The next day we got up early to jump off a 450+ foot high bridge that spans a tropical gorge with the wild Bhote Kosi river raging below. Bungy was available at the resort but I wanted to try The Swing (http://www.bungynepal.com/swing.htm), something I had never seen before. This is the highest canyon swing in the world and the thought of jumping off the bridge both thrilled and terrified me, which is why I knew I had to do it. The canyon swing involves being attached to a rope that spans the canyon and is located about 90m in front of the bridge; once you jump off the platform you freefall for about 8 seconds before the rope attached to your waist pulls tight against the other rope and you begin to swing at 150km per hour through the gorge.
There were about 25 people signed up to jump and as I waited for my turn to jump I became incredibly nervous; at one point while watching someone else jump my knees became so weak that I had to sit down. If I had to name one fear it would be of extreme heights, which is exactly where I found myself standing on the bridge. One man who had signed up for bungy stood on the platform and then suddenly backed out. My stomach turned. I said a prayer for Meg, Kirsten and I and resolved to just do it. My heart was fluttering while the harness was put on me and I tried to focus on breathing. Finally they called my name; it was time to jump.
As I walked to the platform I started to feel very calm and I was ready. The crew member reviewed what I was to do; hold the rope with both hands and take a hop off the platform. He began to count; one…...two…...and I jumped! The only sound I could make was a guttural “Ohhhh!” I fell so fast that the wind rushed into my lungs making it impossible for me to make a noise. It was such a strange feeling to be in such a long freefall; it was enough time to formulate thoughts like “What did I just do?!” and “I change my mind!!” This is when I began to kick my legs. Then the rope pulled taut and I began to swing at such an incredible speed above the gushing water. As I swung I looked back up at the bridge amazed at what I had just done. I let go of the rope and relaxed my body to enjoy the swing. It was fantastic! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7urCnDRDXY) The rest of the day was really low key compared to jumping off a bridge; I read my book and thought to myself several times “you jumped off a 450 foot high bridge this morning!”
The next morning was our last day at The Last Resort. We had a great breakfast and packed up our stuff to head out to the river where we would begin our rafting trip. I had never rafted before and I was nervous that I would fall out of the boat. My fear was in vain and I had a fantastic time navigating the smoky turquoise water. While being tossed around the rapids I screamed more in shock of the icy water than out of fear.
We stopped on the bank of the river for a picnic lunch before heading back into the freezing water for the final push down the river. The guides directed us to a large rock on the bank of the river where we were able to jump and fall twenty feet before being plunged into the frigid water. It was a great trip and I am looking forward to my next rafting experience.Our time at The Last Resort was amazing and I hope I can return in the future to try the bungy!
