YayโฆItโs Sarahโs Birthday!!! I wonder if itโll be memorable?! ๐คฃ ย
Good morning WordPress family! Are you up for some โRiver Tubingโ today? Weโve never tried this before and after our kayaking yesterday we thought it would be a relaxing way to gently float downstream ensconced in the lush landscapes and soothing sun โ๏ธ ย Well here goes…
Our initial thoughts were this excursion really wasnโt for us as it sounds like a big park where you have to find all of the events yourselves (thatโs not our strong point as we both have sight problems). We are much better with a tour guide who we can follow than to be left alone and get lostโฆBut we really wanted to try โRiver Tubingโ so letโs do this! ๐ย
It was an 8 hour excursion and when it took 2 hours to get to Xel-Ha (a seriously bumpy boat and a mostly smooth coach) we thought โIf itโs 2 hours here and 2 hours back, surely not even we can get too far lost in 4 hours?! Lol famous last wordsโ ๐คฃ ย
Welcome to Xel-Ha…ย
An exciting adventure awaits you at the sacred Mayan paradise, Xel-Ha. In this natural lagoon, which was sacred to the Mayans, you can experience some fabulous snorkeling in a natural tropical aquarium, viewing an amazing variety of multi-colored fish and tropical marine life in beautiful clear waters. Upon arrival, your guide will escort you through the park for an orientation, then you are on your own to enjoy time to swim, walk the jungle paths, stroll the beach, relax in a lounge chair,or snorkel at this beautiful lagoon.
Xel-Ha offers a collection of coves, caves, inlets and lagoons. Both the Caribbean Sea and the network of underground rivers and springs feed this area, filling the lagoon with both salt water and fresh water. This sometimes gives an almost 3-D viewing of the alluring coral formation and the myriad of tropical colored fish.
Leaving the coach and making our way to the lockers and changing rooms Sarah managed to take this stupendous panorama. Itโs a beautiful placeย
Sarah said โThere is no way iโm swimming in there!! I donโt mind the crystal clear sea but no way will you get me in thereโ โThatโs ok my love you donโt have to swim when your river tubing anyway, so we can just relax and enjoy. We just need to remember where the changing rooms are when the guide leads us so we have a reference pointโ.ย
Shortly after, the guide stopped and said to meet him in 4 hours back at the main entrance so we can get the coach back. I said โOh, the entrance is miles away as weโve been walking for a while and i have no idea where it is, lol But here are the changing rooms so iโll wait right here for youโ. I like to be the pack donkey on all of our tours and i carry the towels, sun cream and other stuff and if Sarah goes swimming, i carry her insulin pump etc. This works really well for me as i donโt really like swimmingโฆI donโt think iโve been swimming at all since going blind 16 years ago!ย
Yay, Sarahโs here so letโs try and figure out where things are…๐
ย Oooo another panorama from Sarah! Well at least weโd found the river again, so if we follow it up hill we should find where the river tubing starts?! This sounded like a good plan until the multi direction trails didnโt follow the river. After walking for quite a while in the scorching sun, we somehow managed to find the bag check-in for the river tubing, yay thanks Sarah! ๐ย
Sarah had to now unplug her insulin pump and put it in my backpack, and after a quick blood test (ouch, her blood sugar was good) i hesitantly handed in my backpack. As we havnโt got a GoPro or anything (really wish we had one after all of these trips) we had to hand in our iPhones too, so i knew we wouldnโt get many photos of the day, sorry! ๐ขย
Right, letโs go โRiver Tubingโ…
We entered another locker room and most of the people in front of us were putting on flippers and snorkelling gear, i said โOh, iโm not dressed for any of this, i didnโt think you had to put all of the gear on. I thought it was just the river tubing up here?โ โDonโt panic we are only here for the river tubing but you can also (if you want) do snorkelling etcโ โExcellent, thanks”. Sarah is fantastic at sorting things out . “Iโll sit in the rear hole and you sit in the front hole as i will weigh the back down and it will look like a speedboatโ. ๐คฃ ย
After we laughed loads as we had many attempts of climbing aboard, we were ready!ย
The Mangroves…
“Wow those branches are lowโ i said while ducking even more although i was practically lying down. It was my first experience of mangroves and as we had no outboard engine we were using the branches and the sides to propel ourselves forward. As it looked exactly like the old Tarzan films iโd watched as a kid, i was picturing (in my mind) a crocodile (or 10) sliding in from the side and tactically stalking us ready for the barrel roll! Nevermind the flesh eating lizards sat on the branches waiting for dinner to float by, lol.
As my mind was racing but our river tube wasnโt going anywhere fast, i focused on all of the laughter going on around us. There were lots of us slowly getting to grips with how to manage this new speedboat. Sarah said โWow there is a tiny baby strapped to the front of that woman in one of the other boats so it canโt be that hard, lol!โ. After about 10 minutes we cleared the mangroves and the beautiful landscape unfolded before our eyes! ๐
There wasnโt much current and the river didnโt slope much, so our progress was slowโฆBut wow, the feeling of floating downstream through this film set landscape with my arms around my lovely wife Sarah was beautiful โค๏ธย
After a while the river tubers were thinning out and there were only a few of us left, this made it even more blissful and quiet.
Then…
Time was passing by easily, and we quickly realised there wasnโt anyone around and the river had got quite wide (with our eyesight anyway) and we were alone! The river tube wasnโt moving, even our hand paddling had little effect. I suddenly felt a burst of speed as Sarah had sat up and put her legs in the water and was kicking her feet (like the flintstones). Suddenly she whipped her feet back up and said โi think a fish (or octopus) has just tried to grab my leg?!โ โOh no thatโs not goodโ i said as the โMaster of obviousโ. Then she said โNo wait there, my trainer laces had come undone whilst under the water and started stroking my leg, lol!โ โOkโ i said โWe need a action planโย
ย Our predicament…
We were floating alone, the river banks were getting wider and wider and we knew it joined up with the Caribbean sea at some point. We couldnโt hear anyone and we were thinking weโd maybe already passed the exit of the river tubing and we were floating out into the sea. The midday sun was scorching and we knew it was time to act.
Weโd passed a huge board (see below) whilst walking up to get the river tubes that displayed all of the fish/sharks that live in the water, and as itโs fresh water going to sea water the fish grow much bigger. Iโm glad i couldnโt see what was on the board!
Knowing all of this, and knowing i havnโt swam since going blindโฆI knew now was the time to โMan Up” and lay down my life for my wife and save her! ๐ช๐ผ ย
The plan…
I said to Sarah โIโm going to jump in the river and grab hold of the back of the river tube and then stretch out and kick my legs like a snorkeler and pretend to be an outboard motor, and you can sit up front and be the navigator and try and get us back (or anywhere we can get off)โ. “Right sounds like a planโฆLetโs do this”.
I jumped in and instantly regretted it. I thought i could still swim in my head but my body didn’t have the same idea. After coughing up loads of water and nearly drowning through lack of swimming abilityโฆI slowly adapted and grabbed hold of the river tube.ย
At least we were now gaining speed ย and heading in what we thought was the right direction. After what seemed like 10 weeks (it was more like 10 minutes) Sarah said (I still canโt see anywhere to get off the bank and it all still looks the sameโฆBut there are a few rocks sticking out of the water where we can hopefully stop and rest whilst regrouping and updating our plan.ย
The rocks…
Yay, we made it to the rocksโฆOh wait a minute, wow these rocks are super slippy (i was like Scooby Doo slipping on a banana skin) ! Sarah was already on top of one of the rocks and looking to see where we could go next and if there was a way out of this crocodile and Piranha infested water. Just as iโd steadied myself and caught my breath (i was exhausted) Sarah slipped backwardsโฆ๐จย
All i heard was a loud thud and a โAagghhhโ noise from Sarah โSarah, are you alright?โ I knew we were surrounded by so many pointy rocks and if sheโd slipped and hit her head on one of those rocksโฆIt was curtains. We had no phones or anything out here and no way of calling out as we canโt hear anyone or see anyone. So when i heard โItโs ok i just slippedโ from my warrior wifeโฆI felt so relieved. I said โWhat was the loud thud sound? Are you ok?โ โYeah i missed the more pointed rocks and just hit my back on the other rock. Iโm ok thoughโ. I let out a huge sigh (just like our Boxer dog Bruce used to make).
Just then i spotted a slight movement out of the corner of my blurry eyes โWhatโs that Sarah?โ i said while pointing downwards near her feet. โWow, itโs a snorkelerโ โThat means we canโt be too far away nowโฆOr it means there are some massive fish, sharks, octopus or crocodiles around hereโ. Just after saying this the snorkeler had gone and it was time for us to carry on and hopefully find base camp.ย
Sarah was sat firmly on the front of the river tube and i was hanging on for dear life while trying to get a nice solid and consistent thrust from the back. Sarah was expertly navigating from the front and when she said โright a littleโ i twisted and kicked until the river tube turned to the right,, we are getting the hang of this, lol.ย
My thoughts quickly returned to โAny minute now i could get savaged by any of the mutated creatures in here, and they would start on Sarah next! But then Sarah said โI think i can see a way out of here?! It looks like there are long steps on the right bank and we could climb out onto land. โWow, letโs go” I said whilst trying not to drown as i was getting really tired now. ๐ฐ
โYes, just a little further. It looks like we can pull up here alongside these stepsโ. We finally hit the steps and Sarah climbed out. The steps were really long but only went a couple of steps into the water, so when i grabbed hold of the first step my legs flew underneath and tried to drag me under. Thankfully i had jus enough energy to hang on and throw my leg over and onto the steps (iโm sure Sarah didnโt have this struggle, lol). Pulling the river tube up onto land, we sat back on the steps and thought for a moment about what just happened?! We also knew that Sarah hadnโt done a blood test for quite a while and hasnโt got her insulin pump attached, so her blood sugar could be anything.
As we sat on the steps totally thankful weโd made it out of the water, i looked down directly into the water right next to the stepsโฆโWhat are they?โ I was pointing at what looked to me like a fleet of black stealth submarines taking cover next to the steps. I know my eyes are really poor but if i can make something outโฆIt must be massive, lol! Sarah said โThey are fish (i think) and they are massive! โI was just right there a minute agoโ i said not quite believing how close they wereโฆBut weโve made it out of the infested waters. Now we might have the same challenge (but on land) as we try and figure out where we are??
The next stage…
We were just pulling the river tube further inland, whenโฆโIs that music i can hear?โ i said as i was trying to clear my ears of water โYes it isโ Sarah said โItโs coming from over thereโ. Sarah took my arm and we started walking towards the sound. Almost instantly the trail opened out and we were standing at the bag check-in desk! โNo wayโ we both said at the same time, i said ย โItโs not possible that weโre here, weโd gone miles into nowhere! Is the Bermuda Triangle near here?โ ๐
After i got my backpack and Sarah had her insulin pump connected, she quickly did a test and her blood sugar was perfect! ๐ We found the changing rooms and when we were all changed we headed for the inclusive lunch.
As we only had to follow our noses (it wasnโt far at all) Sarah found a table in the sun and we sat down. โWoahโ i said โHow did that quickly turn into a โBlind Sightseersโ dramatic adventure?โ โI know, but how amazing how we ended up right back here! Anyway, letโs get you a burgerโฆYouโve earned itโ ๐ ย
After a lovely burger and an ice cold bottle of water, we started walking around to see if we could find anything else. Donโt worry, we stayed on the larger trails and we kept other people in earshot. ย
Sarahโs Sunglasses…
As Sarah also has sight problemsโฆShe has a pair of Oakley sunglasses with a particular polarised lens (normal lenses donโt help her eyesight) but like the photo above showsโฆThey are gone!! ๐ข We have no idea when (or where) they had gone missing, we only know they are gone. I handed Sarah my own but they only had normal lenses and were not any good for navigation etcโฆBut they did help stop the glare from the hot sun. โ๏ธย
Youโll never guess what we found next??? Yay, a zip line…
Sarah saidย โWow a zip line, iโve never had a go on one of these. It looks amazing and i canโt believe weโve found itโ. WhatโฆCan i really say no?!ย ๐คฃย
Wow, the action never stops, lol! Sarah must have had spinach for lunch as she seems to have more energy than Popeye and the Duracell bunny combinedโฆI just wanted to sleep, lol! But how can you stop when that smile burns hotter than the sun! ๐ โ๏ธ ย
And finallyโฆYay , sheโs not a machine!ย
Itโs time to start heading back…
After one more ice cold drink we asked the server which way the main entrance was, she pointed in the general direction and we thanked her. We started walking and talking about the day weโd had and how amazing the place was even though itโs not quite over yet. โWeโll defo remember this placeโ i said (we talk about this day all of the time). Arriving at the main entrance area Sarah said โThere is a photo kiosk over there, letโs ask and see if they have any photos of us?โ I said a little confused โI didnโt know they were taking photos but it would be great if they have any of us river tubing etcโ. ย
The photos…
Sarah was not happy after speaking to the man as he had just dismissed her saying โIf you didnโt scan your armband before each event then we canโt find you on the systemโ Sarah had told him that we were both registered blind and we werenโt told about scanning for photos and we certainly canโt see it. Sarah continued โWe will buy any of the photos you have of us as we really want to remember the dayโ. The man was having none of it and walked away. Sarah started walking back to me when she saw another man stand behind the kiosk. She returned and said the same to himโฆHe was really helpful and understood our problem, he continued to search the whole day, looking through thousands of images to see if he could find any shots of us…
Then he saw Sarah on the zip line. โYes weโll have itโ Sarah said, she waited a while longer for him to search some more. The coach was arriving any minute too and we were running out of time fast. He frantically started searching but he couldnโt find anymore photos. โOkโ Sarah said โCan i buy it here?โ He said no and that she had to go over the courtyard to have it put in a sleeve and then she can buy it. Sarah came and grabbed me as she knew iโd be worried as itโs been taking longer than expected. โWhere are your sunglasses (my sunglasses)โ i said โOh man, donโt say iโve put them down somewhere and iโve lost them too?โย
After buying the photo (see the fantastic zip line shot of Sarah above) Sarah was adamant (she wasnโt losing 2 pairs of sunglasses today) and blitz between all of the counters sheโd been atโฆNothing. Then she asked the man and he started searching all aroundโฆNothing. Then just as everyone had given up, the man had found them in lost property where one of the staff had put them. Phew! ๐ ย
We also managed to get back to the coach in the nick of time and now we can relax for a couple of hours as we return to the ship.
In the coffee port…
As it was Sarahโs birthday she ordered an amazing chocolate, waffle, ice cream coffee dream cakeโฆSarah had a tiny taste with a tea spoon (as sheโs diabetic) so it was left for me to step up to the plate, man up (again) and try to enjoy this delicious coffee cake thingy! Itโs tough sometimes being the husband of a T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) Iโll give it my best shot! ๐คฃ ย
ย We had a lovely evening meal and as always Sarah had the lovely cheese board to finish. I think thatโs what the photo below is showing?! ย
Finally we finished off this amazing, challenging, exhausting, conquering and blessed day with (yes youโve guessed it) Sarahโs special sugar free Mojito and i had a BBC.ย
ย Thank you so much for celebrating Sarahโs birthday with us, itโs a day weโll never forget (and havenโt). ๐ย
The โBlind Sightseersโ are not finished yetโฆ๐ช๐ผ ย
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June 4, 2020 
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