Big Leks Bungees!

If you know me, you know that I am terrified of heights. Although it's getting better with age, I still get wobbly every time I get above about 20 feet. Being so tall, I see the irony in this, but it’s something I've been working on, as you will read below...

Ever since we landed in South Africa, we have heard about the world's tallest bungee jump, on the Garden Route in Southern SA. Moo, Kai, and Mitch were all super hyped on it since day 1, but I had always hoped in the back of mind that something would happen and we'd have to miss it. Don't tell the guys I said that haha...

We left from Buffalo Bay to Jeffrey's Bay and the jump is literally right under the road, which is the highest bridge in Africa and is right over the Bloukrans river gorge. On the way to Jbay we stopped at the Bungee jump to book our jump (which had to be 2 days later than we had hoped) and to watch people jumping. This is where I started to get very nervous. The bridge is designed with an under hanging under the actual road, where they have built the jump area. For about 30 minutes, we watched people fling themselves off this landing and drop for what felt like an eternity. The cocoons hatched into butterflies at this point.

Two days later we drove back to the jump in the pouring cold rain. After paying, getting into our harness, and listening to the pre-jump briefing, we trekked along a mesh bridge which ran along the bridge towards the jump zone. Being made out of mesh, we saw the river flowing way, way, way, way below us. I stared at Kai's back ahead of me and made it to launch zone. After getting another briefing, the head guy called out the first four jumpers, with the first three being Amitch, Moose, and Kai. The jump zone itself had workers moving non-stop, with a DJ kicking house and techno jams to keep a party atmosphere. Amitch was first up. Once you sit on the chair to get the knot tied around your feet, everything moves so fast. BAM, knot tied, BAM, Amitch is standing up with two guys holding him up, BAM he's standing on the edge, BAM Amitch is gone. There's something very, very, unsettling about seeing one of your best friends throw himself off the highest bridge of this continent. There are video cameras along the bridge and on land, and there's a TV screen which shows the action. One second Amitch is on the bridge, the next I see him on the TV screen soaring through the air, doing his best flying Bat Boy impression. Moose and Kai go up next, and each comes back alive, with huge grins on their faces and bloodshot eyes from hanging upside-down so long.

Our group of 20 people throw themselves off of the bridge one by one, and the jump zone becomes a mini dance party, with those who have jumped dancing from adrenaline, and those who haven't, dancing to ease nerves. As dreaded, I was the last to jump, and by this point I'm just ready to go. I sat down; the guy wraps the knot around the ankles and massive calves, and tells me about the knot and the amount of tons that it can hold. The specifics are lost forever; the butterflies had gone to my head at this point. I stand up and am shuffled to the edge by two short South African men. With my boys cheering me on, I take once last look down, and with my brain telling me in every language it knows to STOP STOP STOP, I dive into the unknown. I had always imagined that bungee jumping would be a peaceful experience, but this was anything but. The wind whips you on the way down, and you drop, and drop, and drop. The seemingly peaceful river below grows faster than you could imagine, and threatens to become a raging river that swallows you. And right when I felt like I was on a one way trip to an icy dip, I reach the end of the bungee cord, bounce up, pause in the air for a half-second, then drop. Repeat. I felt like I was a physics experiment in Mr. Walker’s 11th grade physics class, except instead of rubber bands there was bungee cord; instead of a non descript weight, there was me, instead of a science classroom in Eastside High there was the Bloukrans River Valley.

I end up spinning at the bottom of the line, and the view from the bottom was actually really pretty. Mountains to one side, ocean to the other. A man zips down another line to save me, and I reach the jump zone to hugs and high fives. Would I do it again? ehh.. Glad I did it? Yea. I was suckered into buying the jump video, as we all were, and I can't wait to show yall that the Big Tree can fly, at least for a couple of seconds.