Breathtaking...exhilarating!

I've got a few more minutes of battery power, so here are the pics. I've got some more video to hopefully come, but that will have to wait until I have access to longer power again... :-)

Aaron leads the way to the nature reserve...This waterfall was our eventual desitination today....
Max: Today we got to go on the zip lines and even Alex got to go and all of us too. It was so AWESOME. It was like the best thing in Guatemala besides seeing my birth mother. The food is great too. We got to see Spider Monkeys right in front of us. They were eating bananas that the guides gave them.
Kyler: I liked the zip line because all of us got to go. It was cool because it wasn't that fast and that's all I want to say, BYE!Elizabeth: Well, I got to tell you, the zip lines were amazing. What I liked about it was when you finally got going you get to see all the trees below and you can also feel the zip line vibrate.
At the start of our hike, we got to spend some time with a few spider monkeys. Our guides brought some bananas to tempt them down near us, and it was so fun to watch them!This funny monkey grabbed a banana in each hand and one in his tail before climbing back up into his tree!The hike up to the top of the zip lines was beautiful. We hiked our way up along a waterfall, and the zip lines zig-zagged their way back down over the valley below the waterfall with an incredible clear view of Lake Atitlan and the volcanoes. Absolutely stunning.

Maria: We got to go on the zip lines and we went so fast and we got to feel the wind blowing in our face. It was awesome cuz we got to look down and see all of the trees below us and seeing how high we were up. We went with a buddy and got to do it six times. I felt really brave.


bElla: We got to go on the zip lines. We had a little line on and then we got to go with one of the men or all by yourself and it was fun! I liked it! We were super duper high! We got to see the trees below us and we got to do a million of them! We got to do 6 of them. It was fun and I liked it- that was the funnest part!

Alex: I loved the monkeys. [crazy, silly, monkey like gestures] I was very brave.
Note from mom: Alex was awesome!!! He loved the whole thing and thought it was amazing. He went first- the guide just hooked him up to himself and they took off. Alex was excited, but probably not really aware of what this was all going to be like.... :-) After they took off, the guide swung around back toward us a bit and we were able to watch Alex's face. It was so priceless! He just looked astounded and amazed- his mouth got that big "O" look and he was so impressed with it all. Oh, he just giggled when it was time to take off again- he loved it.
He did tell me later that it was scary at first, but you sure wouldn't have known from his big smiles!

Aaron: My wife is amazing. She actually provided the encouragement for everybody to do the zip line canopy tour (cables extremos) together. A few days ago she was trembling at stairs and today she was letting her baby head out first over the forest canopy at 50 fps. Then we all packed into a Tuc Tuc (tricycle taxi) and headed back to the hotel. She is an amazing adventure companion. :)
Heather: It really was amazing,awe-inspiring and breathtaking. I really was there, but of course, I'm holding the camera.... :-)

The view from our second to last landing pad on our way down the mountain (6 zip lines total):
Literally, the very moment we stepped out of our gear at the bottom of the zip lines,we heard the thunder and the rain started. We stepped up to the covered area and watched as the rain began to pour down. Although the Nature Reserve is only a few minutes walk from Hotel Atitlan, we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel. They are the funniest little taxis, and the kids have been dying to ride in one. It seemed impractical, though, as a mode of transportation for our family considering that they are built to transport two people in back, three if you squish....
We fit eight. :-)
We arrived back to the hotel dry and slightly compressed, but able to enjoy lunch and the beautiful grounds during moments when the rain let up.
Oh, how I wish you fellow garden lovers could be here! You would delight so much in wandering the grounds, discovering all the charming little details and touches, marveling at the gorgeous exotic flowers and plants, and having your heart just feel like it's so full you can't possibly absorb any more! It would be so fun to explore and enjoy with you!


Our rooms are at the right end on the second floor here....