Airplane ride

Zuzul Spring

For a week or more before our departure, as the excitement of the trip swelled within me, I wanted to write a short blog titled '10 Reasons why I like to travel'. I didn't write it because my life was just too busy. Now that we embarked on our voyage to the Yucatan Peninsula, I may list those reasons, as they occur.

I like to travel because: 10. At home, my time is filled with 'stuff'. I am too busy, even though I have no real obligations.



As the road winds up the steep Sierra Norte, the scenery changes from the arid Oaxaca hills, to a dense pine forest. As it comes down on the other side, towards the Atlantic Ocean, the road becomes steeper and even more winding.  As the elevation drops, the pine forest turns into a deep-green, moist, tropical jungle. It took me more than four hours to drive the one hundred miles to Balenario Zuzul. It took me less than four minutes to change, and dive into the cool clear water. The Zuzul spring wells up into a a deep blue pool, which the adjacent village developed into a bathing facility. I practiced my newly-acquired freestyle, swimming first in the pool, then into the stream that flows swiftly from the spring to join a larger river. I swam no further than the point where local women stood, knee-deep in the water, washing the family laundry, then returned upstream to the pool. Out of breath, yet happily refreshed, I no longer felt the car sickness that had accumulated over the last four hours.
More swimming, and a beer, and we were ready to continue our trip, yet the smiling Chinanteca woman, who is in charge of the facility, had another suggestion.

"Why don't you stay here?" she asked, "Today is the village Fiesta day, and there will be a dance later tonight."

It took us only seconds to make that decision, and within minutes we were in a wooden cabin (No fan, no hot water), with a wonderful view of the river.

After dark, the grassy clearing in front of the church was transformed into a small amusement park where locals, as well as visitors from the surrounding villages, busied themselves lifting their children onto the miniature rides. Meanwhile, crews were preparing the adjacent basketball court with hi-tech audio and light equipment that they unloaded from three huge semi-trailers. Walking along the rides, Adi saw kindergarten-age children, sitting inside small airplanes, that were flying in a circle, .
"This looks like fun." she shouted, overcoming the ear-piercing sound-checks of the dance band, "I want to do it"

The woman who is afraid of any kind of amusement park thrill, finally found her level. Unfortunately, the ride operator thought she was too heavy. Instead, he pointed to the small roller coaster. Adi went on a spree. She rode the roller coaster, then the bumper cars, then the carousel. At that point the airplane operator changed his mind and invited her over. She could not fit inside the cockpit, and sat astride the toy airplane. She was the only rider, and the operator, sensing her joy, went with the flow, making the ride go faster and faster till the airplanes were flying in an almost horizontal arc. Adi screamed in delight, her grey-streaked hair streaming in the wind. She then bravely let go of the chain and flew round and round, in the Titanic pose.

Next morning

I like to travel because: 9. Each day of travel presents me with at least one surprise. Most of these surprises are delightful.