When we were on holiday in Hong Kong, we took a day trip to Macau. Its the second time I have been to Macau and I must admit I love it. We had a private driver for the day, the same fella we had last year. If you are looking for a private driver I can highly recommend ours, contact me via email or in the comments below and I will contact you with his details. This trip was a little different as we had the kids with us this time. Craig had his heart set on doing the Macau Bungy Jump from Macau Tower….

Ok I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, (I’ve got my first skydive coming up next week).  So when I turned the page of the  Macau magazine on the ferry over and saw the full page ad for the Macau Tower Bungy my eyes lit up.  Straight away I turned to the BIL, another adrenaline junkie, and passed him the mag.  I have bungy jumped  a couple of times before, even in Bali!! but this was the highest in the world how could I miss this opportunity.  The BIL had never done it before but why not do the highest for your first?

We spent the next couple of hours seeing some of Macau’s sights all the while anticipating jumping off the tower that we kept getting glimpses of.  When we finally arrived we lined up like kids in a lolly shop, then the bad news it was going to cost over A$500, I looked at Sal and could see that she wasn’t happy.  Now here’s the dilemma, I really really really want to do it but I know it’s a bit much to ask when Sal has done so much to save money organising the trip.  After an agonising 5 minutes toing and froing I decide that I can’t justify spending that much but as I tell Sal she has decided that it’s a once in a lifetime chance and that I should do it.  See what happens when you make the right decision!  So we went back to the line and went to book, now what, a two hour wait, we really weren’t meant to do it!  We were only in Macau for the day and there was still so much Sally and her sister wanted to show us.  We found out that we could pay and book a time for later so that’s what we did. There is so much more to Macau though, it really is a great place for the thrill seeker if thats your thing.

Macau Bungy Jump

After some more sightseeing and a couple of Lord Stow’s egg tarts it was time to make our way back to the tower.  Up we went to the Observation deck, 233m above the ground.  We signed our waivers and changed into our bungy t-shirts that were included in the price, generous!  We made our way to the scales where Sally reminded me that this wasn’t the time to lie about my weight!  Once weighed we were fitted with our harnesses, given a number and ushered to the waiting area.  Now the nerves were starting to kick in, especially sitting there watching the girl out on the ledge refusing to jump, she must have stood out there for 15 minutes before pulling the pin and coming inside.  Now it was our turn and we were taken out to the prep area.

A lot has changed since I did my first jump about 17 years ago from the Kawarau Bridge near Queenstown in New Zealand.  Back then they wrapped a towel around your ankles then tied you up with a bit of webbing and off you go.  Not anymore, now there were special ankle straps and a safety harness where there was a secondary attachment, just in case!  Sitting in the chair having all the safety gear attached, the heart rate started to increase, now for the shuffle to the ledge.  As you approach the attendants joke around and lighten the mood which is good. Then the first little flutter of nerves, as they kick the bungy cord over the edge you feel like it’s going to pull you over the edge with it.  It’s an absurd feeling really considering you are about to jump off yourself in a couple of seconds anyway.  A quick look up and smile at the photographer, then the video camera, then the GoPro strapped to my wrist, is it time to jump yet?  Ready, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!!!!!

Without hesitation I lean forward and, not so much as jump but fall forward…….  OH MY GOD!!!  As much as I hate to admit it, I’m a bit of a Woo boy and my god did I woo on the way down, Sally has the video to prove it.  Nothing can explain the feeling of free falling about 150 metres before the cord starts to slow you up and eventually stop about 30 metres above the ground.  It doesn’t stop there though, now you go back up about 100 metres and feel like you’re floating for a split second before dropping again.  This is where it was really important to listen to the safety brief where they tell you to pull a cord to release the bungy cord from your ankles so all the blood doesn’t rush to your head as you are slowly lowered to the ground, it is attached to your safety harness though. Bungy jumping gives you such a buzz and I’m sure I’ll do it again, it’s just a shame it goes so quick.

Word from Sal – Man of few words, glad the $500 equates to one paragraph! Don’t see the attraction at all but if that’s what gets his rocks off well who am I to argue but I must admit I did agree as I thought it would make a good blog post! The funniest thing was, when we watched the video and Caelan (who is 5 years old) said ‘Dad your arms are flapping like a bird!’

We spent most of our time in Hong Kong and it’s such a great city to visit with the kids. We visited Disneyland, Ocean Park and the Victoria Peak Tram which the kids loved.

If you have been bungy jumping or would like to go bungy jumping, leave your comments below with your experience, I would love to read them.  You can also subscribe to our blog to keep up with our family adventures.

Safe travels,

Sal.

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