Merry Christmas!

We have celebrated Christmas Eve with high adventure! We went Blackwater Rafting. This means you travel on a river, going deep in the heart of a large cave, to see glowing worms sparkeling on the ceiling in the dark, in your own inner tube.

You start your adventure by becoming attractively outfitted in a thick wet suit, used only a few hundred times. First the booties on your feet followed by squeezing yourself into overalls like a stuffed sausage. Then you put on an overcoat which helps you baste in the sun of the staging area for a wonderful ripe smell. You add padded boxer shorts over that (which they say is padding against the rocks in the cave -- but I think the guides just needed a laugh). The look is topped off by beautiful white rubber boots and a helmet with a light attached for visibility in the cave. Once you are in this adventure suit, you feel more like the Michelin Man than Indiana Jones, but you are ready.

When you get to the cave you are issued your inner tube. You begin the journey by spelunking your way deep into the cave following a trail of water. (That is walking.) As we walk, Daina is finding every hole along the way plunging in hip deep and climbing out. (Of course these same holes are only knee deep for Steve).

Finally the floating portion of the trek begins. You walk to the edge of a 6 foot waterfall. You stand at the edge, turn your back to the falls, hold your tube up to your ass, and leap backwards into the cold, dark water. Now that is taking the plunge! After some whooping and sputtering, equilibrium was re-attained and the view of millions of stars on the roof of the cave were ample reward. Just another traditional Christmas!

We continue our way through New Zealand joining with Daina's parents for a while. It is great to see familiar faces after a couple months on the road!