Friday, June 20, 2014 - Zip Line and Cave Tubing

I didn't write this until Saturday, so much going on and having so much fun, I guess I forgot.  It was such a nice day!  Our tour guide, Dennis, made all the difference.  We went zip-lining first after about a 50 minute drive to the place.  There were 6 zip lines.  Much more lax on the safety than the one we went to at Whitefish, and not as comfortable.  It was way too rushed as the next person was coming down the line before the last person was unclipped so it made it stressful rather than allowing us to relax and enjoy the experience.  I would not recommend it at all.  However, the scenery was gorgeous.  My favorite was the 2^nd to last zip line which crossed over the Cave's Branch river.

After zip-lining, we went cave tubing.  There was a 20 minute hike carrying the tubes.  It was pretty hot after the zip line, so it was nice that it rained on us, tropical rainforest style, while we hiked!  

We walked through a cave while on the hike...

I was also very happy to get in the water and swim for a bit to cool off before going into the cave.  There was a deep pool near the entrance to the cave which was perfect for swimming.

Here we are floating into the entrance to the cave...

Dennis did a great job of showing us rock formations in the cave like a jaguar running and a shark’s head.

He also took us to a waterfall which was out of the main flow of the river. 

He even dragged us through several “butts up” areas.  After exiting the cave we had a really nice 20 minute float through the jungle to the takeout point.

When we got back to the van, we changed into dry clothes and had a buffet style lunch of rice, chicken, pasta, coleslaw, plantains, and banana bread.  Dennis was such a great guide and driver.   He was great about stopping for us to take photos. The scenery is gorgeous!

When we got back to Pook's, we just relaxed and read.  Danika and Jason went down to the main cabana area to hang out in the hammocks.  While they were there, a baby humming bird flew into the window of a truck and knocked itself out.  Danika saw it happen and went and picked up the baby bird and brought it into the bar, to Vicki, the owner.  Vicki said it needed sugar water in order to give it some energy.  It sat up, but couldn't fly, so Danika and Jason fed the baby bird with sugar water from the tips of their fingers.  After a bit, it got up and flew into the rafters.  It’s mom flew in and around the baby and made a big ruckus and then she flew back out, but the baby didn't follow. So then the mom came back in and really yelled at the baby and it finally followed her out.  That was so cool for both kids.  It is not very often that anyone gets to hold or touch a hummingbird.  I only wish I had been there with the camera!  There are loads of humming birds around the main bar and lounge cabana.  Here are a couple of pictures...

It get's dark fairly early here, so the kids hang out and play games by candlelight.  It really is such a lovely place to stay!