40 things to do before you’re 40 – Number 7!
Tuesday, March 26th, 20137. Take a Bungy jump
Bungy jumping is much like the perfect holiday romance; fast, exhilarating, and you’ll soon be on the rebound!
A primal thrill which is guaranteed to get the blood pumping and the heart racing, it’s also the most peculiar of activities. Tell your friends that you’re thinking of jumping off a bridge and you’ll probably illicit looks of serious concern and a phone number for a suicide helpline.
But explain that you intend to do so with a giant rubber band attached to your ankles and not only does it become socially acceptable, you’ll likely be met with responses of jealousy and awe!
Bungy jumping was pioneered by a mulleted young Kiwi called AJ Hackett. His adventures in gravity-defying included a perilous plunge from the Eiffel Tower in Paris (see number 1 on our list), which earned him an arrest and an accusation of an act of terrorism (or “tirrorism” as he would have no doubt pronounced it).
His witty response was that it was merely an “act of tourism” – and in those prescient words he foretold of bungy’s wider appeal.
The business bearing his name quickly boomed in New Zealand, where it is still going strong. Beyond its homeland, bungy has become a global activity (though it’s written as bungee in most other places).
There’s no real secret to its huge appeal – the pure, unadulterated adrenaline rush you get as you leap from a ledge, against all your natural instincts, and hurtle earthbound at a rate of knots.
The air screams from your lungs as the ground looms with indecent haste, before the recoil kicks in and you bounce back in to the air for a fleeting moment of weightlessness. The natural high is hard to replicate and it’s what gets adrenaline junkies hooked.
At Topdeck our favourite bungy spots are Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, and Livingstone, a thrill-seekers paradise in Zambia.
Adventure capital Queenstown is considered the spiritual home of bungy and can boast several options including the mammoth 134m Nevis Bungy. Livingstone is perhaps Queenstown’s African equivalent, where it’s possible to bungee near the jaw-dropping Victoria Falls, Africa’s greatest natural wonder.
So why not put a bungy jump on your travel bucket list? You might just love it! And if not… well, you’ll quickly bounce back.
Topdeck Top Tip: Think you’ll struggle to overcome the terror? Don’t look down! Fix your eyes on the horizon and pretend that you’re diving in to an infinity pool.
A brilliant showcase of jump styles at the Ledge Bungy, Queenstown. Check out the views! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNIysvFZwYM
Obi Wan Kenobi refuses a bungee jump! Ewan McGregor turns down a bungee at Victoria Falls but colleagues on his Long Way Down TV show make the leap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve_MADvATyQ
