Adrenaline Adventures at Victoria Falls

Sunday, July 25, 2010

We woke up and got ourselves ready to ride the zip line at the Victoria Falls bridge. We washed our faces and brushed our teeth, but no shower. Nancy prepared us a nice breakfast of sweet potatoes, ground nuts, samp (a pounded corn dish), and bread with butter. Most Africans add sour milk to their samp, but we knew our bodies would not agree with that mixture, especially with the adrenaline rush we were expecting later. We've tried a lot of new foods here, but this one wasn't worth the risk.

At 9:30, we arrived at the bridge, and we were the first customers there. We paid for our rides, signed the indemnity forms, weighed in, and got into our harnesses. We also told them that we would want their professional video. They have the option of buying a package of three activities: bungee jump, bungee swing, and the slide (zip line). We had no interest in jumping off the bridge, so we only bought the zip line ride.

As we walked up to the launch area, the view was much more intimidating than it was when we watched from the bridge. Seeing the cable sag as it spanned 240 meters (787 feet) across the gorge made us feel a bit uneasy. Doug got strapped in first, and once he sat in the harness and took his feet off the ground, reality set in. He knew that in a few seconds he would be sliding over the gorge, 111 meters (364 feet) above the rushing water below. Our zip line helper-guy counted down from three and then shoved Doug out over the gorge. He screamed loudly in anticipation as he left the platform, but the view was amazing. As he got out over the gorge, Doug slowly rotated, giving him a full 360 degree view of the bridge, Victoria Falls, the gorge, and the Boiling Pot below. Dena went next and was all alone with Doug already on the other side of the gorge. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, but the adrenaline rush was already setting in. She ws strapped in and ready to go. As the helper-guy told her to lift her feet and sit into the harness, she was already starting to scream and then she was flying over the gorge. It is so beautiful to view Victoria Falls from that height and to see the full 360 degree picture. The complete slide is maybe only 30 seconds long, and we both wanted it to go on forever.

We both felt completely pumped after we arrived safely on the Zimbabwe side of the bridge. We gave our harnesses back and walked back to the station where we had paid. While we waited for our videos to come up on the TV, we each had a Mosi beer in celebration of our ride. We didn't care that it was 10:15 in the morning, we felt amazing. More customers were arriving at this time, mostly for the bungee jump. Doug felt completely satisfied with his adrenaline levels, but Dena was starting to get the feeling that she needed more than just a ride on the zip line. Dena has always wanted to try bungee jumping, but she has never had the opportunity or the guts to do it. This is probably one of the best locations in the world for bungee jumping, and she didn't want to regret missing the opportunity.

WARNING: Frances and Mike, read with caution!!!
 
After seeing a few people jump and being assured it was safe, Dena decided she wanted to jump. The deciding factor was when a few 17 year-old girls from Birmingham, England signed up for the bungee. There were also 50 year-old men getting ready to jump. Now she was convinced that she had to do it. Unfortunately we didn't have enough cash with us to pay for the bungee, and they weren't accepting credit cards. So we had Bobby drive us back into Livingstone to go to the ATM. Dena took out one million kwacha in order to have plenty of cash available. Don't worry, that's only 200 US dollars. We got back to the bridge, Dena paid the $115 for the jump, and she was ready to go--or at least she thought she was ready.

We walked on the bridge to the bungee jump platform, watched one person jump, and then they called Dena's name. First, she had to make sure her shoes were tied as tightly as possible. Then they strapped her tightly into her harness. 

 Dena getting prepared for her bungee jump

Next, she had to actually walk out onto the platform, 5 feet from the edge. Words can't describe the adrenaline and nerves that she was feeling, but she knew there was no turning back at this point. Several people were watching from the bridge and giving her encouragement. Her bungee helper assured her that her life was in his hands and that "there is life after bungee." Dena hopped towards the edge, since her feet were bound by the bungee cables, and tried not to look down. She put her toes over the edge and held onto the rail for dear life. The bungee helper pried her hands off the rail and lifted her arms, and Dena told her that she would need to be pushed--she couldn't jump on her own will. "Five, four, three, two, one...BUNGEE!" 

Dena's strapped in and ready to Jump (With a little push)

Dena was given a shove, and then she began her free fall 100 meters down towards the gorge. On the way down, she forgot that she was attached to anything; it just felt like she was falling towards the rocks and water below. She attempted to flap her arms as if that would have any effect, and after what seemed like minutes (less than 5 seconds in reality), the bungee tightened and stopped the fall. She could feel it tighten around her feet and was afraid of slipping out. After 2 or 3 bounces, a lot of spinning, and all the blood rushing to her head, she could feel herself being pulled back up towards the bridge. At that point, she had a permanent smile on her face and a great feeling of pride that she had actually done it. She was also ready to get herself back onto solid ground. She was greated a few meters below the bridge by another helper descending on his own rope. He attached himself to Dena and turned her right-side-up, bringing her back up to the bridge. It was the scariest thing she has ever done, but also the most amazing thing. She was very happy that she actually did it.

happy to be back on solid ground

Doug videotaped the jump, while Bobby took photographs. The company's videographers also filmed from two different angles, which we ended up combining on the DVD of our zip line rides. Even Doug and Bobby felt an adrenaline rush as they watched Dena leave the platform and free fall towards the water. We were all very relieved when she was finally pulled back up to safety on the bridge.

We had to wait along time for Dena's bungee video to load before we could watch it on the TV. In the meantime, we had "Bungee Burgers" for lunch. After finally seeing the video, we paid for our DVD with all three segments, and then headed back to Livingstone.