The "FlyZone" Story
It was an ordinary day. We had just finished eggs for breakfast at our villa and were headed to the Loterie Farm in St. Martin to do the “FlyZone”, a high speed zip line. In their literature they say, “Dude! If you have fear of heights, read no further. I
f you have fear of speed, read no further. But, if you are an adrenaline junkie who loves nature, or if your love of nature supersedes your fear of heights and speed, well then, read on.” I wish I had read that BEFORE we went. The Loterie Farm is located in Pic Paradis, a beautiful area on the highest mountain in St. Martin. They advertise they open at 9:00 AM so we got there at 9:00 AM. Closed! Waited 45 minutes and someone finnaly came and opened the gate. Then we remembered, everything is on island time! We paid our fee and met our guide. After we were suited-up in our gear, we climbed our first tre
e. Up a wooden ladder. Couldn't get much tougher than that we thought. Then we attached our belt to the overhead line and zipped down an incline of about 50 feet. To stop you smashed into the padding at the next tree. Then we walked across a swinging wooden bridge to the next platform. From there we walked on a three inch diameter rope while holding onto thick metal cables. Then another zipping thrill ride to the next platform. While all this is taking place our guide “Mikey the Cable Guy” is standing beneath us with our cameras documenting our struggles. And this is fun? I’m still not sure how Mikey knew which camera was mine, since he was holding three others also
, and they all looked the same. In the distance we could see and hear the green monkeys playing in the trees. Now we had to walk across a series of old tires that were tied together. It was at this point I said to Carol, “We can get down at the next tree if you want.” But, we didn't. Remember, we are in our 60s!! After a little over an hour of climbing over every kind of bridge imaginable and crisscrossing high above the deep and forested canyon we reach the final platform. We can see the cable ends at a tree about 40 feet below and 1/4 mile away. This will be a R
IDE! Sure enough. We travel at speeds of 40 kph and arrive below in no time at all. We are soaked in sweat, our bodies sore already, but we have smiles on our faces. We have a photo taken with Mikey and head to the Hidden Forest Cafe for lunch. WE SURVIVED!! BARELY! And I got the correct camera back!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
f you have fear of speed, read no further. But, if you are an adrenaline junkie who loves nature, or if your love of nature supersedes your fear of heights and speed, well then, read on.” I wish I had read that BEFORE we went. The Loterie Farm is located in Pic Paradis, a beautiful area on the highest mountain in St. Martin. They advertise they open at 9:00 AM so we got there at 9:00 AM. Closed! Waited 45 minutes and someone finnaly came and opened the gate. Then we remembered, everything is on island time! We paid our fee and met our guide. After we were suited-up in our gear, we climbed our first tre
e. Up a wooden ladder. Couldn't get much tougher than that we thought. Then we attached our belt to the overhead line and zipped down an incline of about 50 feet. To stop you smashed into the padding at the next tree. Then we walked across a swinging wooden bridge to the next platform. From there we walked on a three inch diameter rope while holding onto thick metal cables. Then another zipping thrill ride to the next platform. While all this is taking place our guide “Mikey the Cable Guy” is standing beneath us with our cameras documenting our struggles. And this is fun? I’m still not sure how Mikey knew which camera was mine, since he was holding three others also
, and they all looked the same. In the distance we could see and hear the green monkeys playing in the trees. Now we had to walk across a series of old tires that were tied together. It was at this point I said to Carol, “We can get down at the next tree if you want.” But, we didn't. Remember, we are in our 60s!! After a little over an hour of climbing over every kind of bridge imaginable and crisscrossing high above the deep and forested canyon we reach the final platform. We can see the cable ends at a tree about 40 feet below and 1/4 mile away. This will be a R
Cool photos! You two are dangerous! or is it that you just like danger? :)
ReplyDeletegreat blog post. i loved the zip lines. I had the exact same thought the first time i did it, 'i survived' and i'm half your age. Kudos to you!!
ReplyDelete