Early Saturday afternoon we headed down to Bundang, just South of Seoul. After a short bus ride out of Seoul and a taxi ride through Bundang, we arrived at Yuldong Park. It is a beautiful park. And a refreshing break from the concrete and noise pollution of Seoul. The park, full of trees and grassy areas, surrounds a beautiful natural lake. Just visiting the park alone would be worth the trip, but we had our minds set on something a little more daring.
The bungee jumping platform was visible from the first minute we step out of the taxi. The bungee tower is 45m high and located over the lake. We grabbed numbers and were told to come back in about 30 mins. And of course, I grabbed number 13, really?! We wandered around a little book park located across from the bungee tower. It had sculptures based on famous literature.
Soon our 30 minute anxiety inducing wait was over. It was almost too casual. We gave our name, our phone number, and signed in. Then we were put into a harness, first time jumpers get a waist harness. Then we stepped on a scale and our weight was written on our palm. Now we were ready. We were sent up to the top in an elevator. All the way up we could hear the screams of the people going ahead of us. I still didn't feel too nervous, just very excited. I was a little worried that the harness was not tight enough on my legs and that the chest piece made an x across my chest that I thought could cause a lot of pain for a lady. That aside, that actual jump was not freaking me out yet. My friend's brother went first. He showed no hesitation and jumped off right away. Ok not so bad, I can do this. Next my coworker stepped up to the edge and stepped back again and hesitated. He looked scared, which made me instantly feel nervous. But soon he too was failing head first off the tower. Two more friends went, then it was my turn. I walked out to the man, who spoke little to no English. Showed him my palm. He grabbed the appropriate rope for my weight and attached it to my back. "Ok??" I asked, giving him a nervous thumbs up. He grunted a few times and turned me around. I step out to the edge, leaving the security of the barrier fence. I made the mistake of looking around and thinking while waiting from my countdown. He asked if I was ready, I stepped back, stopped thinking, and said YES! I stepped back up to the edge, counted to three and JUMPED! It was the most amazing feeling ever. I could not feel the rope attached to my back and felt like I was never going to stop falling.
The rope caught, my brain turned on, "I'm Alive!" Before I could think of anything else, I was shot back up, and plummeted back down again. This was actually scarier than the first jump. I was thrown up and down a few more times. It was so much fun. Then I hung there like a dead fish and was lowered into a boat and taken back to the safety of land.
Bungee Jumping was A-Mazing.
After an afternoon resting, we had a wonderful dinner at Buddha's Belly in Itaewon. I love thai food, and B's Belly has some pretty darn delicious curry. Wine, curry and friends, what more could girl ask for? But the night had just begun.
After dinner we headed out to Hongdae, our usual stomping ground. We decided that tonight was the perfect night to try drinks from Vent. Vent is a funky little bar with a window that looks like a robot open to the street. You walk up and order a cocktail that is served in a plastic bag, it looks just like an iv bag. I like to call them adult capri suns.
I.V. bags of poison in our hands we wandered up to park. Hongdae park is always entertaining. On any given night you can fight Korean rap battles, dance offs, live music or the occasional marching band and man on stilts. Tonight was something I had never experienced before: SILENT DISCO!! There is a D.J. and a bunch of people dancing, but any outsider wandering by cannot hear the music. All you have to do to join the party is donate a few 1000 won and an ID. In return you are given your entrance to the party: a set of headphones, with a balloon attached if you are lucky. I could have not asked for a more fun way to spend my birthday night! SO MUCH FUN!!!! And, thank you Ms. Lucy for the shout out and song dedication, so much cooler through the headphones!
I had a fanatically wonderful birthday!
p.s. I have noticed a trend in my last two birthdays: Jumping off of things. Last year I had a wonderful time learning how to Trapeze, this still maybe one of the most amazing things I have ever done. And of course year I bungee jumped. Each year is a higher, more extreme jump. What will I do next year? I am currently thinking either trying a ankle harness bungee or sky diving, you have a year to decide if you would like to join!!!
last years b-day jump magic:
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