February 1, 2011; Ziplining in La Noria

FEB 1, Tuesday, Zip lining in the jungle of Mazatlan
We were picked up at 9 am in a very nice van. We, Dave, Louise, Warren, Sandy, Val and me were driven to “Brouha”restaurant and there, we paid our dues and met the rest of the people that were going with us. There were 9 in our van and 7 in the other. We drove to the town of La Noria about a half hour from here via gravel and paved roads and reached the village. Our chauffeur was very informative and had an excellent sense of humour. He told about the village we were going to and what they farm there. At the village, we disembarked and were harnessed in and given gloves and helmet. We drove up the mountain and arrived at this flat knoll where we were given instruction on to handle the ropes, the brakes and the proper way to sit in the harness to get maximum speed. Then it was to the first cable and zzzzziiiiippppp down, hence the name of “Zip lining”! WHAT A RUSH!! WOW!!
We did 12 of cables of various length and height. Warren and I even rode one upside down which was a rush in itself. Even Dave, who had first said he wasn’t gonna do it, did harness himself in and went down with the rest of us. The eleven and twelfth cables were side by side and we rode down as a couple. That was also a lot of fun. At the bottom, we were met by kids with horses and mules and we were offered to ride to town. Louise, Val, Sandy and Warren and I did ride in. We went by a water source that was bubbling hot water from some underground thermal source. We had lunch which was absolutely wonderful and a cheese fondue made with mushroom and tequila, all locally made and grown. The cheese was delicious. We had cerveza and were offered a shot of local Tequila which I bought a bottle of as it was quite good. We were told by our driver that most of the money that is collected on these trips goes to the village and its people. This is to encourage them to grow farming stuff and stay out of marijuana and drug growth. What a wonderful thing to do and what a day!
We got back at our site around 2:30 pm and called it quit for the day, except for happy hour of course. Louise and family went out for dinner as this is Sandy and Warren’s last day here. Tomorrow they fly out and we pack! I got propane again today.
PS: it was quite warm up at the village and here too when we got back. 80*F (25*C)
I HAVE UPLOADED PICTURES OF OUR TRIP TO SAN IGNACIO and the ZIP LINE!