CLIMBING HIGH, GOING MONKEYS AT WILD PLAY

"Fun seeking, active adventurists (aka urban Tarzan's and Jane's), not afraid of heights, zip lines, swinging bridges, scrambling walls or trees are looking for playground (aka Dschungle). Able and willing to drive."

I receive requests similar to this one on a daily basis. I am a match maker! This is what I do for a living, I match individuals with their deepest desires.

This request came from the YVR Blogger group in Vancouver; like minded men and women saying yes to more fun and adventure in their life - and blog about it in the most creative, fun, heart warming, honest way imaginable.
After I put on my thinking cap, spun the "Wheel of Activity" I found their perfect match:

WildPlay Element Parks Maple Ridge

                       Address: 23485 Fern Crescent, Maple Ridge, BC V4R 2S6  Phone:(604) 477-1197

Lucky me, Wild Play is just a hop, skip and jump from my house on top of our rock, literally 500 meters above the activity park! Why am I lucky? As of last week I passed the park 2044 times already during the last 2,8 years; without ever visiting it. It turned out some things are worth waiting for; just like Wild Play. Together with 17 other Maple Ridger's and Vancouverite's I joined in the fun for sweaty palms, racing hearts, wobbly knees, screaming voices!  
The motto here is: Joined adventure is better adventure! 

 This is all of us before the height freight set in...just kidding!




Welcome to the park:

Sign your waiver form:




Mingle, 

from left: Ms Alice, I, Ms Leslie, Master Isaac, our instructor.

Strike a pose,

from left: Ms Melody, Ms Leslie, Ms Grace and beautiful unknown beauty.

Make sure you meet the height requirements, (actually, do this first before you do the rest).

Put on your harness (visit the washroom before you strap yourself in. Once you are strapped and on the course you need to hold it).

(Oops, my natural reaction when I see a man strapped in...)

Listen to instructions!



Everybody who participates in the wild Wild Play activities must listen to and perform a practice run, 50 cm above the ground.

You wanna play? Then you need to listen, learn and follow the golden rule for Wild Players:

GRAB + SNAP

You need to grab hold of one of the lines or be snapped in the whole time you are on the course- otherwise you are out. Fair enough. The trees are mighty high, the course becomes higher, steeper and steeper and you can fall...

Wild Play is divided into the adult- and kiddy section. As I participated in the 'I am tall enough" group I can't tell you anything about the young ones. Whatever I've seen of it they looked they were having fun though!

The path we followed is called Monkido (the art of monkying around rediscovered), a tree top obstacle course. You get on the lowest tree, 'obstacle' your way around a few challenges and move up to the next level and so on and so forth. The grading follows the ski run system. It starts with the green course, the easiest; moves on to the blue, red and finishes with the highest, the black level. The idea is to finish the whole course within 1-3 hours. Once you have started the course there are only two zip lines that will zip you down, otherwise you are committed for the whole course.

One of the newest activities in Maple Ridge Wild Play is called WTF  @##@@#, (What's to Fear) a clever name for a free fall from a 12 meter platform. WTF- I couldn't do it do it. And not because I was afraid, no, I needed to go back home. Back to the top of the rock to start my next adventure. This one gets a High Five with a double back flip, cream and cherry on top!

As far as I could tell we all had a great time. Some of us took it slow and steady, others did it fast and steady. All in all, it was another match made in heaven!

 Don't just take my word for it, I am a huge sucker for outdoor activities- you need to zip it for yourself! Even if climbing high into the sky is not your thing...sometimes it's worth it to say yes to something new to add unexpected fun and adventure to your life.

 Modern Tarzan and Jane's can find Wild Play at six locations, here in Maple Ridge, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Victoria, Mt. Sina, YT and Wood Buffalo, AB.

 And to set the record straight, this trip was organized by Vancouvers Ueber blogger, Mr. Ricky Shetty!

Furthermore, I am not a match-maker!

The rest is all factual!

OPEN DAILY
MONKIDO AERIAL ADVENTURE check-ins from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. 

Book online or call Guest Services at 1-855-595-2251 [9:00AM to 5:00PM Sunday - Wednesday; 9:00AM to 6:00PM Thursday - Saturday] for upcoming check-ins.

FULL 2014 SEASON SCHEDULE 

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Hours & Schedule

OPEN DAILY
MONKIDO AERIAL ADVENTURE check-ins from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. 

Book online or call Guest Services at 1-855-595-2251 [9:00AM to 5:00PM Sunday - Wednesday; 9:00AM to 6:00PM Thursday - Saturday] for upcoming check-ins.

FULL 2014 SEASON SCHEDULE 

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Rules of Play
Read our Monkido^® Aerial Adventure description for important Element access information, including age, height, and waiver requirements.

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Pricing

MONKIDO AERIAL ADVENTURE

Classic	Ages 12+	$42.99

Buddy	Ages 7-11 with an adult in the trees	$35.99 per guest

Kids	Ages 7-13	$22.99

WHAT'S TO FEAR JUMP

Single WTF Jump	Ages 7+	$19.99
Monkido add-on	Ages 7+	$14.99
Season Passholders

Honey, let's leave the kids! We are going White Water Rafting with Hyak River Rafting!

or: How rafting down the Thompson river puts a different spin on spending a "wet, wild-n-dirty weekend with your husband and a lot of rubber."

Lucky me, the Best Man of All is game whenever I am!  I name the activity and under normal circumstances and within limitations, he is in!
Convincing my man to go on a 2 day White Water rafting trip with Hyak wasn't the issue; figuring out what to do with our three boys at home was an issue for sure!!
Unfortunately we can't ask any of our immediate family for the occasional nanny job, they live thousands of miles away! But that's only an excuse, isn't it? If you really want to do something in life you will find a solution for any dilemma.
We put our junior (11 years of age) up for weekend adoption among our neighbours and friends (thankfully he is big fun and low maintenance and the offers came in). We made our teenager (17) give us the pinkie swear not to host one of his crazy parties while we were gone (we already hosted three of them and it's not a pretty sight) and bribed our middle son (14) to spy on him!

This, plus a tent was all we needed to arrange for the wet-n-wild rafting trip!
The price (apart from the monetary) we had to pay was getting up at 4.30 AM to make it in time to Hyak's base in Lytton (Lytton is a 3 hour drive from our home and we didn't want to miss the boat. Departure time was 9.30 am). We signed our disclaimer, stripped down and geared up with wetsuit, splash jacket, helmet and a paddle.

Meeting our new friends!

Let's see, what are we signing for? 

All geared up and ready to paddle.

We needed to board Hyak's own luxury cruiser for another 45 minute bus ride up to Ashcroft. In Ashcroft we loaded up and boarded one of the two rafts waiting for us.  

During this particular weekend trip we were a total of 15: 4 couples, 5 lovely ladies and our two rafting guides, Jim and Sebastian (Seb from now on). Jim, a veteran of all things rafting, paramedical, safe + rescue was our leader; a solid rock of knowledge, funny, charming, nevertheless the no-nonsense kind of rafter.

In his 20 years of experience our charming rafting guide has never seen an umbrella on a rafting trip!

My man and I gravitated towards Seb, the young, foot loose and fancy free Aussie version of Jim (it must have been the accent) - and so did Lauren, Alice, Kurt and Karleen. And just like that, Party
Boat Awesome FUN was created.

Crew Awesome!

Paddling during Saturday morning was easy. The wind blew heavily but we didn't have any rapids to master yet nor anything scary to worry about. It was a time to get to know one another, to practise our paddle strokes (the whole blade into the water, use your whole body, not just your arms), learning instructions and taking in the magnificent beauty of our surroundings.

Reaching our lunch stop was a a bit challenging as we were sucked into a whirlpool and couldn't get out of it. However, never ever underestimate the power of six novice paddlers, their Australian guide and the will power and determination of the whole team. It took a while to get us where we needed to be, but we made it.

Why is it that a lunch buffet, presented on a rock and eaten out in the open tastes so much better than at home? Hmm! The huge white cool boxes strapped onto the rafts contained eatable treasures: Fresh fruit, veggies, tuna salad, sweeties, cookies, bread, mayonnaise, meats. You name it, the cool box contained it.
Afternoon paddling was easy peasy as well. How can you not enjoy yourself being surrounded by rubber, taking in the scenery and listening to funny stories from everybody about everything and nothing?

Well, Fantasy Island, here we come! Our domicile for the night!

Our home away from home!

Fantasy island- surrounded by water and two train tracks...!

We found our perfect spot and pitched the tent! In the meantime our two rafters extraordinaire, Jim and Seb, created magic -again. This time disguised as kitchen fairies in the Alfresco kitchen. 

Left: Aussie Seb, Right: Canadian Jim!

Have you noticed the following peculiar socio- cultural phenomena: Everybody always gravitates towards to and congregates into the kitchen? The same happened here on the island!  By the time I showed up to join pre-dinner drinks and snacks my fellow rafters already nibbled on barbecued chicken strips, tortilla chips and fresh vegetables. 

It is 5 o'clock on Fantasy Island.

Lots of hugging went on around here!

Some of us decided to help prepare dinner, some us us decided not to. One way or another, the mood was good, the laughter loud, the conversations flowing! And what a feast these two multi-talented rafters prepared for us: Pork loin (!!!), chicken breasts, wild rice, Greek salad, and a freshly baked chocolate cake, baked in a sand oven (talk about genius creativity).

We're digging in!

The sand oven

And here are a few more blissful moments:

Here we are getting ready for a quick dip into the river for a cool down after dinner!  

I would love to share with you the juicy details of our wet-n-wild night on Fantasy Island. However, we all agreed that "Whatever happens on Fantasy Island stays on the island." So, my lips are sealed. Sorry!                         There is one thing I can reveal though: During the night heavy wind and rain set in. The wind uplifted our front tent pegs and we experienced the wild sensation of half a tent flapping into our faces.  The Best Man of All somehow put his feelers out (no torch for us) to fix the problem.
 Oh, did I mention earlier I am a light sleeper? Did I mention the midnight trains were running? And with this I leave it up to your own imagination how we spent our night on Fantasy Island.

Sunday was absolute bliss. Starting from the French Toast we were served, to the freshly barbecued breakfast sausages to our perfectly timed and well organized departure from the island.

Sunday was the time our wild-n- crazy rapids fun began! . It was the time we had to listen to and practise our commands. Seb could only work his magic if we helped him out. He steered and we did the rest. We needed to paddle, stop, crouch down or made sure we stayed on the boat. 
Wet-n-wild it sure was. Each and every rapid we encountered grew bigger and more challenging.  Huge sprays of water greeted each and every one of us as we went raft first into and through rapids with the names like "Jaws of Death", "Cutting Board", "Witch's Cauldron". Great rapids, huge laughs, fantastic teamwork!

Photo: Courtesy of Hyak River Rafting

So far this was one of the best trips I went on this year. Not only was it active, fun but also wet-n-wild. I  made new friends, shared great laughs and enjoyed my time with the man of all men!

If you decide to spend the weekend on board one of the luxury rubber rafts with the Hyak folks, here are the pre-requisites:

-  Open minded, fun, bubbly personalities preferred- not required! (You want to be an asset, not a burden, don't you?)
- A good physical shape is not necessary. However, good ears to listen to commands is a must!
- A good sense of balance is helpful. If not, make sure you fall into the boat and not off the boat as soon as the rapids hit the raft.
- If you are a light sleeper take ear plugs.  Fantasy island is surrounded by train tracks...and the trains aren't stopping for no one!
- If you  are on a diet stay at home! The food is simply too delicious, plentiful, fresh and too varied to ignore.
- If you go as a couple this is the perfect way to add another chapter to your happy life together. It also is the perfect opportunity you see your husband / partner in a totally different light!

Here are a few examples of what could happen:

 - Your wife will bang you on the head with her paddle for no reason whatsoever!

- You could become jealous because another woman just told you: "Your husband just poked me!"

- Your wife lands 100% on top of the hunky, half your age, terribly
handsome rafting guide (after he pulled her up out of the water)! 

-  Your wife is telling the same story / joke again- and still doesn't get it right! 

- Your husband fills up and refills his plates every time. Do you let him- just because the food is included in the price? 

Could you see yourself spending a weekend with the Best Man / Woman of All on a rubber raft? Please share your thoughts right here!
Or, have you ever been on a rafting adventure? If yes, how did you enjoy it? 

FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER

It wasn’t a night to remember, but it was a fun night out!

Three real blondes and one brunette with a combined age of 201 years added more sparkle and energy to our dead Haney pub/club on a Friday night than all of the mid twenties combined!

Ladies, we rock!

Originally we started out as a cinquet, but ended up as a quartet. We lost Blondie No.1 as fast as we uttered “Let’s go dancing”. She couldn’t bear the thought of having any more fun without her husband and called it a day.  (Do blondes have more fun?)
Needless to say, the four of us didn’t feel guilty at all -  For tonight they were our ‘mansitters’ and that meant: Our babysitter came free of charge!

Our handsome quartet left for the closest dance floor in town, The Haney:  A pub at day time, a club on Friday and Saturday night.

The HANEY

It’s 10.10pm: The club/pub is still empty, the dance floor hasn’t even been cleared of chairs and tables yet – but the music is good. Top 40 music with NO artificial techno beats. Are we that early? Where is everybody? Right, next door at the Caddy Shack! They are holding their “Rookie of the Year Award”!

There is nothing better than a strip - show to lure the paying public from the public house! We are tempted to wander inside but reconsider after we read the cover charge. We all have the same thought: Let’s rather buy a drink for that money and not get intimidated by skinny bodies covered in lacy lingerie! This is fine with me, I’ve seen it already.



Back inside the pub/club we take matters in our own hands and rock the place! No turtleneck and hiking boots could stop me from joining my enthusiastic, dancing mother friends:

Alana has the groovy, trendy moves

.

Jaqui goes with the flow and rocks it any way she likes.

Kerrie gets so carried away that she demonstrates the “litter box” on the dance floor for us!  This lady has no shame, she actually admits she has stolen this move straight from a Shrek movie.



(The “litter box”: Drop down on all fours, keep arms extended, toes on the floor. Alternately wiggle and kick one leg into the air. Pretend you are a cat in her litter box).

And for me? All moves are inspired by my former life as aerobics instructor and my German heritance (marching step-touches).

After 20 minutes of enthusiastic exercise we are still the only ones dancing! It gets busier, but still, the youth is hanging, checking their i-phones instead of moving their legs.  We are not the youngest anymore, we don’t have last names sounding like Travolta, Timberlake, Jackson or Usher, but we definitely have their attitude:

We can move like Jagger! I call these creative, innovative dance moves.. Or as Grace Jones said we are “Slave to the Rhythm”. Let me compare this to the young crowd who finally follows our lead. Uniformed in too tight dresses and high heels, they move like one. Nothing fancy here, all rocking to the same, dull beat of the same techno background. I couldn’t help but feeling sorry for them.  They never experienced the innocent disco scene. The great sound of pure, honest music. We danced to the originals. Not to artificially enhanced, computerized, pre-fabricated sounds.



We only know what we know and what we remember. I wonder what these young women and men will remember. Probably only the text messages they received while standing in the middle of the dance floor, moving as one.

I said it once; I have to say it twice: Ladies, we rock! And don’t let any twenty –something tell you otherwise! They might be extra-ordinary in their own way, but we are extra-ordinary on the dance floor! They don’t even know how to do the ‘litter box”, we do!