Written by: María de los Ángeles Carrasco | 2nd Sem. C
On Friday May 9th, my classmates and I had the opportunity to go to the Xenses Park along with some of our teachers, a park full of dynamic and life for those with eyes to see. and it’s divided into two main circuits: the Path of Feeling and the Path of Doing. Xenses is a unique site with different real and imaginary scenarios that will test your senses and take you to a fantastic world where your perception will be challenged. The park has many attractions such as the Xensatorium, slip, sludgerie, bird flight and so much more, but we are yet to get to that part.
The first thing we saw when we arrived was the lobby, a bright and colorful area that immediately catches your attention. It’s full of photo-worthy spaces like the mirror maze and kaleidoscope room, which give you a little preview of what the rest of the park is about. When we got to the locker room, every moment was a step closer to finally being able to live the true scenarios that the park had to offer, and it never disappointed.
We walked outside and were instantly greeted by what looked like an upside-down town. The roads are slanted in a way that confuses your brain! it feels like you’re going uphill when you’re actually walking downhill. There were a few quirky buildings you could enter and take cool pictures in, but the real adventure started right after. We began with the Path of Feeling, starting with what was probably the most mind-blowing part of the day: the Xensatorium. This place is basically a cave where you fully rely on all of your senses to get by, except your sight. Not a beam of light comes through the cave, and you’re forced to navigate through different ecosystems like desert, sea, jungle, forest, grassland, mountain, and many others with the cold, heat, humidity, flora and the sound of the fauna by yourself!
This activity was 10-15 minutes long but for someone immersed in such a dynamic it genuinely feels like forever. It was a bit scary at first, but it became a beautiful experience right after. At the end of the tunnel, you’re guided by a glowing red light to the exit, where you hear “Gracias a la vida” by Mercedes Sosa playing softly as you walk past flamingos and parrots inside the cave system, which, by the way, was extremely peaceful as barely any light got into the cave, but as for the flamingos and parrots, they were beautifully accompanied by the only light there was. Personally, I left that part feeling super thankful for my sense of sight, it’s easy to take something so basic for granted.
After that, we walked through the Labyrinth of Underground Arteries, which is a set of cave-like tunnels that lead to different sensory activities. It’s beautifully designed, and you feel like you’re walking through something ancient and mysterious. Next, we entered The Slip, which is a fast, enclosed water slide that ends in a shallow pool. It’s short but really exciting . Perfect if you like a little bit of adrenaline without it being too extreme.
After that, we got to do Bird Flight, a zip-line where you’re harnessed horizontally to fly like a bird. It wasn’t very high, but the sensation of gliding was really fun, and it gives you a great view of the jungle surroundings.
Later, we did two more relaxing activities: Riverlaxing, where you float along a salt river that keeps you completely buoyant (like the Dead Sea), and the Sludgerie, a smooth river of warm mud. Everyone was laughing because it felt weird at first, but it was really calming and fun. Don’t wear new swimsuits for this part though, the mud can stain…
The park also has several interactive optical illusions, photo spots, and sensory experiences spread throughout the trails, like rooms that make you feel bigger or smaller depending on where you stand, and mirrors that distort your reflection. The only downside is that Xenses is a half-day park, so time is limited. We had to move quickly to try everything, and some of the lines (especially for the slide and zip-line) took a while. Still, it was more than worth it.
If you’re someone who enjoys creativity and sensory experiences, Xenses is definitely your best option. It’s not like a traditional amusement park, it’s more about making you think and feel differently. This sort of emotion and realization is what we want to provoke with our paintings. We went to Xenses specifically to experience first-hand the many wonders of what the world has to offer to us, such as the beauty of living and experiencing all the privileges of seeing, touching and feeling. Such experiences can help us realize how we see life, and living these moments can truly make us analyze if we have lived life the way we intended to in the first place. This thought process is what we portrayed through the art gallery that we have made for the public. Each student has depicted what life means to us, and we have spent many hours making an artwork that hopefully makes every person that views it reminisce about what life they intend to live.
