We woke up early in the morning and drove to the Reggae Pub, site of the Samui Bungy Jump. Michael wanted to get there early so we could see the place and psyche ourselves for the jump.  We’d set in our hearts that we’re doing  this jump for a cause: this was going to be a jump for hope for the Philippines and  Thailand.

Bungy jumps in Thailand are 50 meters-  or  165 feet-high, nothing higher than that. This is the standard set by the Thai government for all bungy operators. We saw the crane that was going to take us 50-meters above the ground and it didn’t seem that high. After taking a good look at the crane, I told myself, “I am going to be ok. I can handle this.”

Michael and I asked Samui Bungy owner Simon Tumbridge  if we could do a couple jump. We were glad when he told us we could.

“How do we do that?” I asked.

“You hug each other tight,” he said.

“What if we don’t hold each other tight enough?”

“Oh, I’m sure you will!” he was quick to answer.

A bungy jump costs 1,650 baht (US$47 or PHP2,100)  per person here (2nd jump-1,000 baht; 3rd jump-750 baht, if you dare to go back up and jump the same day!).  A couple jump costs the same–1,650 baht for each person. Those who are not that daring can choose to go up the crane to enjoy the great view  for 500 baht.

For an extra 300 baht, you  get the video and photo package as well. Even though we  brought our own cameras, we still got the package. This was  a momentous event that we wanted to capture for posterity.

And so, we had a total of 4 video cameras prepared for the jump. We arrived before 9 AM and  at around 11AM, they were done doing the safety checks. I was glad they’re  very meticulous.  We were asked if we wanted to have our heads  dip the water. It turned out you could choose if you want to be wet or to stay dry. Looking at the mossy green water, I didn’t have a hard time making the decision. If we landed on the water with our mouths open, who knew what kind of live organisms would enter our lungs.  Plus we didn’t bring extra clothes. 

After that decision was made, we were asked to sign a waiver. There’s no refund for non-jumpers, by the way.  A few minutes more and we were taken to an area near the crane to have our weigh-in. This would determine the length of rope that would be used to hold us.

Before long our feet were snugly tied together by soft  pads. We hopped to the elevator that would take us 50 meters up.  The view was spectacular at the top. It more than compensated for the apprehension we were feeling. Koh Samui is really a lush and beautiful island.

Mike and I said a short prayer of blessing  to  the people Thailand and the Philippines.  On our own, I don’t think we would attempt this.  I’d done  a free fall down  a 60 ft. waterfall before and it was exhilarating, but I wasn’t keen on being dangled  on a bungee. I wasn’t looking forward to all that tugging and bouncing. Michael, on the other hand, was afraid of heights.  But as Simon told us when we were at terra firma, “Why try it at all if you’re not afraid, right?” It’s all about facing and conquering our fears. This is what life is all about.

That prayer helped a lot in calming nerves and giving us that final resolve to jump. It’s the first time I experienced such a peace in the face of  an extremely unnerving situation. Then, we stood up and stepped on the platform. Michael looked down right away, and saw for the first time how high 165-feet really was. The pool that seemed so big when we were on the ground now looked like the size of a basketball from up there.

We looked at each other and said out loud, “What did we get ourselves into?!” And then the kindly bungy operator who rode the elevator with us wanted to push us off the platform—right away! And he was dead serious about it.  Hahaha! After getting rid of that initial shock, I calmed down and regained my composure. While Michael was psyching himself up, I was trying to imagine how it would feel falling sideways so that my mind and body would be prepared for the sensations I would be feeling during the leap.

I tried to practice the movement without falling completely while waiting for Michael to find the courage to jump. He kept looking down. I kept telling him to look up and enjoy the view.

About 20 minutes or so, we were finally were ready to jump. There was no fear at all for me, thank God! I credit it to the amazing grace of God and the power of prayer. But for Michael, it was a different matter. . . but  his determination to jump was there.

This is my advice to all of those who are planning to try bungy jumping: give yourself time to get rid of that initial shock before you beg or shout at the operator to take you down. But don’t take too long in waiting (not more than 30 minutes, please!) or you might just totally chicken out.

And so, we breathed deeply, looked at the view for the last time and asked the operator to push us after the count of three. There was complete silence as we fell sideways, head first, tightly clinging to each other. Then we let out a scream! I was able to keep my eyes open. I saw the trees and mountains coming nearer and pretty soon, we were dangling from the rope. It’s true what Simon and his crew said, the actual jump only lasted 3 to 5 seconds.

And it’s true what I’d been dreading, the bouncing and tugging and dangling was not a very pleasant experience, especially on a couple jump, where  you spin and sway more rapidly because of your combined weight. I had to keep my eyes closed because the force and pressure was making me dizzy (My eyes watered a lot, too), but we were still able to shoot ourselves and share the experience on video  as we hung there. Watch our video here soon!

And so we bounced, swayed and dangled like a pendulum for about 5 minutes before the bungy crew got  a hold of us. As they had promised, we didn’t get wet, although, at that time, I wished we did. It might have felt more refreshing that way.

And yes, we’re still alive!!!

They immediately asked us to lie down to remove the pads holding our feet. I saw the bungy cord for the first time.  It wasn’t a solid rubber rope that held us up, but a bundle of very thin rubber ropes. I thought they looked familiar! They were a familiar sight during my childhood. These are the same ropes holding those rubber balls we used to buy from street vendors. Yes, those are the same thin bouncy rubber ropes. The principle behind it is this:  it is safer to use a bundle of these thin ropes because they do not break easily,  compared to  having one solid rubber rope. Even if some broke during a jump, it would be hard to have all of them break at the same time.

While we were lying there, a concerned Simon came to us to break some news.

“Guys, I have news for you. What do you want to hear first? Good news or bad news?”

We mumbled something, to which he replied, “The good new is you guys have a free jump! The bad news is I wasn’t able to take any footage of you two because the camera went full just as you jumped. And I didn’t have time to get a new memory card, because you already jumped,” he explained.

I really thought it was a joke! But it’s not! You should have seen the look on Michael’s face.

We discovered later that 3 out 4 of the video cameras failed to take our jump! My DSLR automatically shut off just as we were jumping. The camera strapped on Michael’s arm also didn’t work because he accidentally pressed the stop button when we leaped. And so the only camera was able to film our experience was the camera held by our bungy operator who at that time was busy pulling the rope that was supposed to hold us. Well, it’s better than nothing.

 Two nights before, I had talked to magazine editor and writer Paul Brailsford  about his bungy experience. He told me that there’s a great adrenaline rush afterwards and it lasts almost the whole day. I did feel a little pressure on my head after the jump, but after about 15 to 20 minutes, I was back to my old self. Surprisingly, instead of being pumped up, I felt very calm. That’s why I posted on Facebook and Twitter that bungy jumping was a very calming experience for me. I was in that state of calm the whole day. So am I saying that bungy jumping  is more relaxing than a spa treatment? Perhaps only for Jenny.

We contemplated on doing another jump because we missed some footage. I was able to convince Michael to do the jump near sunset, which would be great on video. However, at lunch, I noticed that Michael’s face had red spots. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were broken capillaries. We don’t know if it was the pressure, the fear or his blood pressure (or all of the above!) that caused it, but we decided that it wasn’t a good idea to risk another jump. But maybe when we go back to Koh Samui this year, we’ll take up Simon on his offer!

Now it’s Michael’s turn to tell his side of the story. . .

“It would be a cinch to bungy jump.”   That was what I was telling myself when Jen and I made our audition video.  “There is nothing to it,”  I continued, “besides, no one I know died from one simple jump.”   This would be a piece of cake.

I had that running in my mind ever since we got into the finals.  I was continually reminding myself that it would be easy (Do you see the fear building up since I was trying to reassure myself?).

The day we landed in  Samui,  I already had the Bungy marked in my mind.  My body had it’s own timer telling me, “Four more days.”  It is good that Samui is really beautiful because it helped me forget about that date. The  fun-filled days also drowned me in other matters so  forgot about the  Bungy.

December 14 came and I made sure we didn’t eat anything otherwise one of us would vomit on each other upon falling.

When we arrived Samui Bungy, I was relieved to see that on  the drop  site of the bungy was a big circular pool.  I felt safe.  I was looking for the tower or structure where we would leap and found out that the “tower” was a 50 meter high crane.  It really looked low from where I was standing.

After some basic briefing from Simon the Australian owner, we were tied up for the couple jump.  Although it may look stupid and foolish to throw oneself over a high platform, bungy is safe and very scientific.  We were weighed and compared to a standard so that the right bungy cord and rubber can be used.  This is not your usual bungy jump because Jen and I were going to jump together.  We were strictly instructed to hug tight otherwise we might bump our heads on the way down.
We sat on an elevator like contraption and was 50 meters up in no time.  The view was so beautiful the moment we reached the top.  We prayed a special blessing for Thailand and declared blessings also for next year’s Philippine elections.  I looked around again and was impressed at how beautiful Samui was.  But that was not the view I wanted to see. So I looked down immediately!

The moment I did that I regretted I told the whole world we were going to bungy jump!

You have to understand why.  When I was on the ground, the swimming pool was about 3 buses big.  But the moment we were up there, it looked like the size of a basketball.

I was so scared.

I peeked down again and said, “What have I gotten ourselves into?”   I was pondering on backing out, but then  about the promise I made. We don’t want to  fail our country.

I wanted to back out again the moment I saw the “basketball.” =)

It took us a total of around 25 minutes–because of me–before we were able to make that leap.  There was a strange peaceful silence when we were on the way down.  The only thing that I could feel was the air accelerating.  After the quick fall, the thud came, and we dangled until we were “towed” back to the ground.

To be honest, I am quite embarrassed when I heard myself scream like a pig being slaughtered on the way down.  Will I do it again?  Hmmm…  maybe =)

Recommendations:
1. Don’t eat a full meal before you do this please.

2. If you’re too scared to do it alone, find a buddy or a loved one you trust to jump with you. Someone you can really hug tight ( and whose smell is not offensive to you!)

3. Once up there, give yourself time to overcome shock and bewilderment before you give up on yourself and ask to be taken down.

4. Choose to jump at around 4PM or right before sunset when the sun’s not too hot and the light is perfect for pictures and videos.

We encourage you to do this at least once in your life! It’s life-defining!

SAMUI BUNGY JUMP

Price: 1,650 Baht

Address: The Reggae Pub, Chaweng Beach Road, Koh Samui

Website: http://www.samuibungyjump.com

Blogger: Michael Paul & Jennifer