Bungee Jumping at Longqing Gorge, China
The story behind my jump:
Bungee jumping in China was the biggest adrenaline rush I got all summer. As soon as I saw the walkway around the cliff I knew I had to do it. Although with my feet happily around the earth, it’s a lot less difficult to exude confidence over the “venturesome sport” as the Chinese sign called it.
Four of us decided to make the plunge as well as the other two agreed to take photos and video. The brave four every paid our 150 RMB (roughly $20), got weighed and signed our names by our weight – there ended up no waivers or any mention if our travel insurance covered this activity. Then off we went on the metal walkway protruding from the cliff and above h2o some 48 meters high.
I had boldly volunteered to go 1st (whilst nevertheless for the ground).
The initial two jumpers, Trisha and I, went towards tip on the bungee platform even though the third and fourth jumpers, Adrienne and Jenna, stayed farther back again. All confidence instantly disappeared as we advanced about the metal walkway. Searching down, it felt much taller than we experienced originally boasted about and was significantly shakier than we imagined. The metal beneath our feet wasn’t solid so with each step, we could see the drinking water beneath us. Our nerves started acquiring the very best of us. Our pace got slower.
At the end with the walkway was a Chinese staff person who spoke no English and experienced incredibly little patience. He experienced the harness laid out so I could step in. But the harness wasn’t a body harness, it was Velcro for only our ankles! I’ve bungee jumped in advance of. I had a harness and also a big yellow cushion around the rope to squeeze. Not in China. It’s only Velcro.
Words like, “It doesn’t matter if we lose our cash,” “we do not need to go,” and “we haven’t seen anybody else in fact jump,” seeped out of our mouths as we began to cower back again. The Chinese man just kept pointing where by I need to action. I meekly uttered the only Chinese I could think of, “bu yao” (not want), to convey we have been having second thoughts…not that seeking absolutely scared shitless didn’t convey the same meaning. It came down to a single decisive moment and two words.
We were definitely there. “Fuck it.” And I stepped down wherever the Chinese man was pointing. He far from gently wrapped my ankles in the industrial Velcro straps. Then to calm me fears, he took out SCOTCH TAPE! This was taped tight close to my stomach to hold my shirt in place. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
The minor shot of courage I got from my vulgar statement vanished as swiftly as it popped out of my mouth. The person led me to a little platform that had just enough room for my feet to fit. He then closed a metal gate behind me. A resounding “clang” raced by means of my mind. There was no turning back again.
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the railing behind me for dear life. Meters below me was water and anxious onlookers wondering who was crazy sufficient to jump. No thoughts existed in that moment, only pure, unadulterated fear.
The Chinese guy literally ungripped every of my hands and placed them above my head to form a diving triangle. Then in a single quick motion, he pushed me off the platform and I had been sent free-falling into oblivion.
It is a blur. I know I screamed. I know my feet kicked like I had been trying to find something in mid-air to grasp. It felt like I went plunging downwards for an infinite amount of time. And then in one jolt, I had been being thrust back again up towards the platform. Then there was a split second where I just hung in midair before falling towards the h2o again. Soon after the 1st bounce, it hit me that I wasn’t dead. In reality, I observed an incredible freedom of cutting by way of the air.
That didn’t last long. A couple of bounces later, I was dangling upside down as well as the blood came rushing to my head. In my ideal effort I tried to lift my head so as not to have a killer headache.
A bamboo stick interrupted my thoughts. Yes a BAMBOO stick was poking at me and two Chinese guys in the motorboat were definitely utilizing it to fetch me. Soon after a couple of tries I finally latched onto it and 1 on the guys pulled me closer towards motorboat. Prior to I knew it, the other just one had grabbed my waist in an attempt to turn me upright. With my ass even now above my head, 1 forcefully stated, “sit.” Who was I to ask how he wanted this performed since my ankles have been nonetheless attached towards bungee rope and above my head. No sooner, a single guy undid the Velcro and I plopped into the motorboat. The engines kicked in and I was zipped around on the dock.
A smile erupted across my face. My body was a small shaky from the rush, but I had performed it. I survived bungee jumping in China. And I would do it again inside a heartbeat.
Additional about Longqing Gorge here:
Longqing Gorge is really a short daytrip out of Beijing plus a great strategy to change scenes from urban sprawl to natural landscapes. The destination is only 56 miles northwest of Beijing and might be gotten to from a city bus for a fraction from the price of what you’d pay for a tour bus. Nevertheless some research is needed to figure out how to obtain on the city bus and which 1 to take. We employed the book BEIJING EXCURSION GUIDE as our reference and identified locals along the approach to be very accommodating. The bus dropped us off close towards Gorge inside a small town and left us a small clueless. We ended up taking an unmarked taxi which dropped us off at a road leading on the Gorge. Luckily there ended up restaurants within the way so we appeased our appetite in advance of setting forth within the day’s actions.
We walked on the Gorge entrance and compensated the entry fee (40 RMB).
Longqing does an interesting job of combining organic landscape with an odd tourism twist. Even though the cliffs within the area resemble that of a national park, the dragon escalator towards the h2o resembles far more of the run-down theme park attraction. Oh China. It turns out that the heart of Longqing Gorge is atop a dam, hence the escalator ride.
It absolutely was a fun afternoon. We took a boat tour and soaked up the majesty on the cliffs surrounding us. We also managed to discover a temple with monks who had been excited to speak with us and practice their English. I had been equally excited to talk to monks but later disappointed to uncover out that they have been paid staff and about as authentic like a watch you’ll be able to purchase at the Silk Market. There’s also a zip chord, bungee jump and tram to ride. You will find pathways and pagodas to meander around. The exit tunnel exemplifies a strange good quality of interest among the Chinese. The tunnel was decked out with fake plants and animals, even stuffed animals, in different scenes. The scenes ranged from tropical to wintery and had the temperature alter to match. It had been bizarre, but oddly when I showed the cave pictures to my Chinese friends, they thought it had been gorgeous. Our sentiment was closer to that of a twilight zone experience of “where the hell are we?” but whatever floats your boat.
Overall I’d recommend Longqing Gorge being a manageable daytrip outside of Beijing. It offers gorgeous scenery, and if you’re brave adequate, some adrenaline pumping activities too