OVER THE WATERFALLS NEAR EL TUNCO

Kip screams his way down an unnamed waterfall near Tamanique, El Salvador, as Pedro looks on.

Traveling first class as usual, we dropped 50 cents each for a local bus that struggled 20km along a winding, hilly road to the tiny town of Tamanique. A surfer we had met earlier in El Tunco told us there was a series of waterfalls not faraway that we should check out, so off we went.

As soon as we stepped off the bus, a friendly 30-something guy approached us. "To the waterfalls?" he asked us in Spanish.

We were the only two gringos for miles, and there was little question why we'd come. Our inquisitor's name was Pedro, and it just so happened he owned the waterfall, or so he said (he also said he used to service pools in southern Maryland, but that's a whole other story). Off we went again.

After a 45-minute hike down a trail better suited for mountain goats than flip-flop-clad gringos, Pedro took off his shirt and went flying over a rocky ledge into a pool surrounded by sheer rock walls.

"Come on in, it's cold and deep!" he assured us from below.

So we did.

The first jump of about 10 feet felt refreshing. The next one, at 15 feet, got the blood going. The last one, well...Kip screamed almost as loud and little-girl-like as he did when he was deep water soloing in Thailand.

A big thanks to Pedro for taking us to his waterfalls, which he ensures anyone reading, are way more fun than any pool in Maryland.

DEEP WATER SOLOING IN THAILAND

Kip...trying hard not to soil himself.

When we got to Railay Beach in southern Thailand and Kip heard about deep water soloing, there was little doubt of what the next few days would involve.

Not that he knows anything about rock climbing. But as he pointed out, it's not every day you get the chance to scale the faces of sheer limestone cliffs, dangling high above jade green waters without ropes or harnesses to hold you back (or up, as Liz pointed out).

Soon after arrival, he signed up for a day trip with one of Railay's climbing companies, of which there are quite a few.

As he quickly learned, there's not a ton of skill required. You pay your fee (about $30 for a day), get a two-minute briefing, and grab a well-used pair of climbing shoes. Then, off you and your group go on a half-hour sailboat ride on the Andaman Sea.

Once at the chosen spot, your instructor points to a rock wall, asks who wants to go first, and off you go. It really is that straight forward.

Two guides were on hand to shout directions to you if you couldn't figure out where to go. "Up" was the most-often heard word of advice. And so, driven on by such professional instruction, up everyone went, until we couldn't go anymore.

It was everything you can imagine and then some. Because you're so terrified when you fall or jump from the cliff face, there's not much pain when you hit the water.

Usually.

Our deep water soloing guide. He's scared of heights and was terrified to climb without ropes. Seriously.

Our climbing group. Kip's in white shorts. Our fearless guide (black shorts) hugs the stalactite below him to the left.

HELLO, LITTLE FISHY!

A close encounter of the shark kind. He was harmless, really. Unless you have flippers and look like a fish.