Adventure! Durban to Cape Town

My Coastal Adventure: Durban to Cape Town

FYI, this was drafted as an e-mail before I jumped out of a plane. Further details about the jump itself have been added to the end.

Hi Everyone!

I just thought I would send a note out to everyone before I jumped out of a plane in three hours. The last few days have been quite amazing. As you may or may not know, I have been traveling down the coast from Durban to Cape Town using the Baz Bus (google it for more info). Stopping along the way in different areas and staying at really cool backpacking lodges. The whole community around them is amazing and I am even considering coming back to work at Bucc's one day, which is the most amazing that I have seen.

Before I left Bucc's located in Chintsa (sin-sa), I went on a game drive in the Inkenkweza game reserve. It was quite good, especially for the price, and we got an amazing lunch at the end of it too. They had a white lion breeding project which we entered in the jeep. We searched for a while and couldn't find them until they snuck up from behind. The white lions were absolutely beautiful, but also a bit scary. The male came up and sat next to the fence after we left the area to eat lunch. My camera died at this point but there were some pretty cool pictures taken of us eating lunch two feet away from the male lion.

The best part of the day, however, was during lunch. Our guide brought up the fact that they had three cheetahs right out back in their own enclosure. We were all down to go see them, and then he opened the gate and told us to go in. I had faith, but the two girls I was with were freaking out big time (big surprise). Anyways, the three fully grown adult cheetahs slowly came up the hill and out of the forest to greet us. The purr they had was incredibly loud and somewhat concerning as they walked up to us. Then, we started petting them. The cats were incredibly tame, and as long as you remain calm there is relatively little danger. If you are not calm, then there can be a big problem. Apparently a girl started screaming and running towards the gate the week prior. The result of this was two cheetahs on her back in under two seconds.

So, everyone was petting and taking pictures when I decided that a better picture was needed. So, I laid down and slowly started moving closer to the female. The end result was a spooning sessions between myself and the cat. Magical.

The next day of note was yesterday, in Storms River Village, home of the Bloukrans Bridge and Tsitsikama Forest (spelled wrong, sorry.) I am an adventurous spirit, but not usually the most daring. Granted, Cheetahs were sweet but heights is a whole other set of fears. But, this is Africa, so I decided to go for it (at least in principle). The Bloukrans Bridge is the highest commercial bungy jumping venue in the world. 216 meters up, 190 of which are free fall. The rough calculation comes to 5 seconds of free fall. For $75 U.S. you get the jump and pictures of the process. Walking out to the jump platform was scarier than anything I had ever done before. I was making jokes with the British girls I met in the cafe before hand but on the inside I felt completely unsecured. They should really put a mat down so you cannot look down... once I was out on the platform the crew turned up the techno music and danced around while they worked. Although it gave it a less professional feel, it allowed everyone to calm down. I was 5th up on the list, so I waited and watched.

We also met a Canadian who had biked from Cape Town, which is a hell of a long way, over the previous five days. I talked to him while I waited and then it was time to get strapped up. I hopped out to the edge while being held by two of the crew members. At this point, you can try and turn around but your legs are tied together and the employees are getting ready to push you off the bridge, so there is no longer that possibility. 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1, Bungy! I heard the yells just the same as I waited at the cafe, but this was a hell of a lot more real. It was finally clear to me why I watched so many people just crimp up and fall off the edge instead of that graceful swan dive. I had it in my mind that I was going to look good and jump out into oblivion, but the pictures proved that I too only made it to Bungy Falling and never actually jumped. Falling my eyes and mouth were open, but nothing came out. Nothing going through my mind, no concept of time, of anything. You see the detail of the ground become even more clear and then the first rebound hits. Remarkably smooth,  it brings you back up to have another free fall of over 100 m, which is still higher than most in the world. That part was more scary than the initial fall for me, because I became completely upright as if I was about to jump again, but was weightless with nothing below me. The cord rebounds again and again until there is only a slight bouncing. At this point you start to worry about your equipment as your feet feel as if they are slipping out of the brace. The fear is baseless, and there are still two other connection points on your full body harness, but there was fear in my eyes.

The guy who introduced himself as spiderman came and pulled me up and a crew of five or six worked to get all the gear disconnected. I did it, and I feel fantastic! They asked you if you want to go for a second jump, and I contemplate the idea for a serious amount of time. I am still dizzy from adrenaline, but decide against another jump. Then comes the catwalk to take you back to the solid ground, which still scared me more than the jump itself.

After getting the pictures on a CD and a souvenir t-shirt that I plan to sky dive in, the topic of my next jump comes up. I think about it and am completely more scared than I was before the jump. It was great, but at the same time horrible and I don't know if I will bungy ever again. I even have far more concern regarding my skydiving adventure at this point, and am still slightly on the rocks on whether I should be doing this or not. But, I have been told that skydiving is actually a lot easier because of how your brain processes the danger. From a plane, there is no detail on the ground and it looks almost unreal, and therefore much less frightening. Well, that is what I have been told....

After we got back to our room from the bridge, we went on over to the forest and started our Treetop Canopy tour. Really anticlimactic when compared to the bungee, we used zip lines to go from platform to platform through the canopy of this pristine forest. We didn't see much wildlife, which was a bummer, but it was an interesting ride and worth the cool down value. I took my own videos of the ride, hopefully some of them turned out alright.

Moving on, I am now in Plettenburg Bay, the most developed town along the Garden Route. I see now why I spent most of my time along the Wild Coast, which runs on the side of the Indian Ocean. It is much less European, a bit more rugged, definitely cheaper, and has a more authentic feel to it. Plett is very resort-like in its surroundings. Beautiful, and decent internet, but not real. The only reason I am here is for the skydiving.

It is now 1:30 here and I am set to leave at 4:00 to go start my training and prep work for my first jump. Mom, I am getting a video, so don't worry. I am nervous to an extent, but it won't be real until I get on the plane, at which point I have no choice because I am simply attached to the person who is jumping out of the plane. I will try to write and tell you that I am alive, but Bungy Jumping is probably less safe than this and I came out of that just fine.

Anyways, still enjoying my time, and I am glad to be traveling by myself again after the short regrouping with my classmates. I will be back in Cape Town with everyone in two days. Please pass this along to everyone who wants to see.

Peace and Love,
Scott


Post-Jump Update:
AMAZING. Entirely more enjoyable than bungee jumping, and it was indeed less frightening. I will most likely not bungee jump again any time soon, but skydiving will be a repeat endevour for me without a doubt. It was just by chance that I got the late afternoon booking, as I ended up in a freefall during the sunset, with a full colorful view of mountains, beaches, and ocean...I got the movie for proof too! Just an all around great experience.

I am headed back to Cape Town tonight to reunite with the other students, as I feel there is no more adventure left for me or my bank account.

Peace and Cheers,
Scott Stephen Smith