It was a very sunny day when we ventured out of Seoul, onto the sleepy county of Cheorwon, where the Hantan River, in Gangwon Province, meanders from its source in North Korea. (Yes! From North Korea, where only they know what -or who- they threw into the river! Hahaha!) Hantan River, an average-sized river with cool but murky brown waters wide enough to accommodate several rafts and its boisterous passengers.
But it's not the rafting as serious as what Meryl Streep did in 'River Wild', where she conquered the 'Gauntlet', the rapids where three rivers converged turning the pool into a deadly whirl pool much like a giant washing machine minus your dirty laundry. Well, if you remember this movie -- we did nothing like that. Hahaha! Those types of rivers are for Olympians. We were just city slickers trying to have fun in the Korean countryside.
(Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream...)
Before we got into our raft, our Korean guide/instructor enumerated the do's and dont's of rafting, which we all tried to remember, even if we couldn't understand Korean: (1) Row in unison with everybody. If you don't, you will be thrown overboard; (2) Be nice to everybody. If you are not, you will also be thrown overboard; and (3) If you fall off the raft, just stay calm and somebody will fish you out somewhere in the Yellow Sea. That is, if somebody remembers to. Hahaha!
With an oar in hand, life vest on, legs strapped and a camera around my neck, off I joined Wei-nee, Delphine, Zach and some other friends to cruise the Hantan River, splashing the other rafters with our oars, pulling out a couple of guys from a capsized raft and enjoying the view, the coolness of the water, while giving our arms a much needed workout with rowing.
No wonder Meryl Streep was able to navigate the Gauntlet even with a gun pointed at her. Rafting is such fun especially with these rapids, tumbling along the river and even causing a few to capsize!
Thanks to the Dicapac waterproof case. I was able to take lots of photos and a video! I will definitely bring it again next time!
(That's me taking the bungee plunge!) We need to find ways to cool off in summer! Splashing on a beach? Snorkeling in the sea? Been there, done that. But rafting and bungee jumping over a river are uncharted waters (pun intended) to me!
So, on a hot summer weekend, we ventured out to the northern countryside of Korea to look for the source of the Nile River, er, rather Han River. We found the Hantan River, instead, on its path meandering across the sleepy rice county of Cheorwon, which is located at the South-North Korean border. As the bridge crossing the river was high enough for a bungee jumping stall to be set up, somebody did just that. A brilliant idea....to the ones who fear no heights, that is. So, for an equivalent of US$35, you have the chance to duplicate the act of flying without wings. Or, perhaps, to duplicate Nadia Comaneci's flight over the uneven bars, without her perfect score of 10, of course. Not everybody signed up to bungee jump though.
(Whatever goes up, goes tumbling down) If you think too much, your excitement to bungee jump usually gets the better of you because once you are standing on the ledge, about to take the plunge of your life and looking down on the empty expanse of space and height, with nothing but murky waters (and a man on a small boat to fish you out after) awaiting below, you suddenly will say, "What the eff was I thinking?!" Ha-ha-ha!
Not one, not two, but almost every other bungee-jumper, froze in shock, unable to move, looking down in fear, or perhaps looking up cursing the heavens, overwhelmed by a sudden fear of experiencing the emotions of not knowing what would transpire if he or she took a step off the ledge to let the law of gravity apply. I was one of those frozen jumpers. Ha-ha-ha! Frozen, for just a silly moment.
(When I say jump...)
I did not let fear get the better of me, but for a moment, it did, though unwelcome. I was there to have fun and to experience flight without having to buy a plane ticket. Presence of mind was key. 'Fun', 'fun', 'fun' was always juggling in my mind, although two other 'F' words were playing along, too. One of them was 'Fear'. The other was ....you know what the other was. Ha-ha-ha!
For the hapless jumpers all prepped and ready, but who suddenly went numbed and muted, a simple funny question from the bungee equipment staff saved their day, or in this case, their jump: "Do you want me to push you?" Though shocked and embarrassed as they were, a single-syllabled response from their throats choking in fear usually emerged: "Yes". And most often, they forgot to say "Please". Ha-ha-ha!
One guy, stood there for about five minutes, unable to move, unable to decide, unable to say 'Yes', though we all knew he wanted to. It was very easy to poke fun at and tease him, but alas, we were next in line and we wouldn't know if the same gargantuan terror would eat us up and rob us of all faculties. Luckily, none of us duplicated his scene. Whew!
And it was not at all quiet, as the bungee-jump stall had loudspeakers blasting dance music all day long. The music was so loud it drowned your prayers, and along with it, your thoughts of backing out.
And ………..I jumped!
Embracing the empty expanse with open arms, I felt my heart skip a couple of beats and saw the horizon, the houses from afar and then the murky brown river below, which got closer and closer to my face. Then boing! I became the subject of the tug-of-war between the bungee cord and gravity, pulling me up and down, then up and down again, several times until the latter eventually won. Like an outdoor laboratory experiment, my jump proved once more the law of gravity: whatever goes up, must come down, with or without a bungee cord. With the exhilaration of an F1 driver and the free-falling sensation of a skydiver, not to mention the fear that if the bungee cord snaps, off I dropped into the brown river to get a taste of that dirty water. Yikes!
The next question is: will I do it again? Hmmm...maybe. That jump was just about 50 meters. I would like something higher. Like 51. Ha-ha-ha!
(Two of the photos above courtesy of Adventure Korea)
