GLOBETROTTER’S MONTHLY CHALLENGE
That Time, I Jumped Off a Bridge And Fell Into the River More Than Once
Not on the same day but in the same gorge
I honestly don’t know why I did it. I mean why on Earth would anyone want to jump off a bridge being strapped to a rope on the feet and end up dangling upside down above a thunderous river?
Things you do when you’re young.
I guess it would fall into that category.
It was in early 2015 and I was on a solo backpacking trip through Africa. And while many said before, while, and after, how incredibly dangerous my travel plans were traveling as a white, blue-eyed and blond woman through Africa, it was all safe until I arrived at Victoria Falls in Zambia.
Nothing, certainly nothing of what I decided to do at these spectacular waterfalls was necessarily safe or made to keep mothers calm.
- Walking across a wooden, soaked and slippery suspension bridge
- Bungee jumping
- Swimming atop the waterfalls
- White water rafting
And yes, I had to do it all. For some reason. I needed that. The adventure. The adrenaline.
And I know. I’m a skydiving instructor. But I consider skydiving as safe compared to the above-mentioned activities. And yet, I’d do them all again. Except for jumping off a bridge. Never again.
And no, skydiving is nothing like jumping off a bridge while being attached to a rope. Stepping off that bridge and racing toward that thunderous water wasn’t fun. It felt like dying. No feeling I’d like to experience again.
White water rafting was certainly thrilling as well even though I fell off that raft at least a dozen times disappearing in the depths of the Zambezi River only being pulled back up by my life jacket. And yet, I decided to do it again. Eight years later.
Swimming on top of the mighty Victoria Falls, I would have repeated it as well but the activity was off the charts due to high water levels.
Sharing my adventures of that week in my blog just days after, brought up some comments from family members and friends. I must have lost my mind. And they were probably right.
But all those extreme experiences I made that week stayed as one of the fondest memories I have of my trip. Of course, because of the extreme feelings I experienced.
In the aftermath of this adventurous week I was being asked if there is anything, any activity on Earth, I wouldn’t dare to do. If there was maybe something I was scared of or something I would say “I’d never do it”.
“Scuba diving!”
That was my response.
And if you’re curious about how this picture came about, stay tuned for the next article in the series…
This is a writing prompt response to Globetrotter’s monthly challenge. ‘Action’ is the theme of July and you still have a few days left to submit your own entry. Read the submission guidelines and inspiration below:
If you want to get a more in-depth experience of a bungee jump, read Maria Hayes‘ article on her jump in South Africa.
And while we are at it, Kerri Duncan talks about a different experience yet similar excitement running off a cliff…
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