Traveling the Green River

Over Christmas Break we did a few fun things :D One was taking this river trip up the Green River. I had to keep telling the kids (but more myself) that this was NOT disneyland...this was a real river that just looked like that jungle ride at disneyland! ha! i was so waiting for the hippos to come out of the water and shoot water at us! but it didn't happen. the only live thing we saw was a very large lizard on the bank of it. So we travel up the river about 20 min and at the end, as you enter a cave of sorts, everyone is suppose to get out and climb some really sharp rocks and then jump into the water. (that would be the picture above.) complete with waterfalls all around. it was quite amazing but i couldn't see what we were getting into because of all the congestion of boats in front of us. but not to be left out of the adventure, i get ian connected to me with my piece of fabric and i take the boys through 3 other boats to reach the rocks. there are so many people there that when i reach the rocks, no one will move to let me up them. but finally i climbed to the top and saw this scene in the last picture. everyone was swimming up the river and then jumping off rocks and sliding down waterfalls! too much fun! but i had a baby attached to me and two boys who were being excorted ahead of me to get into the water by other 'helpful' indonesians. i felt very 'out of control' because you had to shout to be heard to the person next to you. i couldn't get the boys attention. i had that 'mother bear' feeling and wanted to help them along MYSELF. all this time, greg stayed in the boat cuz hazel was scared of all the comotion around and didn't want to do the rock climb and wanted her dad to protect her IN THE BOAT. but something made her curious when she saw us all on the rocks and so soon enough greg was right behind me with her as i was getting a little scared for the boys to be going up this river without one of us. (but i should mention that our team was with us...so there were hands...but not OUR hands) but there the boys went...all big and stuff... and they did well! swam all the way up and had a great time. greg took hazel and he struggled to stay above water as she clung to his head and sholders! poor greg didn't get to do all he wanted to do either. and i, had to climb down the rocks, step back into all the boats to reach my boat with ian... because i couldn't go...i was a bit disappointed but promised to myself...we will be back when the kids are older. it's always an adventure here!