Belize 4-9-2008

Hey there,
So I guess this blog will end up being every other day or every couple days. Basically we were at sea yesterday and not to much went on...just the usual...eating...gym and rehearsing. Oh ya, we had our show last night and it was pretty good. Due to the new dining situation they have going on, the theater was not filled to capacity as it usually is. Hopefully it will change and go back to normal.
As for today though...way different and way more fun. I woke up, had breakfast, quick trip to the gym and then off of the ship. Today we ported in Belize City, Belize. Its located to the east of Guatemala and is a costal country. The activity today was a crew tour ziplining. This was the first crew tour since we have been on the ship and it was insane. The ship had to tender today which means it cannot physically dock to land but has to anchor out in the sea. Once on land it was an hour and half school bus trip to the hills and forests of the country. There were probably 30 crew on this tour which made it even more fun. As you move out of the city and into the country the landscape changes. Its turns more desert like with scare vegetation like palm trees and mangrove clusters. It then turns into the forest like habitat which grows above the land. Paved roads turn into dirt roads snaking all over the place. We stop at a rest point about 15 minutes from the site to have drinks and use the restroom...which was nicer then our home bathrooms...go figure in the middle of nowhere (tile, wood, etc). From there we go higher passing a fenced lagoon with Crocodiles. I wanted to see some but did not get too..can I say sad face. As we stop we gather and walk into a huge cave opening into a bigger cave which opens into a canopy of trees a couple hundred feet up. Wait...this is ziplining and we are going above the trees so I start to wonder...how high are we going?
After getting into our harnesses and helmets...not the best of feeling...we start to follow our guides up the rocky path. We keep going for approximately 10 minutes when we stop under a tunnel of a cave. This is where our guides show us how to control ourselves on the "transverses," basically the cables going across the valleys in the rainforest. This is where I start to get nervous. I think to myself...we still are not yet to the start and we have gone pretty high already. We continue for another 50 feet where we come to the first set of 5 platforms. The tour includes 5 sets of cables to travel across. 1..2..3..Here we go. They quickly get each person on the cables and push them out. My turn. Lets just say its like floating at a high rate of speed across the sky. Its pretty awesome. You’re gliding through the air looking down to the ground and the tops of the trees. The first cross is about 75 feet above the trees and ground. The guide at the end says, "Look down on the next one," and smiles. Hmmmmmm. The next one is about 500 feet across. Not to bad but it’s the highest one, being approximately 350-400 feet above the tops of the trees..not to mentions the ground below that. A cross between fear and pure excitement comes out of your body..and the face to show it. I cannot explain how it feels to do this. Its pretty crazy hanging only on by two pieces of rope and a harness that high in the sky. Ahhhhhhh. We continue on some more pretty high crosses and then repel on two. Nothing like the feeling of free falling to the ground. Overall the tour is amazing and cannot be explained any other way. I suggest everyone try ziplining. I think it’s the best way to see parts of a country...in the air looking down on top of it. After that we headed back..tired and hungry to the ship to get ready for "Master Chef." MC is a special dining "experience" incorporating the singers, dancers, musicians, event staff, and chefs of the ship. Lets just say cheese. : ) Now its off to rehearsal for "Hits of Broadway." This is our show for tomorrow night. Hope all is well and come back for more in the next few days. Hope you enjoyed. See ya.