Bungee Jumping

Yes I have done it. Bungee jumping was definetally one of the best things I have done here so far. It was spectacular, amazing, and thoroughly terrifying. The bungee package includes a full day excursion to "The Last Resort" which is about a three hour drive from Kathmandu. It is northeast fromt he Kathmandu, close to the Nepal-Tibet border.


On bungee jumping: The bungee is attached to massive wire suspension bridge over the raging Bhote Kosi river. This bungee jump is the second highest in the world following one in South Africa. The process of doing the bungee is actually so absurd, I was laughing to myself all day. When the group of us arrived and walked across the suspension bridge most of us could not stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation. We were about to jump 166 meters with nothing but a rubber cord attached to our ankles into a huge valley with one of Nepal's roughest rivers directly bellow. It is just so absurd you cannot help but laugh at the situation. You are shuttled over The Last Resort where everyone is weighed and your weight is written on your hand so they know which cord to attach to your feet. Then a group of about 10 people are shuttled back on to the bridge where you watch as one by one, everyone goes over the edge. The order is from heaviest to lightest and I was near the end of the pack so I got to watch everyone go first. The first jump of the day was of a rather large European who was outfitted in fanny pack and other typical tourist gear. When he jumped we all screamed and laughed and cried! It is a crazy sight to see someone plunging down 166 meters and it looks they will not stop but instead plunge into the river below. Finally it was my turn. I walked over to the jump masters who attached my harnesses. I told the rest of the people in my bungee group that it had been nice knowing them. Then I walked onto the platform, inch by inch while one of the jump masters held onto my harness. As I looked down 166 meters below to the raging river a strange rush of emotions came over me. I felt like laughing, crying, vomiting, and dancing. From inside my ribcage came a rush of heat through my body. I was short of breath and felt very hot, like someone had ripped me open and was setting my heart on fire. So this is what fear is, I thought. During this whole process someone is filming so you can watch your jump later on. The jump master told me to wave at the camera. I couldn't both with this as being a film star at this moment was far from my first priority. Finally I told myself it was time. JUMP! This was so frightening, but fabulous! You free fall for about 4 seconds and then just when you think you will continue your fall straight into the river you bounce back upwards and then subsequently hang upside down reliving the rush for a few minutes. Anyway, bungee jumping is great and I recommend it to everyone as long as you don't have heart problems.

On the Canyon Swing: After the bungee jump I could not resist but to do the Canyon Swing as well. This entails putting on a harness and jumping off the same platform as the bungee jump. But instead of going head first straight down, you go for a 240 meter arc through the valley at 150 kilometers per hour. Also you get an 8 second free fall which is thoroughly frightening. This swing is the largest of its kind in the world.

After we all got to watch the videos of our jumps together. This was pure comedy because the camera catches everyone right before their jumps when they are filled with nervousness and fear but also quite giddy. Some of the pre-jump comments include "So this is safe right?" or "I hope I survive" or "Why am I doing this?" or "It's been nice knowing you."
All in all the bungee jump and swing run by The Last Resort is a first class operation, great fun, and has very high safety standards if anyone is worried about that. Recommended!