·
Life on the edge gets
risky, but sometimes one has to take chances because life is not just about the
breath we take, but rather, the breath that takes us away. Bungee jumping has
been pending on my bucket list since I got to know about it in 2004.
·
But it was only
recently that we set foot on the grounds of Adrift’s tourism base camp by the
River Nile in Jinja. This camp has stamped its name on Uganda’s tourism arena
for being the only bungee jumping site in the country.
·
As we prepared to go
bungee jumping, Isaac Mwanje, a courteous and knowledgeable jump master with
over 14 years’ experience, asked us to sign a disclaimer registration form
acknowledging that we are going to bungee jump at our own will. After that, we
were weighed with the intent of allocating us appropriate jump chords.
·
We climbed the high
bungee tower bridge positioned by the river’s edge. At its tail end was the
jumping spot which hovers 44 metres above the flowing river. Mwanje’s two-man
crew — Jonah and Kenneth — were already there, waiting to guide us with smiles
and positive attitude.
My experience
The writer in motion
As soon as I was done meditating on the last prayer, Jonah asked
me to take the lead by taking up the hot seat to be readied for the jump. My ankle and waist harnesses were fitted
by the two men, after which I was passed to the jump master who double-checked
everything. The team gives much attention to detail and safety.
Before long, it was time to step forward and jump 44 metres
below. At this point, Mwanje advised me not to look down. This was meant to
prevent me from catching sight of the river below because it would make me
freak out. “Solomon, I repeat, do not look down. It will kill your positive
energy for the jump,” he advised. Alas!
No sooner had Mwanje said this than my eyes wandered down to the
river. That was the moment I nearly needed a diaper. I was terrified, causing a
wave of heat to run through my body. Frightened, I could not help but wonder
whether the bungee jump would leave me in peace or pieces.
In a flash, goose bumps had covered every inch of my skin. With
a determined effort, I tried pushing all this fear away by listening to
Mwanje’s energising assurances and cheer.
For a second, I wanted to step back, but the crew was already
halfway into the jump off countdown. In a second, I had been pushed off the
edge — just as I had requested earlier on and my body plummeted through the air
at the speed of a bullet.
Jetting through the speedy crosswinds felt like I was in the
cockpit of a faulty plane that was on the verge of crash-landing upon the top
of an erupting volcano that was oozing hot lava.
Never had I ever screamed a nooooo’ as loud as I did this time.
Just when it seemed like it was my time to cross the great divide, the elastic
bungee rope strongly jerked me over 30 metres back in the air — vertically with
my head facing the river.
For the next 40 seconds, I was bouncing between the bungee tower
and the river surface like a pendulum bob. It was not until I was lowered into
the safety boat below that I realised how exciting bungee jumping is. It was a
whole new experience knowing I had made it. I punched the air a hundred times in celebration
of the sweet victory.
I would do it all over
again - Esther Namugoji
Three, two, one, bungee!” The voices behind me counted down,
sounding very normal, as if this was just a children’s race they were flagging
off. It was not!
This was the craziest thing I had ever attempted. Having quaked
and trembled through the previous hour, I was determined to trust Isaac Mwanje
and his co-conspirators atop the bungee tower.
But common sense kept interfering with my resolve. Yes, I had
the advantage of having watched my colleague bounce off the platform and safely
complete the 44-metre plummet down to the Nile River in one piece. Surely,
these people knew their stuff, they had years of experience.
Surely, these ropes were time-tested, secure as a mother’s hug.
Mwanja himself had done the jump at least 40 times! Surely, surely... but
wasn’t this a kind of madness?
I contained my nervousness by joking with the crew, and admiring
the spectacular view from here. The wooden chair we sat on while being prepped
for the jump was covered in fearsome carvings and a cowhide seat — like I
needed any thoughts of an electric chair operated by a very evil-minded
executioner!
The wind was strong at this height and my hair flew all over the
place. I tried to keep my wits about me, but the reality of what I was about to
do kept me on the edge.
Shuffling towards the edge of the platform, my body gave in to
involuntary shivers. What was I doing? But I had come this far, there was no
turning back. Mwanje told me to wave at the camera and dive. At the countdown,
I bent my knees, all the while praying it was not my last day on earth, and
leapt off into oblivion.
I whooped as I went down, waiting and waiting and waiting for
the rope to jerk and signify the end of the bungee. But I was to be jerked up
and down several times before slowing. It was a heady relief to be lowered
gently into the waiting rescue boat below. I was surprised to see a picture
that showed my hand grazing the water, for I could not recall touching the
water.
My colleague blamed this temporary amnesia on my having closed
my eyes as I fell. Truth be told, I opened my eyes a few times and the sight
was too frightful to take in.
The bare cliff to one side and the shrubs to another seemed to
be bouncing towards me, at the same time the water below and the bright sun
winked menacingly, forcing me to keep my eyes shut.
Later, Mwanje showed us a climbing wall up the side of the
tower. Eyeing it with envy, I wished I had had that option first, but then
again the bungee jump was so worth it that I
would choose it over and over again.
By: Bruce Amp
