I was all set to take it easy in Macau, when a reminder from 43 things came into my inbox. The reminded was for a SkyJump, but I ended up doing a bungy jump instead (something I never though I’d ever do). Upon reading the reminder, I quickly Googled for the Macau Tower bungy and found the necessary information. I was so gung ho, I was literally jumping in my seat as I read through the requirements.
AJ Hackett Bungy at the Macau Tower
The jump was always in my mind in the days before and during the trip. When we arrived in Macau, I found myself looking at the tower in amazement — though most of the time I refrain from looking at it, as if to deny its existence. It felt so real when we were actually in Macau, and up until the last moment (well, until I got my ticket which says “no refund”), I asked myself if I really wanted to do it.
What was really stopping me wasn’t the height. Though I have plenty of paranoid thoughts about things malfunctioning when I jump, it wasn’t fear that was stopping me. It was the hefty price tag: MOP 1,718 to voluntarily jump off from a ledge 233 meters (764 feet) above the ground. How crazy is that? In the end, I decided to shell out the money (including an additional MOP 599) for the DVD video and photo CD package). I figured the trip was free anyway — it’d be a lot more expensive if I go back on my own account just to jump.
No refund!!
The AJ Hackett company operates the bungy, as well as all the adventure activities in the tower. Known the world over as the one who popularized the bungy jump, safety is high on their list. Everything is checked twice (sometimes even more!) to ensure that everything is in place.
When you book for a bungy jump, the schedule you pick is an approximate time: there is no guarantee that you will be able to jump that the exact time. This is due to many factors: the weather, the wind, and people ahead of you who take ages to jump. When I registered at the AJ Hackett counter on the ground floor, I asked the girl behind the counter for tips, since it was my first bungy.
I came, I saw, I jumped.
“Just jump,” she told me. She then tells me about this girl who took 10 minutes to jump earlier that day. She was so scared that she couldn’t get herself to jump. When she finally did, she was so elated and was raving about how awesome it was. As AJ Hackett say, bungy jumping is 90% mental. Jumping off that ledge is too easy. It’s getting yourself to jump that’s the problem. It’s the company’s policy never to push or force people to jump. It has to be you jumping at your own volition (and remember, no refund!)
The fall is so fast I can hardly remember how it felt. All I can remember is having this overwhelming feeling of flying, quickly followed by an even more overwhelming feeling of falling from a great height as the ground rush towards you. The rebound was strong, and according to Kaoko, I went back up about 2/3rd of the height of the tower. They have devised a system that would let you get into a sitting position after the first drop, but I wasn’t able to find the cord to pull. Hanging several hundred feet off the ground, I was paranoid about pulling the wrong cord. In the end, I just gave up and enjoyed the ride. A couple more bounce and I was nearing the huge inflatable square where two AJ Hackett crew are waiting to unclip me from the bungy cord.
The MOP 2,688 question is: is it worth it? Hell yeah! Despite my paranoia, it was really fun and exhilarating. The basic bungy jump package (MOP 1,718) includes the t-shirt, certificate and a membership card that entitles you to a 20% discount on all AJ Hackett operations worldwide. For the Macau tower, your next two jumps will only be at MOP 588 and the fourth jump is free. I’ve a feeling I’ll be making full use of this card 😉
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