Plunging 60 Meters: My Pattaya Bungy Jump Experience

I am not an adrenaline junkie, but I enjoy trying daredevil maneuvers sometimes and it doesn’t mean I am totally immune to the fear that often goes along trying these activities.

It was my first trip to Thailand in December 2012, I decided to do this crazy adrenaline activity called Bungy Jumping in Pattaya, a town 147 kilometers away from Bangkok and in the eastern Gulf coast famous for its wild nightlife scene that attracts many tourists, weekenders from Bangkok and expats.

I stayed in Bangkok from December 28 – 31, 2012 and left to Pattaya on December 31st. My bus departed at about 12.30pm from Ekamai Bus Station, Bangkok and arrived Pattaya by 3.30pm, the bus fare was 134 baht and it was an awesome three-hour journey. I couldn’t find any taxis around Pattaya Bus Terminal at the time of arrival, so I hopped on a motorbike taxi that took me for 70 baht to the hotel I booked my two nights stay at Diamond Beach Hotel. The best thing about this hotel was its location, it was right in the middle of the Walking Street. The hotel was aged and needed some renovation work, some fresh paint, but the room was comfortable for $40 a night booked from Agoda.

I pulled my luggage behind me and made my way to the hotel entrance through one of the alleys around the Walking Street, and someone yelled my name and I turned to see one of my customers sitting at a bench and smoking outside the Diamond Beach Hotel. He asked me where I was staying and I pointed my finger at the hotel signboard and he told me he was staying at the same hotel too. I proceeded to the reception, checked-in and headed off to the Walking Street after a shower to eat something. It was very crowded and I heard some people calling out my name, again customers, this time a group of guys who actually booked their plane tickets to Bangkok through me. They invited me for a coffee and gave me a little introduction about Pattaya and places to see during my short stay.

The next morning I was up at 9am, grabbed a cheese burger from the closest McDonald’s and made a call to Pattaya Bungy Jump and told them to pick me from my hotel since they mentioned in their website that they offer free transport from any Pattaya accommodation and back in their mini bus. Unfortunately they told me that the mini bus was not available due to high traffic and that I will have to self arrange transport to and forth. I also asked them if there were a lot of people to jump that day and they told me that there were lots of people to do it and to come soon. I got on the back of a motorbike taxi driver and soon arrived at the base of the Bungy Jump. There was absolutely nobody there when I arrived, but soon people started coming and they had a good crowd to do bungy jumping. The guy at the reception asked me if I was there to do the jump and I told him yes and he pointed his finger at the jump platform. I told him I will wait and see someone else do it before I do my jump. There was a group of five Indians, and then one by one jumped off the ledge from the platform. I wore my “I Love Maldives” t-shirt and watched everyone jump while I enjoyed a Mountain Dew soft drink at the canteen.

Soon, my turn came. I signed my life away in the no-objection certificate, and stepped on a scale to be weighed. They hurriedly wrote my weight on my hand with a marker for the jump-master to decide the best length of cord for my jump. They tied my ankles tight with a rubber belt and the metal platform ascended us 60meters to the top. We finally stopped and the jump-master told me, “I’ll count down 3-2-1, then you jump, OK?” I was getting really nervous and I wasn’t able to laugh at their joking. And then, the time came for me to jump. I stood on the ledge waiting for the countdown.

Three…Two…One…JUMP!
I felt I was no longer on the ledge, I was falling at awful speed. I shouted and screamed almost unconsciously and felt as if my face had been crushed. Speeding up, everything had got out of my sight. The surface of water was coming up to me. The color of dark green water came into my eyes. The move suddenly stopped just about 10 inches before the surface. At the same time, my body bounced up in the air like a rocket. It was the very moment I experienced something like zero-gravity. I knew the way rockets felt. I was looking around feeling like a rocket for a few seconds. Rebounding was so comfortable but it wasn’t longer than falling. Rising up, up and up, then falling down, down and down. 5 times for rebounding. At each top and bottom, time was standing still, while the movement made me feel the energy of power. I was so sure the principle of the universe stayed alive even inside this bungy cord.

I did it and I am proud of it. I had a sense of accomplishment, that just because not many people can do it, but because I was able to conquer my fear. That was one of the most fearful moments of my life, and yet I was able to muster up my courage in doing it.

Package Price: 2200 baht
– Jump
– Photo DVD with Video
– Certificate of Courage
– Hotel Transport
– Insurance (Whatever that means)

Find more information about Pattaya Bungy Jump, Crazy Ball or the Human Slingshot at http://www.pattayabungyjump.com/prices-information