Background

I always told myself that I would sooner skydive than bungee jump… well, I was wrong! Not so long ago a bunch of people from work went to Action Valley in Cuzco for a wild afternoon of action and adventure. Hearing about their experience + the fact that they all came back alive + a discounted price + my desire to be more adventurous led me to sign up for both the bungee jumping and slingshot!

Bungee Jumping

A few colleagues and I met at the Action Valley office in the center of Cuzco. They provided us a taxi to the site. We checked in and signed a security waiver. Bungee jumping people went first. I got weighed in and did some warm up exercises… I’m told this is to make sure the body is ready for the intensity which is to come!

Afterwards I got the harnesses put on, and as I was doing so the first bungee jumper of the day hurtled his way to the ground. He screamed and yelled, but to be fair it didn’t look too bad. I was more excited than ever…

Next I was brought over to the side of the cage which lifts you up into the air. I lay down on the ground and the leg harnesses were strapped on. They seemed to know what they were doing and I felt pretty secure. I got up and slowly walked into the cage… 100% ready to go!!!

As the cage slowly started making its way upward the staff checked all the equipment one more time and explained all of the procedures I had to take during the bungee jump. They also chatted me up and took some video. I honestly felt great and didn’t have a care in the world. The cage swaying back and forth a little was odd, but I felt safe.

Once at the top the cage door opened. As I walked towards the ledge I could feel a little tug from the rope hanging from my legs. That was the first moment when I began to second-guess myself, haha. It did not look all that high from the ground, and it didn’t feel all that bad when the cage was climbing, but standing on the ledge was another story. The nerves started kicking in, but there was no going back. The staff gave one last check… all good.

3…2…1… I leaned forward and pushed off. I was totally silent as I free-fell towards the ground. I wasn’t scared after jumping… I remember thinking about how fast I got so quickly and how I could see all my friends on the ground. They were cheering, I was still silent. As the rope stretched to its max I put my hands over my head as instructed and got yanked back up in the sky.

It wasn’t until I started making my way back down that I finally let out a victory scream. AWESOME! The hardest part was probably when it was all over… just hanging there upside down, rotating in circles, blood rushing to your head, and the cage slowly descending to safety. The harnesses were taken off and I felt like a million bucks… ready for the next slingshot challenge.

SlingShotting

My buddy Colin was the first to go. He got shot in the air rather quickly and was bounced around somewhat violently as he gradually found his equilibrium. Next… my turn. I got harnessed in and walked to the launching off area. After having done the bungee jump I felt totally fine and ready to go. They got me all set up… 3…2…1… I was off.

To me, the biggest difference between the two was that with the bungee jump I was in control of how it started. I had to decide to jump and I gave the jumping off effort. With the slingshot, someone else was in control of my fate. Someone else pulled the cable which shot me into the air. For that, I consider the bungee jump to be much more intense; however, I did find the slingshot to be more fun and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the moments of weightlessness when hitting the apex, and there was much more side-to-side movement involved, too! NOTE: Make sure the groin area is well adjusted before taking off… otherwise you might be in a world of hurt as you bounce around… just saying.

Food Fair in Urubamba

After a morning of adventure it was time to grub, and fortunately for us there was a big food fair going on in a town called Urubamba. One of our co-workers was selling “chancho al cillindro” so we went to support him and celebrate the other amazing Peruvian food in the area. I had a plate of some amazing pork, ceviche, risotto de aji, a brownie and a super tasty muña ice drink. Not a bad lunch!

Lunar Eclipse

To top off an already excellent day, the night gifted us all with a lunar eclipse. The photo isn’t great, but it was pretty cool to see in person.