12 October 2007

month of adventure

september was filled with fun and adventure! the first week was a sailing trip in croatia. it was by no means glamorous, as some have suggested it might be. actually, i would say it was really roughing it! cramped sleeping quarters, using water sparingly, tiny bathroom that couldn't be used when parked in marinas, zero noise insulation,... but somehow the six of us survived the week with no casualties. we started from the city of split, and hopped around to some nearby islands, distance varying daily depending on the weather. one of the best days was when we didn't sail at all, instead renting scooters on the island of hvar. that was lots of fun until it started raining... really hard! poop.

in the second half of the month, we discovered two really fun things to do in switzerland! (this is directed at you, prospective visitors!) the first is a self-serve ropes course above the most beautiful swiss city (luzern, if you've been paying attention). i learned that doing ropes courses in teams (one person belaying, to "build trust") is purely a moneymaking maneuver
on the part of companies out to collect corporate dollars under the banner of "team-building." actually you can just clip yourself onto a safety line and it's much safer that way. anyway, this course has plenty of challenging bits, plus some fantastic zip lines! my favorite! tb and i had so much fun that we went again the next weekend. :)

the second discovered really fun thing to do is canyoning! this is an impossible-to-describe excursion that involves "following a river down a canyon." that's how it was explained to me, but it doesn't describe it at all really. it's more like jumping, sliding, and abseiling down waterfalls and into natural pools. definitely terrifying at times ("don't think, just jump!"), but unforgettable (you actually slide down ropes *in* waterfalls), and i can't wait to try it again! the slides were the most fun for me... the highest jump was 10 meters (32 feet) !!! but i was too chicken to do that one. but anyway, the next time someone visits me in the summer months, we're there.

p.s. when i used to work at HQ and there were enormous bins of junk food around every corner, i once overdosed on peanut m&m's and was unable to eat m&m's for a couple years. but i just ate a little bag right now, so it's time for me to announce that my m&m OD has been cured. thank you.

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