I went for a hike to the river below the bridge that people bungee jump off of in Baños, Ecuador with Geotours. I watched their tiny bodies hurtle through the air and heard their screams. I had just bungee jumped for the first time in British Columbia and it seemed like with this one in Banos, they didn’t fall as far. The Baños one is set up more to swing you back and forth after you fall. Safely far below, I reasoned that if I had the courage to bungee in BC, I could brave this one too.
“Brave” is the LAST thing I felt as I climbed over the railing of the bridge and stood staring out over Banos on a tiny metal platform. My legs were shaking. I glanced over at my two friends, Miles and Oscar holding cameras waiting for the moment I would leap. I looked back out over the beautiful valley, avoiding looking down. It is over 328 feet to the bottom. I wondered what would happen if I climbed back over the railing to safety and didn’t jump. A car drove over the bridge and the tiny platform shook. I shook more. The man helping me with my jump offered words of encouragement, offered to count down for me. I mostly ignored him aside from telling him not to push me(some people want to be pushed). I jump when I’m ready to jump. Only then. Minutes passed by, the wind started to pick up. I asked him if that was okay. He responded that it was fine, still very safe. I told myself that I would only be very scared for the second I jumped and after that very happy. But it was SO high! A couple more minutes went by, people had gathered on the bridge and were intently watching me. The man asked if I would like to get down, let someone else have a turn before me. That was all I needed. I shakily stepped out further, looked straight out, blanked my mind and jumped.
For a few seconds I dropped through the air. It was exhilarating. An insane adrenaline rush. I reached the end of the rope, bounced and swung in a huge arc under the bridge! I was so glad I pushed past my fear and did it! I walked up the path to meet my friends with an incredible burst of energy and a huge smile on my face!