Waterfalls and Hanging Bridges
Yesterday was about as uneventful as it gets but it did give us the opportunity to catch up on life back home and to recharge our batteries. The rain continued through the night, finally tapering off as we headed out for breakfast. The plan is to hedge our bets today by hiking to a waterfall/swimming hole a few miles out of town. The skies still look angry but with a water activity we’re going to get wet anyway so we’re less concerned with what direction it comes from.
The walk in starts from above the falls, taking us down roughly 400 stairs through the jungle to the base.
There, we actually find two falls, with this one hidden by the trees almost until you are almost next to it.
There are strong currents at the base of the main falls so no swimming permitted there, but we do break for a few pics.
Another 50 yards or so further along, the water quiets down into a nice pool that is perfect for a relaxing dip. The rains start and stop a few times while we’re here, but neck deep in the cool water, we’re indifferent. Of far bigger concern are the looming 400 steps back up to the car…
We do manage to push through, taking breaks along the way to look for wildlife. It is all hidden pretty well from laypeople like us, but we do come across a few cool things like these white tent bats resting together under a leaf.
Next on our agenda is Hanging Bridges Park (which is not so much a park as it is a private tourist attraction). We deferred this from a few days ago hoping for better weather but probably ended up on the wrong side of that one. It is far more overcast as we pay for our tickets and start down the trail, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed the rain will hold off for a little longer.
The hike is a few kilometers, passing over 14 bridges according to the marketing pieces. In practice, a fair number of them are short, simple footbridges, but they don’t say that upfront, focusing instead on the handful of grand suspension bridges high up in the trees.
The first few are pretty fun, but much like temples, by the 3rd or 4th one, they all start to look the same.
Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the rain does not wait until we are safely back in our car, instead coming down with a vengeance as we try to find small patches of ground with enough canopy to absorb the worst of it. In a matter of minutes, the trails we are standing on turn into rivers which, in retrospect, make Tevas a poor footwear choice. At least on a suspicion bridge the water doesn’t pool around your feet.
On a sunny day, when the animals are out, Hanging Bridges Park would likely make for a nice outing. I’m sure there are monkeys, sloths, snakes, tarantulas, and all kinds of birds to see both above and below the canopy. On a cloudy, rainy day, it is really just an expensive walk through the trees. Some you win, some you lose.