Nov
29
2013
OK, here we go, because I just have so much to tell you since my previous blog post. There are really not so many things that scare me, but jumping off a bridge with only one lifeline is something I have respect for. So why not face my fear and do my first bungee jump ever from the highest commercial bungee in the world! Yes, WORLD – not just Africa. Bloukrans Bridge measures 216 m above sea level. Look it up – it’s an impressive place.
So, Bloukrans is situated on the east from Cape Town on the way to Port Elizabeth. It’s a very long drive for just a bungee jump so I decided to take the chance to see more of the area and booked a four-day Garden Route tour. The trip included a great selection of activities.
The journey started on Friday with a long drive from Muizenberg. It was a nice group of people who had booked it, people from Sweden, Germany, Turkey, Austria etc. Since no one else I knew from the area wanted to do the bungee it was perfect to join a group like this and have it all arranged through the company.
The first stop was at a place where you could do elephant riding and feeding. After that we visited an ostrich farm to learn more about them and come really close to the birds. South Africa has a big market for ostriches, not only the meat but also the feathers and their skin, which by the way is the second strongest in the world. I’ve tried ostrich burger before and find it good.
On Saturday we went to the Cango Caves. The cave system is one of the finest in the country and is located at the foothills of the famous Swartberg Mountains. They are known for being beautiful with all the stalactites and stalagmites. Only a quarter of the tunnel systems is open for tourists, which is about 1 km. The caves contain an adventure tour where you go deeper into the caves and have to squeeze through narrow places. Not for the claustrophobic! That was an issue for me but I decided to try and it worked just fine. The place I found most challenging was a narrow crack into the wall stretching up 3.5 m and about 45 cm wide called ‘the Devil’s Chimney’.
Stalactites in Cango Caves.
‘The Devil’s Chimney’
Next on the schedule was canoeing at the Wilderness Lagoon. I had never tried canoeing before so it was fun. Feeling satisfied after an outing on the river, we continued a long drive to reach Jeffrey’s Bay. I’m so happy the trip took us all the way to J-Bay. It is such a famous and popular place for surfing! We arrived late so we just stayed at the Island Vibe Backpackers all evening. During dinner they had a cool performance by kids singing and dancing – they were so good.
Beautiful J-Bay
The kids performance
Here it comes – Sunday was going to be a day to never forget. All the highlights of the tour were scheduled for this spectacular day. I woke up early in order to have time to go and surf. I rented a board and a wetsuit for 50 rand an hour. I was the only one out in the waves because of the not-so-good conditions. Even so, I had so much fun and now I can say I’ve been surfing at J-Bay! Afterwards we went to a surf factory shop to look for some bargains. They had famous brands like Billabong and Rip Curl at reduced prices. Sweet! I really wanted to stay longer in J-Bay but we had to carry on. Now the way was leading us west and we stopped at Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Park and enjoyed a beautiful setting.
Island Vibe Backpackers – so close to the beach
The spot I surfed in Jeffrey’s Bay
Billabong Factory shop
Tsitsikamma & Wilderness National park was stunning.
In Tsitsikamma & Wilderness National park
The next stop was the BUNGY! I had been waiting so long for this and had many expectations. When I first saw the Bloukrans Bridge I was so impressed. Then I saw a guy jumping and thought, ‘he is crazy’. I admit I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect since this was my first time. However, I was determined to do it. I paid (there was no refund if you changed your mind when you saw the drop) and I signed some papers about the company not being responsible if something happened. To get to the platform you walk along a bridge built specifically for the jumpers. I had heard before that this is actually the scariest part since you have such a good view of the drop – I totally agree. Then, on the platform, everything changes. You meet all the crew of Face Adrenalin, which are the company running the place, they give you a pep talk, you get into the mood with the groovy music they’re playing and you can’t really see how high it is from there. We were given some safety info and got ready. I was the third to jump, which I wasn’t prepared for. It all went so fast from there on. I don’t think I really realized what I was going to do. The crew helped me to the edge of the bridge then I looked down and almost started to laugh about what I was going to do. Then suddenly they started counting, ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BUNGEE!’ and I swan-dived! Adrenaline started rushing through me and at first I thought, ‘NO. Why did I jump?!’ But then it all turned into an amazing feeling. Oh, if only you could freeze a moment. You don’t realize when you actually start to go up again – it’s so smooth. From here you just hang and do whatever you want and look at the view until a guy comes down and helps you up. I told him that he had a very cool job and he said that I could come to work there and get free bungee jumps. That would be nice cause when I was up I just wanted to do it again. Back on the platform, the guys laughed at me because I had such a wide smile – I kept smiling for a long time. It was so fun to then stand and look at the others jumping and I could feel pleased with myself. As the Face Adrenalin slogan says: fear is temporary, regret is for ever. I have to give credit to Bloukrans Bungee and the Face Adrenalin staff. Everything was just perfect. I’d highly recommend it. Straight afterwards I told my parents and my brother that I’d done a bungee jump – they didn’t know before that I was going to do it.
‘The Bloukrans Bridge’
My jump!
Adrenaline!
Some of the people I meet also doing the bungee jump.
After this remarkable day we continued on the way back home. Next day we could do a lion walk and a game-drive safari – it was optional and I didn’t do it but I could see lions from a distance anyway. We arrived back home late and I just had time to reflect on what I’d just done. I feel so satisfied now that I’ve done everything I absolutely wanted to here in South Africa before I go back to Sweden on Sunday.
Charlotte, Swedish volunteer.
By muizenbergbeachclub •
Uncategorized •
• Tags: Bloukrans bridge, Bungee Jump, Bungy, Face adrenaline, Garden Route, Jeffreys Bay, Surfing, Volunteer
Name: Caitlin
Name: Ant
Name: Phila
Name: Temba
Name: Asi
