Alone on the Flying Trapeze...well, not quite

Swinging on a flying trapeze was never a childhood fantasy of mine, so I'm not sure what I was doing leaning off a platform 24 feet in the air, holding a 7-pound bar in my right hand.

With my left hand, I clung to one of the slender vertical cables that supported the platform.

The instructor, who was poised next to me on the tiny plank, was telling me to step off into thin air before grasping the trapeze with my left hand.

And I was thinking, "You're outta your mind." Can you spell, "hyperventilation?" (You can read the rest of the story here.)

That wasn't my favorite vacation ever. I was at a Club Med in Playa Blanca, which has since closed down. It was one of the few times I didn't meet any interesting people to talk to, let alone connect with kindred spirits.

And the sun didn't shine until the day I was leaving. But that's the chance you take when you travel. Hey, you can have a rotten time when traveling with a friend or spouse too.

The trapeze most certainly saved the day. I loved being able to do that. And it got to the point where several of us were going to perform on the final night of camp...uh...I mean the week's vacation.

I was nervous and excited at the same time. I think I was more worried about having to wear a white leotard - yikes - than having to do a "catch," that is, swing by the hands of a guy who is upside down, knees wrapped around the bar. In front of hundreds of people.

Then it rained. And rained and rained and rained. We're talking mudslides and power outages. There went my moment of circus glory. But, like others can always say they ran a marathon, or swam the English channel, I always have my story about my time in the circus. Ahem.

Although the Playa Blanca Club is no longer around, Club Med offers trapeze and other circus activities at several of its clubs.

Photo: Courtesy of Club Med. If you look closely, you'll see the teacher is holding a little kid mid-air, getting ready to let him or her go.

Comments

[Karen]

Aw Can't imagine doing this solo. I'd at least need 1 friend to cry with me when I'm done.

[Ellen]

Karen,

That's funny. But I think you'd also feel thrilled when the others around you exclaim and pat you on the back.

Traveling solo may not be your first choice, but if you can't find someone to go on a trip with you, isn't it better to have the adventure than stay home?

Ellen