Now here’s the thing: I’m an adrenaline junkie! Not the ‘white people’ kinda crazy junkie but the stuff a normal Ghanaian would not dare do, I’m all up for it. ( I stand to be corrected though).
I have always wanted to bungee jump and every time I traveled, I looked for opportunities to do this hair raising experience but it never happened. I tried to do it when I went to South Africa in December 2018 but unfortunately I spent majority of my stay in Cape Town. (I would write about Cape Town later).
So in 2019 when my childhood bestie asked me to be her plus one at a wedding in South Africa, I told her yes on one condition: that we had to go bungee jumping together. Of course, she didn’t agree to it so I said ok fine I would do it alone on her budget. She said deal and we settled on that. (Now keep this in mind.)
Frankly speaking, I was more excited about the bungee jumping than the wedding we were attending because what could possibly be better than free falling from a height of 33 story building? Um for me nothing! Not even the teary eyed vows which were exchanged by the couples could beat that. (Kupi don’t kill me, your wedding ceremony was beeaauuttiifful). Ok rewind, wondering what a bungee jump is?
Bungee jumping is an adventurous sport in which people jump from higher ground such as a bridge with an elastic rope tied to their ankles to stop them from hitting the ground. The rope is designed to stretch, not break. When the rope has stretched all the way, the jumper bounces back up.
And that’s exactly what happened, I jumped from the Orlando Towers in Soweto. (I still insist I was given a shove by the operator though).
Ladies and gentlemen, Abena Yalley and the Soweto towers
Now let me share what I found on www.gauteng.net it is a brief history on the Orlando Towers in Soweto.
Construction of the Orlando Power Station began in 1935 and was only completed in 1955, due to delays caused by the Second World War. After 56 years of service, the power station was shut down in 1998 and was transformed into an entertainment and business center in 2008. Impressive huh?
Anyway, my BFF and I set off to Soweto from Pretoria after having a good breakfast at Mugg and Bean, i must say it was pretty decent.
Abena Yalley and bestie Marian at Mugg and bean Centurion Mall, Johannesburg
Our chauffeur and local tour guide was the brides cool cousin so we were in very safe hands. Now here’s the amazing thing: this guy who was born, bred and lives in South Africa had never heard of the Soweto towers or even been to Mandela’s house in Soweto! I would write about apartheid and how deeply it screwed the system and still has strains in South Africa sometime soon. (please remind me of this every now and then ok? Thank you!)
Personally I believe that getting the locals invested in your tourist attractions should be one of the major policy guidelines of any serious Government, let the locals own it and they would be the best ambassadors! Fortunately, South Africa has a business of selling tourism to foreigners on lockdown so #travelSA is a tourism hotspot.
It was quite easy getting to the location and it was very uncomplicated going through the registration process and everything among others which included:
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telling you the price and what it entails.
2. If you agree to it, then you’re weighed (this would be used to determine the type of belt to use for you). There are three colors of belt. The purple belt is used for those who weigh 94kg and above and that was the one used for me.
3. After that they give you the rules for bungee jumping at the Orlando Towers. The rules are simple. You cannot take your phones or any gadgets up, you must deposit all your valuables in safe. Another rule is when you get up there, you can’t change your mind about jumping.
However, if you do ,you’re NOT entitled to any refund which seemed fair to me because it’s clear they used resources in getting you up there. I rationalized it as how I don’t get a refund if my visa is refused by an Embassy.
Next, you are fitted up in a full safety gear. That’s how you know they mean business!
Now you remember I indicated earlier my BFF said she wouldn’t bungee jump with me because she wasn’t ready to die? Loool, guess what! When we got there and she saw my excitement, she decided she wanted to do it too. So you see? Never say never oo, because you never know
Abena Yalley excited about bungee jumping
All this while I had been super excited, pumping fist and all but when we stood in the rudimentary cage of an elevator that took us up to the top, I started shaking and wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. I won’t lie, I nearly backed out but I reaffirmed myself, “I ain’t no coward!”
My BFF went first because I was having cold feet (can you imagine! Isn’t life funny?) I cheered her from my wait out spot but I was SCARED! I couldn’t even look down, yes I could see the whole of Soweto and far but this view had me so TERRIFIED!
While we were sitting there waiting, one of the operators in such a calm matter-of-fact voice had us totally hypnotized; he looked at me and asked, “What are you afraid of?” Then went on to launch into how we let fear cripple us from achieving greatness and fulfilling our dreams; I must say this monologue was soothing and therapeutic.
Next thing I knew, it was my turn and throughout the walk to the jump, I literally wanted to die .
Haha, my walk to the jump spot is the longest most scary walk I have ever taken !
Done watching? Scary huh? Even a little crazy right? Haha. What’s running through your mind? Did she really do that? Yes, I Did!Would I do it again? Yup! Most probably skydiving from an airplane!Did I feel safe? Absolutely! I had read up on everything including accident rates and they had none so I knew I was safe.
So tell me, are we going bungee jumping in a location near us soon when the borders open ?or you say this this kind of adventure is not your portion.
Would love to hear from you in the comments section so please share your thoughts. Thanks for reading.
Sugar, Spice and everything sweet
AB
