The world upside down

“Don't give yourself time to hesitate or contemplate because once the fear sets in your legs won’t let you leap”. I barely paid heed to what the handsome New Zealander was whispering into my ears.Words of motivation, words of philosophy, nothing works when you are looking down 83 meters. 83 meters into a rocky valley with a stream trickling by. You either jump or regret your fear ,all your life.

“Look at that yellow spot in front of you and then leap towards success”. How can I look anywhere else but below? I can hear the stream gushing, I can see the deep valley, I can see a spec of spectators waiting for me to leap. My eyes kept darting down and my brain pleaded me to back down, but my heart mumbled a feeble’ let go’. I guess the feeble voice from my heart overpowered the loud shouts in my head, and I let go.

“3 2 1, Now”. Without any second thoughts or slightest of hesitations, my legs impulsively took off and I recklessly plummeted down; upside down. I could barely catch my breath or keep my eyes open, but I was smiling. I jerked back up and bounced back down again, around 3 to 4 times, and all I could hear was my scream of freedom echoing , and my heart snickering to my head an “ I told you so”.

Trees stemming from branches and leaves ; not roots, standing on cotton candy clouds ; not on rocky grounds, the stream gushing by above your head ; not below you and people standing upside down; a rather funny sight. Familiar faces are hard to recognize when you’re hanging upside down.

The minute your hands feel comfortable clinging onto something, the “madcap” quotient of any adventure sport depreciates. While bungee jumping, you have nothing to hold on to, nothing to grab onto but yourself. To top it all, you’re hanging upside down. It may not be pleasant in the beginning, but its reinvigorating.

“Don’t let this smile leave your face”, I realized I hadn’t stopped smiling ever since I took that plunge. My hands were freely suspended in the air and the wind was exuberantly kissing my face and somewhere between all that I knew I had conquered acrophobia. Somewhat.

That night while sleeping, my heart kept lunging and my stomach kept cramping every time i thought about that moment when my feet glided off the bridge. What was I thinking when I dived ? Anything could have happened! The rope could have snapped, I could have snapped a bone with all that jerking and bouncing. ANYTHING. Thankfully it didn't happen, but what in the world made me take off like that without a second thought?

I guess I'll keep pushing myself till I find the answer to that. Bloukrans bridge, you’re next. Sky diving, you’re in line.

Details

Where: Jumping heights, Rishikesh. It is the highest bungee spot in India with a fall of 83 meters.

Why: You have only a lifetime to push beyond your comfort zone. If not now, then when ?

How much : Rs.3500 for the jump, Rs.100 as the entry ticket. Its worth it!

Tips :

Wear shoes . They feel more comfortable with all that gear wrapped around your legs.

Clothes tend to adhere to gravity and fall back revealing your beautiful body. As much as the people below enjoy the view, wear tight clothes or tuck in your shirts.

DO NOT HESITATE, no matter what. Leap and let go !

PS. Sorry for the low resolution pictures taken off the internet .I had to lock up my camera before entering the site. No picture or video can remotely capture the thrill of this experience, hence no complaints!.