24/ The aerial adventures of a nihilist
Jumping, running, flying off edges
When I think about the highs of my life, I think of how the meaning of the word has evolved over the years. What once used to denote trophies for academic achievements now bring vivid imagery of all the glorious cliffs I stood on - either to jump or to fly.
It’s 8:30 AM. We’re on the way to Mohanchatti, near Rishikesh, home to the highest bungy in India. It’s a tricky ride— the roads are not great—but we took the bad roads as a sign of prepping us for the challenge ahead.
It’s 9:30 AM. It’s too-late-to-turn-back-without-looking-like-a-wuss AM. Ahead of us goes red-shirt guy (we didn’t know his name), cool, calm and collected. He makes zero eye contact with anybody, goes in to register and heads to the jump point. Meanwhile, I flounder around, shoot and seek encouraging glances with my comrades and try to quell the welling sense of fear.
We reach the jump point. I emptied my bladder pre-jump just in case, lest I empty it mid-air. They hook me up with the harness and do triple safety checks. They motivate me, bring me to the edge and tell me that under no circumstances should I look down.
I look down.
Like an absolute idiot, I look down. The neck rotates at a 45 degree angle, because the brain is curious about the view I’ll get. Dearest curiosity, have you no effing regard for the amygdala?
I think of red-shirt guy. He’d already taken the jump and was at the bottom, putting on his shoes. In my mind comparison takes over- ‘if he can do it, why can’t I?’ I only get two tries and it was I-need-to-cement-my-identity-as-an-adventure-junkie hour.
I became the m in F=mg-kx, and jumped.
What does that have to do with nihilism? (Sorry for bringing it up everywhere, but it’s 30% of my personality).
I’m a nihilist - I believe life is meaningless.
Before this gets depressing, let me clarify - I’m an optimistic nihilist. I choose to create meaning for my life. I choose for adventure to be a part of it. I choose adventure to give me a sense of meaning in life, because it makes me feel alive.
Those 3-4 seconds of free fall, and then bouncing in the air for a good 15 seconds— the rush is unparalleled. I got a wonderful view of the mountains and the river below. I wanted to go again. And again. And… a few more agains.
By the time I was done with my jump, red-shirt guy had left. An embodiment of the sentiment - ‘We are born alone, we die alone.‘ Chills.
The second time I found myself on an edge was in Billing, Himachal, home to the highest paragliding site in India. This time I was supposed to fly, not fall.
Remember the unparalleled rush from the Bungy? Well, it got parallelled hard.
During Bungy, I was super cool and composed for the entirety of the ride, only to become fearful right before the jump. It was the opposite in the case of paragliding, where I was fearful throughout the journey from the bottom to the takeoff site.
Maybe the fear sets in only when we face it?
It’s 12:00 PM. I’m heading to the takeoff site, fear pooling acid in my stomach. Small talk with the pilot and co-passengers in the car helps. The pilot tells he that he’s done 5000+ flights over the last 7 years— can you imagine? The uneasy feeling settles.
We reach the takeoff site, and the pilot slaps the harness on me and does multiple checks. The paraglider catches the wind, I’m asked to run, so I run, run, run and… we’re in the air. I was simply not given time to be scared, and I complained as much.
Speaking of the rush - damn. Mountains beneath, skies above, wind in my hair… I felt alive again. For a moment. It passed, as every feeling does. Until…
The pilot asks me if I’m having fun. I say, hell yes! He asks if I wanted him to do stunts. Um, sign me up?
I don’t want you, dear reader, to think that I am some kind of fearless adrenaline monger; after I asked the pilot to thoroughly explain what the stunts would entail, I gave him the green signal. Information is the enemy of anxiousness.
The pilot asks me to hold his beer GoPro and then proceeds to do the 360 and the WingOver. What are they? It’s hard to explain. The first one is a mid-air revolution and the second feels like drawing infinities in the sky (this infinity did feel bigger than other infinities, if you get my drift ;)).
After being exposed to some stunning views of the Dauladhar range for a good forty minutes, we landed at Bir. I sigh. I want to go again. And again. And… a few more agains.
Logistics
Bungy : Book your bungy slot in the Jumpin Heights website, before you go to Jumpin Heights at Mohanchetty, Rishikesh. It costs INR 3700/ person.
Paragliding : TT school of paragliding is excellent. Contact them directly. It costs INR 2000 for paragliding, INR 1000 extra for stunts. Do the stunts, you’ll have fun :)
Fun fact : You can also sign up for paragliding courses to become a certified pilot! Missed my chance due to a lack of time :(
Yours adventurously,
Miks.
Tell me you’ve watched Kurzgesagt videos without telling me you’ve watched Kurzgesagt videos.
Cool ! I would do both once i graduate.