! Then they tell me that I have to go FIRST! Yikes! Even the climb up the steps built alongside the tree was scaring me! The platforms up in the trees were all see-through metal with some wood. That is scary to me by itself. Anyway, to get hooked up on the zip line, you have to jump up and then hang there after they get you hooked in. Well, I don’t do vertical challenges well and it took 2 of the guides (and maybe 3 sometimes – I don’t know cuz I kept my eyes closed!) to lift me up high enough to get secured to the little wheely thing. I was soooo scared! I was praying for God to calm me down. I’m not scared of dieing, but I was deathly scared of that fall. The guides kept telling me to calm down. I wasn’t making any noises, but I know that my face had to be stark white as the blood drained from it. Pinky got hooked onto the line and tethered to me and held on to my sleeves. As we zipped across that wire I screamed. Not like a girl – but like someone being tortured. I wasn’t even embarrassed. I kept my eyes closed the whole way and could feel some tree tops hitting my shoes. We made it to the other side. Then the other scary part – getting unhooked. You have to jump up (help from the guides to lift me up) and then stand there on this teeny platform. I figured that I could endure this for one more time. Silly me – I thought it was just 2 times and then we would be done! Ha! It was 7. Ahhhh! At one point I was trying to decide if and how I could get down and quit. But I couldn’t find a good alternative in my mind, so I just hung in there (sorry for the pun) and kept going.
The first 2 times I kept my eyes clamped shut and was terrified. The third time, I opened my eyes a little bit in the middle. The guides take your cameras and take pics of your team. They do a good job of this. I was especially thankful since I don’t plan on doing this again and it’s nice to have proof that I actually did it! Anyway, the next time Pinky said ‘look at me’ and when I opened my eyes and expected to see his face, I saw one leg instead. He was hanging upside down! I yelled for him to get back up there and hold on to me! When we ‘landed’ on the next platform, I smacked his arm and told him to never let go of me again. Then called our interpreter, Chico, over and had him explain in Spanish, just in case Pinky didn’t get it in English. Actually, Pinky was wonderful and I kept apologizing for being so scared and needing extra attention. He told me it was his pleasure. He was very nice and gracious. A few times, we had to walk across these metal bridges that you can see through and that was scary, too. At all times we were tethered to a tree or a bridge or something, so we were really safe. It was just hard to convince my pounding heart of that fact. Some of the kids did some tricks, like upside down, superman, pairs, etc. They are so brave. About half way through I was feeling much braver and Pinky just had to either hold on to my sleeve or touch my back with his knee for me to feel safe. When it was over, I felt such a sense of relief and exhilaration. It really was fun, but I’m not sure I would do it again because of my terror of heights. Paige and Chris bought me a shirt to commemorate the experience. I earned that shirt! All in all, I loved the experience.
Next on our Fun Day agenda was lunch at a restaurant. It was very tasty. I got a salad and was so thankful for veggies! Manuel, our driver lives in Granada and he gave us a quick bus tour through this beautiful little city. I can’t wait to go back and explore that town more.
We went to a little area of shops (not a tourist trap) and bought a few things. One shop is run by a Pastor who sells handmade items to help support his church. Then we headed up to a national park at a volcano. We had 30 minutes to explore, but that was plenty of time. We could go right up to the rim of the volcano and see all the smoke. It was neat to watch as the smoke would clear and you could see down in there. A neat cross was up on top of the hill above the crater and the team walked up there for some pics. I walked about half way up, but opted to sit on a bench until they came back down. I was so swollen that I felt that my skin would pop on my feet and ankles (and everywhere else, for that matter). It was beautiful to be there.
We then started back to the Team house around 5pm. We stopped at On the Run on the way home. I got to have some fun chats with Chico and Manuel in Spanish. Chico has adopted me as a second mother, so I now have a son, daughter-in-law and 6 month old grandbaby in Nic. What a joy! Chico told me all the things that he wants me to do with his family when I come back in the summer. I can’t wait!
We got back to the house about 8pm and had dinner and share time. We packed our suitcases and had them staged on the veranda before bed. There was water, so we got some showers!!! I took care of some ‘house’ duties that Mary and Mike had asked me to see to in their absence. I packed my Nic backpack with items and clothes that I was leaving there for when I go back in July. It felt good to leave a piece of me there.
I made it to bed and posted my last update on Facebook via my phone at 11pm. I got a nap, since we had to be up and ready to load the van at 2:30am. Our last night in Nic. The girls in my room opted for sleeping outside on the (gated) veranda the last few nights. They said they slept so well in the breeze. I didn’t mind staying in our room, since I could use everyone’s fans for just me. And the electric seemed to stay on more during the night, or maybe I was just getting used to the interruptions. Anyway, I enjoyed my nap.
There were no Professions of Faith on this day, but much appreciation for God’s creation in the world and in each other. A really nice day. God is so thoughtful to allow us eyes and ears to enjoy this wonderful world. Thank you Lord
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