One High-Flying Week: Part 2

Let me preface this post by saying something. I am extremely sorry. It has been nearly a month since my last post, and I have not kept up with this at all. I know people who read this blog have been wondering what has been going on, especially since I had such high hopes about keeping with a weekly schedule. I know, I am a terrible person. However, I am going to try and make a few more posts before I leave. I am breaking the weeklong study trip into two parts, as today's post merits its own entry. In addition, I plan to put up a post about my independent study week in Beijing, along with a general post about my reactions about China. Hopefully, this should all work out time-wise. Time will tell.

Anyway, when I left you all last, I had talked about my time in Hong Kong. If you do not remember, or just want to catch up on it, it is the previous post (which I have linked to here). So, after our free day, we got on a ferry to go to Macau, another special economic zone. The ferry ride was not bad apart from some choppiness, and we made it to Macau in good time. After we got there, we got on a bus heading to Macau Tower. It is one of the main sightseeing sites in Macau, as it has a viewing level that overlooks the area nicely. We had our lunch on one of the lower levels, which was a revolving buffet. It gives a great view of Macau, albeit somewhat slowly.

Macau Tower is also is the location of the Guinness World Record for the highest bungee jump in the world. Clocking in at 233m (approx. 764 feet), it is enough of a sight to see someone do the jump, much less actually take part.

...

You can see where this is going.

 Yes, I took the leap.

I knew I was going to jump even before I got there. Bungee jumping has been an item on my bucket list for a long time, and why not do it at the largest jump in the world? Due to time constraints (and price) I was the only one from the trip to jump. I did not regret it for a second.

I can probably guess what I was saying. "Wait, how high did you say this was again? And I go straight down?"

Goodbye, everybody. Hopefully I come back in one piece.

The next few pictures show the actual drop, and were taken by the nice people at the AJ Hackett company. All right, there's my shameless plug.

There I go...

No turning back now...

...or now, for that matter.

See that little speck? Yeah, that's me.

On the whole, it was an amazing experience. The only real time I felt fear was when I had just passed the point where I could not go back, and after that I just ran with the rush. It felt like a rush of weightlessness before the bungee cord snaps you back to reality. I knew I was falling, but I had no idea as to how fast or long. It felt like I was floating. I think the initial drop lasted for about 12 seconds, but I had no idea.

When I finished the jump, I had to then go back upstairs to pick up my photos and video of the jump (I tried to put the video up here, but I was running into issues, sorry.) While I was up there, they were prepping the guy who was jumping after me. I watched, excited, as they counted down from 5, just like they had done with me. Unlike me, however, the guy could not move. He was too scared. They counted again. Nothing. He could not do it. They took him down, and I found out that the guy had basically just paid what I had paid to stand there. There were no refunds after the registration. I am sure glad I jumped.

On the other hand, now that I have jumped, my next two jumps there are discounted, and the fourth one is free! I just may have to go back at some point. Plus, I got a nice little ovation from the group when I got back, but that may have been due to the fact I kept them all waiting.

My next post should cover the rest of the week-long study trip. Until then, kiddies.