Edge of the Waterfall

I'm not a very extreme person (other than my utter hatred and contempt for snakes and sweet pickles). I have been called bookish, predictable and even boring. While I have often viewed myself as cautious and it is true I love my dependable schedule, today, I was extreme.

Today, I went rappelling down Bridal Veil Falls.
"What? You're supposed to be in Brazil, how did you manage that?"

Fear not citizen, I will show you. (If Blogger will let me, if not, go to Facebook for the full collection)

In Portuguese Véu da noiva means "Bridal Veil Falls

Bishop Jones took us out to Bonito, Pernambuco which is about two and a half hours from Recife. Around the city are about 9 waterfalls and we saw two of them. We were able to drive through the countryside and it was really something to see. In the US we sing about 'Amber Waves of Grain'. Here in the Northeast of Brazil they could sing about the 'green waves of sugar cane', because the stuff grows everywhere. Which makes sense because it was the staple crop during colonization and is still a major economic force.

Sugar fields

When we arrived at the waterfalls, it was really pretty and there were some large pools above them. When we got down to where the water forms the Brazilian Bridal Veil Falls, we decided to rappel down them. The local guides were great and gave us a crash course in rappeling (they also went down with us) and I was really excited. About two seconds after turning around and starting to lower myself down I remembered something. I am terrified of heights. But it's a little late so I kept going down. After about another minute, I slipped a little bit and I went right into the waterfall. The shock of the water was pretty intense but there was something that clicked inside my head where I wasn't afraid anymore.

It was a moment where there was earth underneath me, water on me and air behind me and I was the connection between the three. The rocks were slippery where the water wasn't directly pounding down and so I had to find my way down between the rocks and powerful water. With the guide helping us out and helping on the ropes to make sure we didn't slip too far, it was a great experience. 

Doug Porter and I making our way down

It was such an adrenaline rush as we made our way down that afterwards my knees were shaking. We went to another waterfall afterward and it was pretty tall, but they didn't let people climb too far off, so it was a bit of a bummer after the first one. We headed back to Recife and Bishop treated us to a dinner at a great restaurant along the way. It is always great to get away from the city and see the countryside. It reminds me a lot of some of the cities I served in, which is always a great feeling. This next week we are heading into the Sertão on Monday-Wednesday and so it will be interesting to see one of the driest and poorest parts of Brazil.