Day 15 Bungee jumping by Eashan

I woke up excited and by the possibility of a bungee jump. I got changed and came down to breakfast. For breakfast I got delicious Nutella pancakes as well as filling my plate from the buffet with fruit and toast. We then decided to drive to tsitsikamma. Tsitsikamma is a section of the garden route known for its beautiful valleys and hikes. We soon came to a sign for bungee jumps. We decided to check it out to see if we could book me, Arushi and Millen in for later.
We drove to the gates and walked up to the office. While me and Millen were ready to go, Arushi was having second thoughts. And being able to see the 200m bridge from where we were was not helping. Eventually however she decided to go for the once in a lifetime opportunity. We went to book when the people at the office advised us to go for the slot in less than 10 minutes, otherwise we'd have to wait an hour. To avoid 2nd thoughts, we went for the one in 10 minutes and, after suiting up in a harness, we were ready. We had a quick set of instructions before we made our way to the zipline underneath the bridge. Dad opted to stay behind while mum walked along the skybridge - a gangway that ran alongside the zipline - with a view beneath and to the side of you. As I was travelling along the wire, I looked down. The bridge connected 2 mountains and was held up by concrete beans that sloped down to the bottom of the valley, so the bottom of the bridge was slowly revealed as I went further. On the other side, I was greeted by several workers releasing me from the zipline and then pointing me in the direction of the bungee jump. It was in the centre of the valley with many various wires hanging over us and music blaring in my ear. I watch as the other 2 zip line across and we make our way to the place we jumped from. Arushi looks white as she stares at the edge of the platform. Soon mum also arrives and watches as the workers check we are all here and put us in our order. I'm going first. I am lead to a seat where they use velcro to attach some padding to my legs before wrapping a rope around them. A secondary rope is then also attached to my harness and I am being reassured by the amount of weight that the frail looking ropes can actually hold. I am then picked up by 2 workers who carry me to the edge of the bridge. Adrenaline pumps as my heart beats faster and everything seems slower. I peek over the edge and for the first time, I think about what I am actually about to do. The height is scary, but exciting and the promise of safety is enough to forget the fear. I am told to look up to a camera, and they begin the countdown. 5...4...3...3...1... I fall forwards and face the valley. Falling at incredible speeds, praying that I am not about to die. Finally, after what feels like forever, I reach the bottom and bounce back up. I feel weightless as I bounce up and down. Then, I notice how silent it is. The music from above is completely gone and the only thing I can hear is my own breathing. Looking across the valley, there is only forest and trees and it is so peaceful. It feels like you are the only person for miles. I look down. Big mistake. Even though I had already fallen, I was still 10 meters or so from the ground and I was only held together by rope and some velcro. Especially when wriggling my feet did it feel like I could slip out of the rope. But the 100% safety record put me at least slightly at ease. Soon I felt something on my rope and I look up to see someone pulling me up slowly. He puts me upright. And I am lifted up to the platform where I am greeted by cameras recording me as I answer questions about how it felt. Then mum comes over, hugging me and asking how it was. I reply saying that it was one of the best things I'd ever done! I then sit down and watch as Millen gets ready to jump off. He is brought to the edge and I hear the countdown that seems so much faster now that someone else is on the edge. As he falls off, he appears on the screen and we watch as he bounces back up. Before long he too is brought back up and is met with cameras before he joins us just as Arushi gets ready to go. She looks pale as she is brought to the edge. But before she can turn back, she is pushed of the edge. She appears on the screen just as Millen had. She returns to the platform relieved to be on ground again. She comes over, still shocked, but proud of what she has just done. After that, we are allowed to go back. We return on the skybridge, and realise why those who jump don't go on the skybridge, as looking down is enough to put anyone off. A metal mesh cage that sags beneath every step is NOT what you'd want to walk on before a jump. We are greeted on the other end by a proud dad. We make our way back to the office where we can watch the professionally filmed videos. We watch each one, reliving the jump, and after seeing the high quality compared to dad's grainy videos, decided to buy the them.
We left the bungee jump place feeling proud of ourselves for what we had done. We then drove to the shore at the beginning of several nice walks. But before we could set of, we had to have lunch. We went to a small outdoor cafe. Mum, wanting a small lunch, decided that the best thing for that was a (not so small) salad with a side of 6 oysters. After we had all finished, we set off on the walk. The walk started by a small but beautiful beach. It soon brought us into a forest on a wooden boardwalk which wound through the trees, even passing an outdoor classroom. We saw several dassie, brown, furry creatures that i thought looked like miniature bears. On the boardwalk, we could occasionally catch glimpses of the sea and dad even reckons he saw a whale. Eventually the forest opened up to reveal a cove with 2 suspension connecting where we were to a small beach. The bridges were small compared to where we had just been, but were scenic nonetheless. We crossed the bridges trying to time it so we could cross without other people blocking our way. Underneath the bridges was a group of canoes returning to the cove who waved as we passed. The beach was the final stop on the walk. It had lots of stones and on the side had a rocky hill face perfect for climbing. Soon, however, we had to go back as the tide was coming in and the beach was slowly disappearing. The way back was quite alot easier as we were going down for most of it. We got back to the car, tired and ready to return to the hotel. We returned to our rooms and flopped down onto our beds. Me and Millen had a quick bath each before heading downstairs. We were all getting hungry and so we headed to dinner - a place called Emily Moon that had been recommended by several different websites. Mum had tried to book it for tomorrow - our last day, but they had a wedding tomorrow, so instead we asked for today.
We left the hotel and arrived in short time. We were shown to our seats, and with high hopes ordered our food. It had great atmosphere, good food although slightly disappointing service. But it was still a good place to eat for a special dinner. Feeling full, tired and ready for bed, we headed back to the hotel to ready up for our final full day in South Africa.Read more