Mexico Day 4: Xenses

 This was the park that the kids were looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint! They had seen vlogs of this place on YouTube from some of their favorite families like the Ninja Kids and Ella was especially excited. We keep having a hard time waking up early but 8am here is 6am at home so I don’t feel too guilty. We knew Xenses wasn’t an all day adventure so we let ourselves take it easy and eat breakfast but we were still out the door around 9:30 which is about the time we leave to go to school at home (7:30)

We got to Xenses and were pleasantly surprised at how uncrowded it was. We enjoyed over 7 hours there with no lines and did everything 5 times! We even ate lunch there!

The kids hit the ground running as soon as we arrived and we had to sit them down and remind them of our strict rule #1: stick together! We told them we knew there was a lot to see and do and that we’d see and do it all, but we HAD to stick together. After that, things ran much smoother and we bounced from each optical illusion, snapping pictures along the way in the pinwheel.

We then ventured into the Puebla town and the kids mind’s were blown by the fact that you had to walk “up the street” but in reality you’re walking down. We took pictures there too and spent lots of time exploring. But it was hot!!

So we made our way to the circuit which consisted of a big water slide, a bird flight, a relaxation river float, a sludgerie mud float, and a walk through rain and sauna. By the end of the day, we did this circuit 5 times. The water slide was FAST and we ended in a cave. The bird flight is my favorite because you feel like you’re really flying- like Superman! I love it. But I also love the relaxation river float. The water is shallow but high in salt so you float easily and when you close your eyes and let the water take you, the relaxing music gets louder the closer you get to the end. It got more relaxing every time we did it. The river is warm and inside a cave and the lights make it all look so cool. After that, you float down a mud river which is its own kind of interesting. We all liked it! We rinse off really well after that and go through what the kids call, “the human car wash” before warming up in the walk through sauna. Oh, it feels so good! The last little bit of the circuit is a huge marble run that plays different tunes when the balls hit the notes down the track.

Lunch was yummy pizza and tacos and nachos outside. The kids got a kick out of feeding the iguanas and the service was really nice. We did a loop through the other side of the park and thought we’d take a pass on the sensortorium. But this kids really wanted to do it. Rayleigh and Jack actually made me sign a waiver that allowed them to do it alone! It’s scary.  You walk through total and complete darkness for what feels like forever as you face your fears. You walk blindly through each eco system and you feel like the walls are closing in on you. I held Ella’s hand as she walked behind me and I gotta say, it was easier that time because I had her with me but she wanted to give up half way through. I think it was easier for me as well because I’d done it before. When we got out, there is a calm, peaceful light with sweet music. Ella and I breathed deep to regulate our nervous systems because we were a little panicky there for a minute. There are beautiful signs that celebrate your bravery and faith as you exit and they played Luis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” to remind us of how blessed we are. It’s actually a really cool experience but VERY scary. I was proud of Rayleigh and Jack for doing it alone. Ray didn’t think it was that bad but Jack wasn’t a big fan. The fun pictures and yummy lemonade at the end helped take the edge off.

We went back to the other side of the park to complete the circuit a couple more times and they even let us do the bird flight twice. We shut the park down and left feeling so happy and accomplished. These kids of mine have faced a lot of fears and have had some really cool experiences this week!

We stopped by the market for some ice cream and things for dinner before going back to the room to get ready for bed and watch a movie. We had a quick phone call with Kim in the Philippines and were able to tell them about our adventures. We watched the Kroods which is fitting since yesterday at Xplor, the theme was all caves and cavemen.

Today was a pretty awesome day! Can’t wait for more!