I’m a Suburban girl. I was voted most likely not to be able to rough it.
Honesty, that vote surprised me because as a kiddo I loved to play outside just like all the other kids. I had just as many scabby knees. As an adult, my sense of adventure needs constant stretching, and I have this mantra of doing the things that scare me.
[Tweet “I have this mantra of doing the things that scare me.”]
That mantra has me doing all sorts of things that has my heart in my throat. Climbing rock walls. Moving to Austria. Trying to stand-up surf. Moving home from Austria. Going to a CrossFit class.
My most recent heart-in-throat adventure was with Wild Tours in Mexico.
When I traveled briefly to Cozumel, Mexico, my sister and I booked an outing with Wild Tours. I’ve never driven an ATV (or what I would call a 4-wheeler) before. The blurb promised jungle driving and a cavern. They have another option to arrive at a beach, but I’ve seen beaches. I wanted something a little bit different so we opted for jungle and cavern.
Always Read Reviews
Part of my research always includes reading the reviews. From what I read, I discovered that the majority was happy with the outing so I felt comfortable plopping down my credit card for the expense.
Research Your Gear
Suggested clothing included long-sleeved everything, closed-toe shoes, a scarf, sunglasses, a bathing suit, a towel, bug spray, and sunscreen. I followed the suggestions to the dotted i.
When my sister and I arrived at the designated meeting spot for our group, we looked around the group and immediately felt out of place. The women wore shorts over their swimsuits, and the men sported short-sleeved everything. We were all dripping with sweat, and I was beginning to regret my long-sleeved button-up shirt and jeans. I felt a bit stupid.
That feeling quickly changed, though.
As we were briefed for our upcoming adventure, we were encouraged to place belongings in rented lockers and purchase scarves to protect our faces from the dust we’d encounter. While everyone hurried to rent lockers and purchase scarves, my sister and I hit up the bathrooms. We had everything already, and we decided to carry our backpacks and risk the dirt, the dust, the mud.
At the ATVs, our guides called to us to keep our knees wide open. The engine would burn us if we rested our legs on the ATV.
Let me tell you. I was scared when I threw on my helmet, wrapped my floral scarf around my face, and gingerly mounted the ATV. Its low rumble fairly growled power.
The long line of ATVs began to move forward, and I hit the gas button with my thumb and my ATV leaped forward. I immediately let go of the gas and let my heart settle as my ATV slowed.
Every root or pothole I hit had me imagining me and the bike flipping.
We splashed through a huge puddle and water hit the engine of the ATV sending off boiling hot steam. And then, I was thankful for my jeans. When my knees accidentally hit the ATV’s core, the heat through my jeans didn’t burn but it reminded me to push my knees out again.
I was terrified every bit of that first part of the journey, even offering to allow other ATVs to pass me if they wanted. They never did, though.
Our arrival at the Jade Caverns or Cenote was anti-climatic. Our line came to a halt in the middle of the trail, and everyone ahead of me dismounted their ATVs.
The cenote was spectacular. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and the legends surrounding it stir the imagination. Our guide encouraged us to catapult ourselves off a 22-ft drop into the cavern’s water below. Half of our group hurried to the drop point.
Bravely do what you might regret not doing later.
5 Men. 3 Women. Me included.
The men argued over who would go. No one wanted to step off first. Finally, one woman spoke up, “I will go.”
No, that wasn’t me.
She spoke and then walked off the edge. Her fall had no scream. Just a splash after what felt like hours. Did I mention that this is the ledge where Mayan virgins with rocks tied to their ankles sacrificed themselves for the sake of their village?
And then we were all stepping up. One by one, falling. Jumping. Pencil-diving off a 22-ft ledge.
Some were quiet. Some screamed. Some swore.
Oh, I screamed, like my yell was the only thing that could save me. Like my vocal chords could build a raft that would catch me. Like a person terrified of heights. Oh, right. That’s me.
But I lived. And my temperature was a million times cooler for having submerged in the cavern’s fresh water. Twice. Yeah, I jumped twice. People say it’s easier the second time, but for me, it wasn’t. The second time I knew about the moment where you feel like you should have hit the water but didn’t yet. You can watch my second jump on Instagram.
And after that fear, riding the ATV again was thrilling fun. Fear nipped out my heels, but I may have just sped up and caught some air over pot holes.
The tour ended with tequila tasting.
If that doesn’t encourage you to consider Wild Tours ATV Jungle Adventure next time you’re in Cozumel, Mexico, I’m not sure what will. Oh, and I’m talking about the ATVs and Jade Caverns, not the tequila. *wink*
p.s. The backpacks easily survived the ride. Just a bit of dust. Our clothes were caked with dust, and we had no burns because we wore long sleeves. Our scarves from home worked perfectly, too.
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