Are you afraid of heights? she asked. No. Do you have good hiking shoes? Yes. According to what I could translate of the brochure, the Slovenský Raj (Slovak Paradise) was a beautiful natural park with almost 200 caves and abysses, and I was looking forward to the hike. There were other words, however, that I was not sure I was translating correctly: Ladders and Bow-ties. What??
Turns out the “ties” were half-sized railroad ties that you had to navigate in order to cross deep chasms or creeks. They were usually slippery wet, and there were no barriers or anything to hold on to!!! Yikes!!! After being assisted by my fellow hikers across a couple of these so called “bridges”, I realized that I could not turn back. I had to stay with the group, so I proceeded.
One of our stops later in the day was at a local market, where I discovered that they sold Absinthe !!! I have always been fascinated by this drink, but alas, I was not going to get the chance to try it because we were about to cross the border into Poland, where Absinthe was illegal. That experience would have to wait for another time.
My Stories 
Aare you getting ready for the ladders on Mt. Everest?
Slovenský Raj is my cup of tea! Looks like a great place for hiking and camping, and it’s just across the border from me. For a nice adventure, I could even travel there by bike. That would be the ultimate trip. Cool!