I wasn’t clever enough to come up with the title
by myself. Credit goes to AJ Hackett.
I awoke at 6 to get to the Hong Kong ferry
terminal for an early ferry to Macau. I had failed in ticket-buying to realize
that it would have been more convenient for me to buy a ticket from the Kowloon
terminal, but I’m not the best at doing convenient things for myself. So, I
took the subway across the harbor to the Hong Kong Terminal. Even though Hong
Kong and Macau are both owned by China now, they are both special districts in
the eyes of international travel. Thus, I went through passport control at the
ferry terminal. I failed to foresee how bad the lines would be there, and I had
not thought to get there early enough for such a tortuous wait. Why so many
people wanted to get to Macau so early in the morning, I wasn’t sure, but I
anxiously kept checking the time as I cut it closer and closer to my ferry
leaving. I ended up making it with about two minutes to spare. I had bought
tickets for Super Class, because I heard economy class on the boats here is not
too pleasant. The boat rocked wildly at the dock, and a wobbled back and forth
as I made it over to my seat. There were only three of us in Super Class, and
as it turns out we got complimentary meals. I had a noodle stir fry thing, but
there was a very nice choice of possible meals on a menu in the seat-pocket
that, if you order at least 24 hours before your departure, you can get one of
the items. They all sounded much more gourmet than what I was eating. But I was
okay with what I got. Still breakfast!
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| Leaving Hong Kong on the ferry |
It took an hour to reach Macau, and the place
seemed deserted. Of course, it’s the Las Vegas of Asia, so no one in their
right mind would be awake at this time anyway, or at least they wouldn’t be
outside. Also, like Vegas, when you take away the night-time glamour and wild
party folks, it just feels all fake and dirty. But you do have to give credit to
the designers of some of these hotels and casinos. Some of these buildings are
just breathtaking.
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| Casino Lisbon |
My goal for the day was the Macau Tower. I
decided to walk to it, knowing the general direction of the Tower from the ferry
terminal and hoping I can get there quickly without a map.
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| Macau Tower |
For a time I seemed to be walking in the same
general direction as another white guy. Like, everywhere I decided to turn,
he’d chosen to turn there too. I wondered if he also had the same destination in
mind. But I decided I don’t like walking behind him because I’m self-conscious
of looking like a stalker or a would-be mugger. So, I sped up past the guy and
never saw him again.
Now what’s so special about this tower, you ask?
Well, it just so happens to have the world’s highest commercial bungee jumping
platform. And, well, I’ve been waiting a long time for the chance to bungee
jump. Might as well do the highest one for my first time, right?
I have decided now that on every trip I take I
will try to do something I’ve never done before. It’s happened on my last
couple. In Iceland, I did my first dry-suit scuba dive and happened to do so
right in between two tectonic plates. On my last trip to the US, I shot my
first gun (at a shooting range, of course), when I was in the Bay Area. Now
here I would be bungee jumping. Next I should probably try skydiving, because
that’s been a long time coming and it’s something I should have done by now! This
here would also be my first major adrenaline rush in exactly a year, which is
how long ago I climbed and skied the Sickle Couloir of Horstman Peak in the
Sawtooth Range of Idaho. Obviously, I was due for a rush.
I eventually made it up into the tower. There’s
an entrance fee just to go up in the tower, not counting what I was about to
throw down for the jump. I was an hour early for my jumping appointment.
Online, they had recommended I reserve a slot, but this also happened to be a
Wednesday, and my early bird-ness guaranteed me the first jump of the day.
Sweet.
I purchased the full package that included
pictures and a video of my jump and was informed that if I jump again, each of
the next two jumps are 75% off and the fourth one is free. I started to
consider that, but I also had a ferry back to Hong Kong to catch in a few
hours. I guess it would all depend on how I felt after the first jump and how
busy it would get.
They gave me a t-shirt that was required for
jumping, as it was also our ticket back up the tower to collect our stuff. I
was happy to be provided a locker at the top. I also made sure to go to the bathroom. There's an internet meme I have seen a few times, with a picture of a bungee jumper having defecated all over himself. I wasn't about to be that guy.
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| View from Macau Tower |
There were three activities possible up there
besides the bungee jump. You could do the Sky Jump, which was a controlled
harness drop that lets you down via a pulley system and has no actual free-fall
component. There was a harnessed walk along the outside edge of the deck, where
you could lean out over the nothingness if you so dared. There was also an
opportunity to climb the mast above us, to the top of the antenna. I actually
would have really loved to do the mast climb, because that’s such an unusual
tourist activity, and I've always wanted to climb some sort of antenna (and
preferably jump off it). But, well, I was already splurging significantly
for the bungee jump.
They were all very friendly and enthusiastic with
me because I was the first jumper of the day. There wasn’t even anyone else in
line after me. There was a head guy whom I’d guess was either an Aussie or
a New Zealander, as well as some Macauans working the platform. When they took
me out to the platform and started strapping me up, I asked if I could do some
sort of trick, like a flip, when I jumped. The cool Macauan guy said it was
policy that your first jump be just a lean forward. Then the second jump you
lean backward. On the third jump, you can try a trick. Obviously, I was going
to have to take those discounts and do more jumps.
 |
| All giddy and ready! |
They strapped my ankles together and fastened the
main cord to them along with a safety line to my body harness. They then had me
hobble over like a penguin to the edge of the platform. They shoved the safety
lines and chords over the edge, and they give me a bit of a weighted tug,
making it more difficult to stand up straight as I took in the gorgeous view
and mentally prepared myself to fall head first toward the ground. They had me
wave to the various cameras stationed both on the platform and on a building
below, and then counted down from five. I spread my arms, leaned forward, and
dropped off the 760+ foot platform. The feeling of falling was so….relaxing.
Perhaps this was what flying felt like, but today I would just be falling with
style. There was no major jolt in the stretch at the bottom, as I expected. The
whole ride was so very smooth. Part of the reason for that is because this jump
has a couple guide wires on the side that force you to only bounce vertically, avoiding
a random bounce that could possibly cause you to collide with the tower itself.
I kind of freaked myself out at the top of
the first bounce, where I was supposed to pull a cord that would free my ankles
and allow me to hang upright from the safety line on the front of my harness,
but I had trouble grabbing it down by my ankles. I obviously had to do this
again, to make for an even smoother experience, now that I knew what to expect.
They unstrapped me down on the ground, and I
dashed back to the elevator up the tower. I would ride this elevator up five
times, but down only once. There were now a bunch of Japanese tourists going up
in the tower. They were led by a tour guide, who asked me if I just jumped.
Then she told the group of people in Japanese, and they all responded with ooh’s and aah’s
and one even shook my hand. When we reached the top, there were even more
Japanese people, many of them young adults, and I was worried that there would
be a big line to jump again and I wouldn’t have enough time to get my four
jumps in the morning. I paid for the highly discounted second jump, dashed back
to the harnessing area, and although there were two Japanese guys ahead of me,
the Aussie/New Zealander picked me to jump before them. So, I was the first and
second jumper of the day. This time I was going backwards. I got the same type
of ankle straps and did the same waddle to the platform edge, this time
backwards. They offered two ways to go: Either just fall back on my own, or let
them hold me at 45 degrees before letting me go. They said the second way was
more fun, so I decided to go that route. The Aussie/New Zealander slowly
lowered me backward, which was unnerving, because I had the cables pulling at
my feet again, but he claimed he had me, so I finally relaxed and let him be my
only support. Just for fun, he did a little jolting maneuver to get me all
fired up, and I called his bluff and said to do whatever he wanted. Bring it
on! And they counted down, and I flew.
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| Bring it on! |
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| I love you THIS much! |
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| Touchdown! |
Now that I was basically a jumping veteran, I had
the timing right on pulling the chord at my ankles. I could really just experience
the feeling of falling backward. Just wonderful. Like in Aladdin after he drops
Jasmine back at her balcony post-magic carpet ride. He shouts, “Yes!” and falls
backward on the carpet that drifts down with him to the ground. (Of course, at
this point he is ambushed by palace guards on Jafar’s orders.)
Here’s a link to a portion of the video http://www.facebook.com/v/729308258764
I again dashed back to the elevator after they
unharnessed me. I reached the top and there were even more Japanese tourists. I
think the Japanese are to Macau what senior citizens are to Vegas. There was
even a camera crew that was filming for some sort of Japanese TV show, but they
guy they were filming was just doing the harnessed walk around the edge. I
couldn’t tell, but I think it was a blind guy, so they were showing him
conquering the heights with truly not knowing where the ground might be beneath
him.Or maybe not. Just speculation.
Luckily, very few of these many Japanese people
up here were here to jump. Most just wanted to watch other people, and they
derived as much pleasure from that activity. I was glad to have some fans at
least. They were impressed by my willingness to do multiple jumps. I just
really wanted to do a flip off a several hundred foot platform. I got in the
waiting area for the next jump and was placed in line behind an Aussie brother
and sister. The brother was a daredevil and was talking of getting his
skydiving license, because he already had a pilot’s license and wanted to be
able to fly up in his dad’s plane (with his dad) and jump whenever he so
pleased. They obviously have a bit more money than I do. For now, I will
bungee.
Once again, the Aussie/New Zealander picked me
ahead of the other two, although they had definitely gotten in line before me.
They would now set me up for a “harness jump,” where my ankles would not be
bound together and I would be free to run off the edge. The Macauan guy told me
to go ahead and try my tricks; just be sure to get some height off the platform
when I do so. The Aussie/New Zealander said to just run off and keep running.
Obviously I listened to the Macauan guy. They counted me down and I burst off
the platform, going for the front flip. It was hard to make it look good
because I was instructed to hold on for dear life to the strap on my harness
(it was supremely important for the bounce at the bottom). But I managed to get
the full turnover before plummeting now feet first.
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| Looks like I ended up getting filmed by a Japanese guy. |
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| Get set.... |
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| Running.... |
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| Calves of steel!! |
And here’s the link to part of the video.http://www.facebook.com/v/728973329964
With my package I could only keep the pictures
and videos of two of my jumps, so I picked the second and third.
For my fourth jump, I was doing another harness
jump. I figured I would try a back flip this time around (wouldn’t it have been
great if they had a spring board so I could attempt more complex aerial tricks?),
but the Aussie/New Zealander instructed me differently. I wondered if he was
angry at me for doing a flip instead of just running on the last jump like he
told me to. What he did was have me stand on the edge, with the center strap
(see above pictures) hanging down under and through my legs. All I was supposed
to do was step backwards and drop. This is known as the Ultimate Jump, or
Ultimo. So, I did what he told me, and it ended up being an entirely
upright-facing freefall, which was fun, but I would’ve preferred to just go
head-first again if given the opportunity. I still loved the drop, of course,
but as you can see, I’d already become too greedy for adrenaline and wanted
more kicks. This could be dangerous…
I returned to the elevator to collect my things
at the top and get my videos and pictures. I was disappointed to only get two
sets with the package, but that’s better than one! I had enough visual memories
of this experience. I bid farewell to my new friends at the tower, who had seen
me through the four jumps. I also ran into a group of elderly Japanese who had
just been watching my last jump, and they all met me with a big oooooooh (think
of the Pizza Planet alien toys in Toy
Story when Buzz Lightyear first appears in the claw game). I’m the
celebrity of the morning.
I dashed back down to the street and hailed a
cab. I didn’t trust myself to be able to make it back to the ferry in time by
foot, especially if passport control was as bad as at Hong Kong. I reached the
ferry terminal with plenty of time to spare, and there was no line at passport
control. Goody gee. I was exhausted from very little sleep last night and just
wanted to pass out. I did so on the boat and consequently was not given my free
meal. Assholes.
I arrived back in Hong Kong, and got a green tea
flavored Frappe from the McCafé. It was okay. Then I tried to order roasted
duck from a place that I’d say is the Asian equivalent of a Boston Market. The
duck was mostly bone. But hey, it was really cheap, so I got what I paid for.
My initial afternoon plan had been to go on a hike to see the largest seated
Buddha statue in the world, but I worried I would get too late of a start in
the day, and I was just so tired. I definitely had come down from my earlier
jumping high.
I decided to do a very non-sight-seeing activity
and go see a movie. I really wanted to see the Avengers, but it didn’t look to
be playing anywhere nearby anymore, so I decided on The Amazing Spiderman. I
went to the movie theater in the ICC, and enjoyed an Oreo Hot Fudge Sundae from
the Häagen-Dazs shope while I waited for the movie to start. Best part (besides
the movie and sundae)? No previews. And I was very happy to have a movie in
English, not dubbed over in the typical Russian manner.
This was just a quiet night for me. I stopped at
a 7-11 on the way back to the hotel and bought a beer. Then I sipped it
casually as I perused the internets and eventually went to sleep.
Seoul (for real, and not just the airport)
tomorrow!
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