I woke up this morning nervous as hell. I kept trying to tell myself that it was all in my head but I kept thinking about it, and I couldn't stop. After a 20 minute bus ride we got to the Kawarau bridge, the birthplace of bungy jumping. They checked us in, weighed (wrote our weight on our hand...man that's not embarrassing at all, having to walk around with your weight on your hand).
We made our way to the bridge, and I was going first. I stood there staring out at the steep mountains beautiful and serene, I look down, my heart drops a deep turquoise river is gushing 43 meters beneath me. Fuck.
"Alright! Lets get crazy!" It's that guy behind me telling me to jump. Suddenly my mind started to race. It started with small things; I wished it wasn't so cold, I wished they weren't playing sex on fire by the kings of leon, I wished I got a better nights sleep or that I ate a bigger breakfast because my stomach suddenly felt empty (I tried to eat that morning but I was too nervous to get much down), and then I found myself wishing for bigger things, I wished my family were here to see this, I wished my best friend Emah was with me, for the first time in over six weeks I actually missed home, but above all I wished I wasn't so scared to do this.
"3-2-1 bungy" he yelled
"Wait, wait, are you sure this is tight enough?" I said, anything to give me some more time.
"No but we'll find out" he laughed I could feel him tugging on my harness.
Fuck it. Jump!
One Mississippi - my mind is completely blank, I am not thinking anymore. Not thinking about anything. (Finally)
Two Mississippi - I'm falling, just total freefall!
Three Mississippi - My face is cold, and I am still holding on to my harness, let go.
Four Mississippi - hands out I can see the river getting closer, scream!
Five Mississippi - Wait I thought this was a four second freefall jump, fuck! And then I feel it, it's not as painful as it looks. It's a gentle pull on my legs, not my feet. And I start to swing back up.
Now I just hoot and holler because I know I survived. And I loved it.
A yellow boat that was waiting by the shore comes out to get me. One guy reaches for me with what I think was a long piece of PVC pipe. I grab on laughing after missing the first time. The girl holds onto my hands and tells me to look at my feet. I am lowered into the boat.
"How'd you go" they say once I'm in. "again, again, again" I say laughing. And we head for shore. Solid land.
The total jumped lasted probably less than a minute but the impact and memories will stay with me forever. It was the greatest rush I have ever felt. I need to get myself out of Queenstown before I book myself another bungy.
Cheers!
So awesome!!
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