Quiet morning
After an unholy early breakfast (6:30 – and before that we took down the tents and were ready to leave right after breakfast…) we drove from Knysna to Tsitsikamma, where we would stay two nights at the Tube ’n Axe Backpackers.
At first we did a short stop at the Knysna Heads, a rainstorm swept in over us with thunder and lightning, and during the walk from the truck to the lookout point, I walked with Amarins. We talked about how people can cope with difficult things and survive, then I told her about my head and a little about the bomb.
She will finish her studies and be a Doctor in about 3 months and was naturally curious. She was like so many others and could only express her sympathy and saying that she could not comprehend such a thing as that I experienced. Fully understandable!
Anyway, we left the rain in Knysna and took off again, on the way we stopped at the Elephant Park, where some of us choose to ride elephants while the rest played cards and drank coffee. The card players, were me, Amarins and Roland, with Laura as a spectator – we played ”Cheat” which led to loss after loss for me because you can (and should) cheat in the game by lying about what card you just played. I still have not mastered the art of lying while I look people in the eye without grinning like a fool. Perhaps a good thing?
Roland however was not only a bad loser – he was an even worse winner!
Just in the vicinity of Elephant Park is Monkey Land, our next stop, where again some choose to walk an hour-long guided tour while the rest stayed in the restaurant and coffee shop. We saw monkeys from the coffee shop, but the others learned more about them, like ”a lemur is not a monkey”, something their guide apparently repeated again and again. And again.
We had lunch, famous Nomad sandwich, in the open air outside the Monkey Land, with thunder in the distance.
The Bungy
Throughout the morning I had been preparing myself for today’s big event, my bungee-jump from the Bloukrans Bridge, 216 meters above the very rocky riverbed leading from the mountains to the sea.
My thoughts were like ”what the hell have I gotten myself into?”, ”What happens if the rubber bands break, gives me a heart attack and I die before I hit the ground or faint first and crushed later?”, ”What if it goes really wrong and I smash into the rocks, but survive for a while and feel my body be torn to shreds and slowly bleed to death?”.
So, I listened to some action music like ”Eye of the Tiger” and similar, talked to Amarins about her jump, she had done it a few months earlier and my thoughts became more like ”Wow, I’m going to do something no one I know has done!”, ”Damn what an adrenaline rush it will be!” and ”Should I yell ’Geronimo’ or ’Jippy ka jay’ when I jump?”.
We arrived at the bridge, I gave away my camera, hat and wallet to my comrades, was weighed and registered, paid the 690 Rand and got a harness, not unlike a climbing harness. At the preparation station, I met the other three I would jump with: Mary from New York who seemed to be like max 20 years and has been a volunteer in South Africa for three months, the couple Steven and Susan in their 30ies, he was a South African and this was his second jump, she was from Canada jumping for the first time.
We ware briefed on how it all works, the bridge is 216 meters high, but we jump around 100 meters and the band stretches out differently depending on the weight of the jumper.
After the first extension you ”bounce” 3-4 times, various highest again, depending on your weight.
Then came a nightmare walk, 200 meters out into the middle of the bridge on a ramp of steel mesh bolted to the side of the bridge, we could see straight down to the riverbed, which was pretty dried out so we could see the sharp rocks.
There was a camera ban, but believe me, even though we were ”trapped” in the steel it was a very nervous walk, especially considering the steel mesh under our feet wavered.
We finally came to the jump station with our assistant, who accompanied us throughout the process. Here they played loud music that would get us in the mood, all jumping around, I even danced a bit and got my heart rate up.
Susan from Canada had to jump first because Steven wanted to see her jump, then Mary and I came third. Steven would jump last so Susan could see his jump.
I saw Susan and Mary’s jumps on the screen just above the jump site and heard their screams faintly on their way down, as there were no wind and no echo in the valley.
Now it became hectic for me. Damn. 216 meters straight down. Towards razor sharp rocks. The rubber band looked pitifully weak with its diameter of about 5 cm. I waved to my comrades who were in the coffee shop at the end of the bridge, about 200-230 meters away. Did they wave back. I danced a little, most out of nervousness.
Then I was prepared by the jump master, got padded shin guards, and a strong nylon rope around the legs and between them so I had to jump up to the edge assisted by the jump master.
Damn damn damn.
The view was fantastic, but to look down – damn damn damn. Not vertigo directly but everything in my body, every fiber, screamed and yelled that that I was crazy!
Countdown.
My legs felt like spaghetti.
5
4
3
2
Bungy!
My knees gave way and I could not jump and a new countdown was initiated immediately.
5
4
3
2
Bungy!
Down I went. At first slowly, then I took off quickly and I got in position with head first and arms out. Tried at least keep my arms out from my body like I’ve been told. The valley became a green blur, and the riverbed came closer and closer at a furious pace – the falling speed is 120 km/h and I screamed with terror, mixed with more terror.
The line stretched out and I continued to fall and cry out against the pending river bed.
Then it was stopped and I started to be pulled up.
Do not know how long, but everything was spinning when I tried to orient myself, what’s up, what is the bottom?
Then I fell again. Now I yelled again, only this time it was ”Wohooo”-screams.
What the hell, I did it!
It was stopped and I pulled up again and fell for a third time, now I laughed like crazy instead.
My heart was pumping, the adrenaline flowed and I enjoyed it!
Bounced a few times, do not know how many times, then i came to a complete stop and I was hanging upside down and looked down at the valley bottom.
There I was hanging for a while and began to wonder if I had been forgotten – the guy who was lowered down to pick me up took his good time but my perception of time was probably not quite one hundred percent at that moment. The others told me afterwards that I got to hang a bit longer than Mary and Susan. A punishment because I hesitated to jump?
Anyway. I was hoisted up to the platform, was secured on the platform and photos were taken. I hugged Mary and Susan, the three of us had just finished the world’s highest bungee for the first time and all three agreed that we would do it again if we could. But not on a site lower than Bloukrans, no other jump could beat it, we thought!
We saw Stevens’ jump before we walked back to the preparation station, took the harnesses off and hugged again.
My comrades were waiting nearby and they congratulated me before we went into the shop to see the jump again on the screen while it was burned onto a DVD for us jumpers to buy. The DVD costs 130 Rand.
I said goodbye to Mary, Susan and Steven before we went to the Tube ’n Axe. I could not wipe the dorky smile from my lips. I got the camera back – Han was taking pictures of the jump with it and Marja was using their camera – which gave much better pictures as they had a better lens so she could zoom in more.
I sent a SMS to Mattias at the office that I made it, and to Daniel.
Mattias replied with an ”Awesome”, and Daniel with a ”I do not believe it, want to have photographic proof”.
Picture will come! Internet is rather unreliable on our route. I jumped March 10, this was posted March 22nd…
We pitched our tents at the Tube ’n Axe, ate dinner and were in the bar to play some fuzz ball, and billiard and check out what activities we would do the following day.
Here, I met Mary again, she was also staying here, but would travel to Cape Town in about an hour. She introduced me to her friend and we had a toast and talked for a bit.
The bartender gave us a ”bungee”-shot as we were first time jumpers, he poured Amarula, Stroh rum and a few other spirits, set fire to the shot and we got to drink it quickly from the bottom with a straw. The trick is to drink so fast that you get the spirits before the straw melts.
It was actually a good shot!
Mary’s and her friend’s car arrived, we hugged and said goodbye again and I returned to my comrades.
During the evening, we saw on TV that a tsunami had struck Japan and that there were about a 1000 dead and thousands missing.
It put a veil over the evening which was late anyway.
We closed the bar.