Day 8???? Sunday 24th August

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Yesterday was a surreal experience; the highest commercial bungy in the world certainly pulls no punches. I was the first to go, i think because i was the heaviest; the remit being, if it can hold me then it can hold everyone else. In the few minutes leading up to the jump it's best not to contemplate what is to come, for fear of questioning the your own sanity.166 metres was a long way down, i was told i would have one second of freefall but it felt like 5. Then as your body is slowed by the bungy rope, your blood keeps going and everything above the waist swells. I paid for the video, just in case i felt i dreamt it all. The worst thing was having to trek back up the side of the gorge; in the sweltering heat, clambering something as steep as this incline, with broken stones underfoot took me half an hour. Possibly half of this time though was spent trying to dislodge the many leeches trying to piggyback a ride from me.


Canyoning, or more realistically waterall abseiling, was a great relief from the heat. As we approached the starting point i was again struck by the sheer scale of this country. 7 abseils, the last one being 45 metres, allowed you to be amongst the fauna and flora of the gorge; dragonflies and butterflies are abundant and stunning to look at, the water itself so very clean and fresh. the power of the falls was tremendous, understandable when you saw from how high it fell. My heart understandably sank when i realised that, now having finished and feeling refreshed, i had to climb the side of that gorge again.

Perhaps the most dangerous thing i did all day was ride on top of our bus, It allows you to better appreciate the panoramic views, but just how close you get to the sheer edges of the roads outstrips any rollercoaster in terms of thrills. Drops of over a hundred metres is commonplace. All those foolhardy enough to do this had to cling on to the roofrack, comforted only by the thinnest of mattresses, but it was worth it. Battered and bruised though we were on our arrival, we were in good spirits and had witnessed some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.

My love to my family, sorry but i think my phone is now dead and so i am unable to receive the cheering messages you send every day. Paul.x

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