Brachiatin' with the Gibbons

Brachiating--Tarzan-like travel through rain forest by swinging from tree to tree.

According to Wikipedia: Brachiation (from "limb" or "branch") is a form of arboreal locomotion in which primates swing from tree limb to tree limb using only their arms.

Gibbons--monkey creature without a tail. For Natasha Pilipchak (if she reads this...): Gibbons are "a kind of..." monkey. :) hahaha!

According to Wikipedia: Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae. The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates, Hoolock, Nomascus, and Symphalangus. The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related to the Hoolock gibbons. Gibbons occur in tropical and subtropical rainforests from northeast India to Indonesia and north to southern China, including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java.
Also called the lesser apes, gibbons differ from great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans) in being smaller and pair-bonded, in not making nests, and in certain anatomical details in which they superficially more closely resemble monkeys than great apes do. Gibbons are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, swinging from branch to branch for distances of up to 15 m (50 ft), at speeds as high as 56 km/h (35 mph). They can also make leaps of up to 8 m (27 ft), and walk bipedally with their arms raised for balance. They are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, non-flying mammals.
Depending on species and gender, gibbons' fur coloration varies from dark to light brown shades, and anywhere in between black and white. It is rare to see a completely white gibbon.

The gang went to Flight of the Gibbon this weekend. Funny story--Friday night when I was kickin' it with Jern-Jern...we were watchin' t.v. before Ae and her husband came back from fetchin' chow. We were watching a channel(?) AXN...and on AXN was a show called 'The Amazing Race: Asia'. Guess what the racers did on the show? They went to Flight of the Gibbon! And I must admit that it was more amazing than they let on during the t.v. show!

Our tour guides were Clash and Champion. I don't remember how many platforms we ziplined to. But I think there were three repelling stations. The first was six meters long. The second fifteen meters. And the third was forty-five meters long! [Champion suitin' me up!]

[Clash actin' a fool!]

I was the brave soul who went first. I could have done this tour all day, everyday. Maybe I should apply for a job?!?! [=

Suited up and ready to brachiate! Before shot.
After first brachiation. Success.
The ground is a far way down when you are at the top of the rain forest on a mountain top. No fear. None. Whatsoever.
Enjoy breathtakin' scenery.

Me pictured with Nate (who was actually a student in Justin's class Fall 2008 semester when I TA'ed. I also think he looks somewhat like Mel Gibson!) and Stanley (from the U of U...and quite frankly, the funniest kid on this trip. I heart him. He usually makes my day.)
Ziplines, repelling, and bridge crossings. They should hang gibbons crossing signs from the trees. haha. That would be classic. Which would be more amusing? 'Gator crossings or gibbons crossings?
The boys...laggin' behind. As usual.
A little trekk up the mountain with my 'break' before I accidentally dropped it off a platform....oops! [=
My buddy, Ralph. He's the professor at BYU whose office I have been inhabiting for the past year. He's been takin' sabbatical for a year in Southeast Asia. Now I am kickin' it with him. He's a blast! I'm excited to work with him in the future. SSA, grad. school...we'll see what is in-store.

Just a-swangin'.

That's Ralph in the background gettin' reeled in by Clash. He's just zippin' over the rain forest. Such a rockin' day!
This is the six meter repelling station that we first experienced. Or was this the fifteen? Either way...a small drop down a tree at the top of the rain forest. Exhilaration.
Small creek below from my angle zoomed in.
Girls monkeyin' around on a bridge.

More is on the way--but I need to go to bed. I'm tired. Enjoy what's here and I'll add more photos later. After the ziplinin', they feed us lunch...which was pretty incredible. Then we hiked up to a waterfall. I have a million (not literally) photos from the hike. Then they drove us home and I hung out with Ralph for the rest of the afternoon. We even had mango cheesecake! Yum! Pictures pending...

We were crossin' the bridge to zipline to this huge t-shaped tree...and this was suppose to be a picture of me and the tree. I'm gonna fire my photographer...whoever it was... [=

The beautiful t-tree. [down which we repelled 45 meters...just so ya know...that's far!]

Top of the t-tree once I got to the platform.

Your's truly stretchin' out on the t-tree before the big drop.

Yes, we repelled from up there. Cool beans, huh?!?!

I don't know why Alex always makes this creepy, seductive face. I don't know whether to laugh in hysteria or be weirded out? Either way--I decided to wear Mrs. Nancy's tie-dye! I figured it would be a good security precaution...just in case I might somehow fall from the top of the rain forest to the ground far, far below...the rescue crew would be able to locate my remains. Or at least the shirt. [=

I'll post the waterfall shots in a different post, ladno? Enjoy!