Sense of Adventure
On a scale of 1 to 10, how adventurous are you? What activities would you consider as adventurous to engage in? What adventurous activities have you engaged in so far? What other things would you like to do in future?
Adventurous Activities
Adventurous activities could refer to adrenaline-pumping activities such as parachuting, skydiving, ziplining, paragliding and going on a hot air balloon ride. Other examples are mountain climbing, kayaking, skiing, bridge climbing, crossing a canopy walkway in a jungle and being on a high-speed rollercoaster at an amusement park.
Other less scary adventurous activities could include camping, riding animals, visiting a waterfall, going on a cruise, swimming at the beach, going to the zoo, and going up a tower to experience a scenic view.
Even engaging in an event that is out of our routine schedules is an adventure. We should strive to get out of our comfort zones and to create memorable experiences. We only live once. Your new pair of designer shoes or your expensive jewellery will lose its allure over the years. However, you will always remember with nostalgia the hot air balloon ride you had twenty years ago.
My Experiences
I have had my fair share of adventure over the years, although there is still room for more.
I have ridden a horse under close supervision at Labadi Beach in Accra, Ghana. It was a wonderful experience!
I have also had a brief ride on a camel with the aid of a guide at Phoenix Zoo in Arizona, USA. It was amazing!
This is me on the canopy walk at Kakum National Park, a rainforest reserve and a tourist attraction in the Central Region of Ghana. The canopy consists of seven rope-stlye bridges that hang from trees over 30 metres above the forest floor. The bridges extend a length of over 330 metres in the thick, tropical jungle. The bridges were swinging and moving as I walked, making it a very exciting experience. The scenery of the rainforest was breathtaking!
I have also been to Wli Waterfalls. It is the highest waterfall in Ghana and the tallest in West Africa. It is a tourist site located in the Volta Region of Ghana. It has a lower and an upper fall. Watching the sheer force of the waterfalls from the top of the mountain to the ground was such an awesome experience!
Furthermore, I have had a 5D flight experience at This is Holland, a tourist attraction in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This was a simulated 5D flight over the World Heritage sites of Holland with special effects such as wind, mist and scent. I was hanging inside a sphere-shaped screen with my hands and feet dangling free. Moving with the images, I could imagine myself floating above Holland. It was such an exhilarating experience!
I have also been on the Superstition Zipline at Goldfield Ghost Town in Arizona, USA. It provides a bird’s-eye view of the Sonora Desert, the Superstition Mountains and the Goldfield Ghost Town at 120 feet in the air. It involves strapping you securely into a two-seat cart, pulling you up to the top of the pole and then zipping you back. When you get to the top and you are coming down, it feels like you are slipping out. It was an exciting experience!
I have also visited the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in the Volta Region of Ghana to see mona and patas monkeys. These monkeys are said to have inhabited the tropical forest surrounding the small village of Tafi Atome for about two hundred years. The monkeys were cute and very playful. I fed the monkeys bananas which they ate with relish.
I would love to have a ride in a hot air balloon one day. I would also love to go on a cruise. A girl can always dream!
Leaving Your Comfort Zone and Prioritising Adventure
Here are ways to leave your comfort zone and prioritise adventure:
1. Make time for adventure and set aside some money for it. In your old age, you will remember and cherish your unique experiences more than the material things you have acquired.
2. Push out your fears and tune your mind that it will be a pleasant experience. Even if it doesn’t turn out too well, you can also say, “Been there, done that!”
3. Take small steps. You don’t need to start by jumping out of a parachute. Just do something that you have never done before. It could be as simple as going to the beach to watch the waves or going to the zoo.
4. Promote domestic tourism. You don’t need to go all the way to a remote country to have fun. Visit the tourist sites in your own country.
This quote by the American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, comes to mind:
“Before you act, listen.
Before you react, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you die, live.”
Cheers to leaving our comfort zones and having adventures!
Kindly provide your comments and experiences. You may comment by clicking on the chat icon underneath the heading.
Please subscribe below to get publications delivered straight into your inbox:
