We had signed up for one last major activity during the trip. The Montezuma adventure. The pamphlets said something about ATV’s and zip lines but I didn’t pay too much attention.
For those who don’t know, an ATV is an all terrain vehicle. Basically a 4 wheeled motorcycle. As it turned out we would be (or rather I would be) driving to our location on this. The guide, Juan, showed us how to start it and shift it into gear and basically let us get to it. My travel partner looked at it and recommended that I drive. Even though we were both novices she felt safer letting me drive. Why? I don’t know.
We set off down the road in motorcycle helmets and sunglasses looking like a pair of hipsters. I would pop the clutch each time I shifted gears and we both bounced round on the back of that behemoth. She was gripping my shoulders as tightly as possible till I suggested it would be better for her to wrap her arms round me to hang on.
We got to the zip lines. This was on top of a hill and you got hooked into a harness and sped along the treetops at breakneck speed. We were joined by some German couples and slowly descended down the hill. Nice but not too exciting as my friend had done zip lines several times.
Then we headed to the Montezuma water fall. Here’s where things got interesting. The trail up to the waterfall was along a sometimes steep and twisty mountain road. I nearly drove us off the edge of a ravine a couple of times. My friend was clinging for dear life with her arms tightly laced round my waist and screaming in my ear “Will, Look out!!” All I’m thinking at this point is that I don’t want to get her killed.
After the second time we nearly went off-road I was nearly ready to give up but she seemed to have faith in me and so we tried again.
Eventually by driving slower and more carefully we got there. We had to hike to get to the falls. Up and down slippery rocks. We got there. Impressive but honestly too touristy. Too many people hanging out, cooking lunch, selling cheap trinkets. Hippie hollow back in Austin has (or at least had) a similar vibe.
We left there and went to a nearby town for a spot of lunch. Some wonderful fish dishes at a local restaurant/hotel. We sat and talked with our guide Juan for hours. After a brief walking tour of the town we went back to our resort. The trail back was much smoother and my control improved considerably though it was still a white knuckle ride all the way.
Near town we had to contend with traffic. Cars, motorcycles, other ATV’s, and pedestrians, that were all seemingly intent on getting in our way and getting killed.
Okay, it wasn’t all that bad and my travel buddy yelled encouragements throughout the trip back so that definitely helped a lot. Not something that I would do every day but definitely something you should try once in your life.
We ended Thursday with work emails and concerns from back home. Houston was calling in more ways than one. I think every traveler experiences this feeling in one way or another. For as wonderful as a vacation may be (and this was a wonderful trip), one begins to long for the familiar surroundings, experiences, and routines of home.
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