A Weekend of Adrenaline

Finally, my first really adventurous weekend in Nepal! Projects Abroad sent about 20 of us volunteers out to a place called The Last Resort near the Tibetan border. This is a tiny little paradise, with green lawns, open air bars with pillows and seats for lounging and reading and relaxing. You stay in what are known as "proper" tents: tents that are very spacious and have a floor and beds and nightstands and such. Oh, and I should mention, this place is most famous for the tiny, Swiss-designed bridge that spans the narrow canyon (with a beautiful blue river raging 160m below) to the resort. It is from this bridge that people come from around the world to do the world's third highest bungy jump and the world's highest canyon swing...with a free fall of over 100m.

Naturally, that's what we were all signed up to do. But Saturday proved to be a busy day for the resort, and not all of us were able to bungy. A small group of 7 of us volunteers went canyoning that first day instead. Canyoning involves repelling down waterfalls and sliding down slippery rocks and jumping into rock pools. We had a great afternoon, with four entertaining and funny guides. They were impressive to watch as they literally ran forward like Spiderman down the slippery rock waterfalls, parallel to the ground, with alarming speed. In the distance we could hear the screams coming from the bridge back up the canyon...most likely from our friends jumping or swinging to their deaths.

We spent the evening lounging and swimming and eating. It was nice to get away from the horns and dust and noise of the cities we all lived in. The stars came out in amazing numbers, but it was early to bed, like most other nights here in Nepal.

The next morning, I was careful to not gorge myself on the delicious breakfast. After two bowls of muesli with curd and fresh fruit, I felt ready to jump. We were weighed and marched out onto the swinging metal bridge. My Swiss friend did not seem convinced of her own countryman's capability to construct a stable and safe bridge.

The key to bungy jumping is to not think. Sing a song and don't look down. Until that moment when your toes are over the edge, and you are staring at the rocky river below and the jump master has counted down to one and you have no choice but to dive into the freedom of the air. This complete lack of any sort of control is what makes free falling so terrifyingly cool. Total separation from the earth.