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Finally, it’s summer in Korea and boy, I just need a tan! But sadly, the swimming pools around the city are full of flat abs and toned limbs, where, if I lay out my physique which has not seen the gym in months would cause even the sun to hide in disgust. But the real beaches nearest Seoul are at least four hours away! And with the rising gasoline prices, I wouldn’t waste my precious hard-earned Korean won just so I can change my skin color for a day and expose my self to skin cancer in the process. So what to do? I need to cool myself in the waters and enjoy the hot summer sun. Hmm. Think. Still thinking…Aha! Why not try rafting? Yes, rafting it is.
So on a hot summer weekend, I went on join friends on a day trip to do some rafting! We went on to drive for an hour towards north of Seoul, unto the waters of the Hantan River, which meandered across the rice town of Cheorwon in Gyeonggi Province. And to add more fun, the area also has a bungee jumping facility over the river! And I thought the rafting was to be the highlight of the trip. But when I signed up for the bungee jump, things turned even more exciting. This was my first ever bungee jump. And bungee jumping over a river is uncharted waters (pun intended) for me!
So at the bridge over the Hantan River, I went up the bungee jump facility. And for an equivalent of US$30, you have the chance to duplicate the act of flying without wings. Or perhaps, to duplicate Nadia Comaneci's flight over the uneven bars, without her perfect 10 score, of course. Not all my friends signed up to bungee jump though, they didn’t warn me what awaited.
So I went up there, signed up, paid the fee, wore the bungee cord harness and received instructions. Adrenalin was running through my veins. “This is exciting!” I told myself.
Then reality struck.
There were a few other jumpers ahead of me and, not one, not two, but almost every other bungee-jumper froze in shock, unable to move, and looking down in fear. They looked like they were overwhelmed by a sudden fear - fear of experiencing the emotions of not knowing what transpires if he or she took a step off the ledge to let the law of gravity apply.
For the hapless jumpers all prepped and ready, but who suddenly went numbed and muted, a simple funny question from the bungee assistant saved their day, or in this case, their jump: "Do you want me to push you?" Though shocked and embarrassed as they were, a single-syllabled response from their throats choking in fear usually emerged: "Yes." And most often, they forgot to say "Please."
One guy, stood there for minutes, unable to move, unable to decide, unable to say 'yes', though we all knew he wanted to. It was very easy to poke fun at and tease him, but alas, we were next in line and we wouldn't know if the same gargantuan terror would eat us up and rob us of all faculties. I promised myself I would not duplicate his scene.
I realized if I thought too much, my excitement to bungee jump usually would get the better of me because once you are standing on the ledge, about to take the plunge of your life and looking down on the empty expanse of space and height, with nothing but murky waters (and a man on a small boat to fish you out after) awaiting below, you suddenly will say, "What was I thinking?!"
And suddenly, it was my turn.
Standing there alone on the ledge with nothing before me but a nice view of the Cheorwon - houses with colorful rooftops nearby, rice fields afar and the blue summer skies above me, with the sun bright and hot, and the gentle summer breezes which, sadly, were not strong enough to help push me against my nervous will to actually jump. I froze.
My shoulders got heavy, my chest even heavier. Although there were friends and other jumpers cheering me on, all I could hear was my heart beating fast and a voice in my head whispering, “Jump now. Remember, no refunds”.
And I did. I put feet together, bent my knees, bent forward and let my 82 kilos (most of from pasta and pizza) pull me down while I stretched my arms wide open as if to embrace the huge expanse before me – the picturesque view, the fresh countryside air and of course, the bungee jump experience!
And now free-falling with the funny tingling mixed sensation of excitement and relief that it’s half-over, I now tried to enjoy remaining moments of fun while the bungee cord pulled me up while gravity pulled me down, like a human yo-yo above the Hantan River. Now, that was the fun part of it.
I did not let fear get the better of me, but for a moment, it did, though unwelcome. I had to always remember I was there to have fun and to experience flight without having to buy a plane ticket. Presence of mind was key. 'Fun', 'fun', 'fun' juggled in my mind, although two other 'F' words were playing along, too. One of them was 'fear'. The other was ....you know what the other was. Ha-ha-ha!
And although the bungee-jump stall had loudspeakers blasting dance music all day long to create a fun atmosphere around the place, the music was so loud it drowned your prayers, and along with it, your thoughts of backing out. The next question is: will I do it again? Maybe.
Well, after the bungee jump, I didn’t feel excited about the rafting anymore. I knew it would be fun rowing and frolic on the river for hours, but I realized the bungee jump was already the highlight of my summer! The rest would just be bonuses to fun summer.
And summer is far from over. So I will now brave the swimming pools in Seoul surrounded by slimmer bodies. Who cares? Jumping into a pool is nothing to what I have jumped into. I will lie out there, and burn myself under the sun, all 82 kilos of me.
June 17, 2008
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What a great article!! I am really looking to do some bungee jumping this weekend and would very much appreciate it if you could forward on the information of how to get to this place? Is it close to seoul? I currently live in the bundang area. Thanks so much!!!
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