Have you ever been so scared you thought you would be physically ill?

That was me as I prepared to bungee jump off a bridge over the Zambesi River in Zimbabwe.

I was at the start of a 5-week safari through 5 countries in Eastern Africa. When I booked, I had noticed that the Bungee Jump was one of the optional extras and decided immediately I was doing it.  There is perhaps a bit of adrenaline junkie in me.

The location was Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, wonderfully picturesque!  You jump off a bridge, slightly downriver from the falls, over a fast flowing river.

When I jumped there was a fair bit of preparation.  There was a video to watch, including people jumping around the world, heads being dunked in rivers, huge smiles all round.  There was the queueing up.  There was the hearing that your second jump is free if you do it nekkid! We also watched someone do a reverse jump where the rope was attached to a harness on his chest and he jumped backwards. I have never witnessed terror like I saw on his face as he ‘fell’ backwards.

Then it was my turn.

As they fastened towels and ropes around my ankles, they tried to distract me with chatter.  It didn’t really work. I remember smiling faces, and have photo evidence of me smiling back, but I can’t really remember anything other than the fast approach of fear. And when I shuffled to the edge of the platform and looked down 190 metres to the water below, I began to feel nausea, a lot of nausea.  I turned to the person helping and whispered: “I think I am going to throw up”.  His response?  “Wait until you get to the bottom or you will bounce back up through it”.  Such a digusting image made my mind go kind of blank, and when he followed that with “3, 2, 1 Bungee” I just jumped!

A perfect swan dive (as evidenced by the video) off the side of the bridge was soon followed by the realisation that I could not feel the rope they had attached.  Did they forget to tie it? Had it come off?  Was I swan diving to my death?  The team beneath the bridge confirm I swore very loudly about then! (Those who know me will know how out of character swearing as!).

The best part of the jump?  That moment when I felt the tension of the rope kick in.  Joy does not come purer than that!

Unlike the rumours to the contrary, there was no sudden jerk at the bottom of my jump.  Just a gradual realisation that the scenery was going to opposite way.  That was followed by me ever so gently bouncing and swinging on the end of an 111m rope, giving the thumbs up for my photo when asked.

I bounced and swung for what felt like a long time! They have to wait until you completely stop before they come to attach the winch to pull you back up to the bridge.  But the view did not get less spectacular. And the rope was not slipping off my ankles (despite that fear crossing my mind too!).

Would I bungee jump again?  You bet I would!  In fact I wonder why I haven’t…