Cause I'm free, free falling!

When someone says, "So if your friend jumped off a bridge, you would too?" it normally is to convince someone not to do something stupid. Well, consider me stupid.

The entire day before (as I was attempting to relax on an incredible beach in SA mind you) my stomach could do nothing but turn thinking and analysing why I shouldn't or should join my friend in bungee jumping off the highest bungee jump bridge in the world the next day. Everyone here told me I had to do it, being a once in a lifetime opportunity, blah blah blah (come to find out most of them hadn't). I replayed every split second in my mind of what I thought it would be like, and finally decided that, heck no, there was absolutely no way I was going to do it, and peer pressure wouldn't be enough to convince me otherwise. I continued with that same stubbornness all morning. We got to go on the bridge with my friend Sukie to watch her jump, and the workers told us it wasn't too late, that if anyone else was interested they could still harness them up, no problem. I think we know what comes next here, out of pure adrenaline/stupidity, I excitedly yelled, 'strap me up!' It was the most unpredictable experience, because before this point I was terrified just watching people jump, and now I felt completely fearless. I don't know what came over me, whether it was the breathtaking (litterally!) scenery, the loud pump up music, or once again, pure stupidity, I felt so relaxed you would have thought I was about to take a walk on the beach. Sukie and I were standing on the bridge, making jokes, dancing to the music, and I couldn't wait. It was quite a site to see hardcore bikers with tattoos up and down them, smoking cigarettes and sweating of nervousness and Sukie and I 'break dancing'.

It was my turn, and I got strapped up (just this measly thing wrapped around your ankles- okay that's what it felt like anyway), as the workers helped me step to the edge I warned them that they were going to have to push me- there was no way in heck I would be able to jump off a 216 meter bridge completely on my on free will, close, but not completely. Then there was no time to think, "3...2...1 BUNGEE!!" They all said I looked so funny after they pushed me, my arms flailing like I was trying to pull myself back. The first second, all I can remember was complete, all over body shock- as Roy says, "Hard to explain the rush...flying toward Terra ferma at terminal velocity with your life in the hands of a bunch of rubber bands! WOW!" The next few seconds were bliss- I was able to stretch out my arms (they had given up apparently in pulling myself back on the bridge) and thoroughly enjoy while screaming through the free fall. As soon as I felt the cord bounce me back up, I remember just screaming "I'M ALIVE, THANK YOU GOD I'M ALIVE!". It's incredible then to just bounce a few more times and be in the middle of this incredible vast, scenery- even if it was all upside down! After what seemed like an eternity of hanging, I got pulled back up with an unbelievable adrenaline rush. I am so glad I did it, and if given the chance, I would definitely do it again!