Bungy!

I did it, and it scared the living daylights out of me. View the pictures of my ordeal here.

I've been thinking about bungy for months, but I became less and less sure about it as we drew closer to Queenstown. Of course, you can bungy in the US or any street corner in NZ, but Queenstown is the birthplace of bungy and it has spawned an entire sports-that-can-kill-you industry. If you're gonna do it, do it right!

I booked my bungy jump as soon as we arrived in town. I went straight to the visitors' center counter and accidentally selected the Nevis Bungy, the most expensive and highest jump in NZ at 134 meters (and possibly the world, expect for those real crazies who do heli-bungy). I had meant to select the site of the original bungy, a bridge at a more palatable 43 meters. By the time I realized what I had done, the woman had already made my reservation. Oh well. Go big or go home.

Thennn I went to the bungy center where they show videos and pictures of all the different bungys. Only then did I realize what I had signed up for. If I had gone to this place first, I'm not sure I ever would have done the jump. The videos made me nervous all through the night. I actually considered changing from Nevis to the bridge in the morning, but Dawn gave me a rousing pep talk.

I checked in at 11am and signed away my life. In addition to releasing the company of responsibility for bodily injury, I also released them from responsibility for any "emotional trauma" that I or my spectators might experience. Among the conditions I'm asked about are "fragile skin" and "panic/anxiety." I don't know what "fragile skin" means, but I was hoping this jump wouldn't ruin my delicate complexion. And I would like to meet the man who doesn't experience some panic and anxiety faced with a 134 meter jump. He's lying!

Without a doubt, the worst part of the whole experience was the 40 minute van ride to the jump site. It does nothing to calm your nerves. Quite the opposite, as the driver was herking and jerking us over all kinds of steep mountains and dirt roads. He points out the bridge bungy site to us (which looks pretty high) and says, "You'll be about 3 times higher." I think, "Please turn this van around."

Upon arrival, we're immediately harnessed up and taken down a boardwalk to a viewing platform. I'm terrified. Then they take us 3 at a time (we were a group of 6) in a rickety gondola to the jumping station. The jump station is probably 15 foot x 15 foot and it is rockin'. Party music is on, people are literally shaking in their boots, there's a lot of yelling and swearing and "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." The atmosphere was electric. Total strangers are high-fiving and holding on to each other.

From then on, things move pretty fast... or else I blacked out. You hoist yourself onto a ledge were they add ankle straps to your body harness. As one person comes up from a jump, they put the next person in what looks suspiciously like an executioner's chair to bind the ankles together. I had to remind myself to breathe. They help you up and you hippity-hop over to the ledge. He said, "Further, toes to the very edge." I inched forward. And that was it. "123GO!" All in one breath. And I went. You don't have a split second to think, which is a very good thing. You extend your arms and dive headfirst as far out as you can. I did all of this without looking down.

The free fall is 8.5 seconds and it knocks the wind out of you. I wondered if my life would flash before my eyes, but the truth is that my mind went blank as I hurtled head-first towards a rocky river. Then, all of sudden, I go bouncing back up. This turns me all around and I free fall again, which I wasn't exactly expecting. After the second bounce, I have to do a sit-up in mid air to release a strap around my feet. This separates my ankles and flips me into a seated position in the harness. You have to pull the strap really hard. It took me two tries. Some people couldn't do it and had to be pulled all the way back to the station hanging upside down. In the seated position, the ride back up is very calm and scenic, except you are panting like you just ran a marathon.

Most people are so shaky when they're pulled back into the station that it takes a moment to get their footing. You're kind of in shock, and the adrenaline is oozing out of your pores. Personally, I was hepped all afternoon. That's the whole point, I guess. After all, I paid good money for that emotional trauma !