Grand Canyon rafting, helicopter rides and waterfall explorations.

There was no way that I would ever get up at six this morning except for one: today's planned activities. Today was going to be the most adventurous day of the entire trip and in retrospect it was exceeding my wildest expectations.

Starting the day off with a decent shower and a continental breakfast was probably a good thing to do. We needed the energy for what was bound to happen. We drove through a dusty dirt-road towards the Grand Canyon, the only road that accessed the canyon from the bottom. When we arrived we were put in big rafts. For about four hours we went down the Colorado river in the midst of the Grand Canyon. We were told we would get wet, but the forces of nature we were exposed to were not really what we planned for. Category three rapids catapulted loads of water all over the boat, making it much like a diving trip than a boat trip. And then we didn't meet the category six and sevens yet. Some of us almost flew off the raft when we hit some of those waves, it was such an amazing thrill. Compared to the kayak rides on the Lesse in Belgium you could probably call this the Goliath of rivers.
When we were about half way we went up the hill to check out a waterfall inside the mountains. Amazing stuff that was pretty damn exciting! Imagine taking a shower underneath an exotic waterfall while the water temperature is about 20 °C.
After that we took off again in our rafts. Many rapids later and after lunch we arrived at our destination. From there we took a helicopter up to the top of the canyon to get the most amazing view possible. It's almost impossible to grasp the magnitude of the Grand Canyon, it's just incredible how extremely big it is.
When we hit the ground, we were pretty exhausted so we took the bus back to the lodge.
With quite an adventurous day behind us we had a good American burger lunch.
Now we prepare for tomorrow's hike towards Hava Supai, an oasis in the midst of the desert. It's about a two hours and a half drive, continued with four hours of hiking the canyons before we reach this little paradise. To make sure we don't have to hike through the canyons in the middle of the day with the burning sun on our heads, we'll wake up at four to get there at around noon.
So fast to bed now, sweet dreams!

Andreas