So I have just returned from my
awesome adventure of bungee jumping and cheetah walking. There’s just one
problem: I didn’t bungee jump. Our all-knowledgeable weekend trip planner instructed
our jumping party to leave the Oceans Hotel at 8:30 a.m. this morning and
proceed to make the two and a half hour drive to the jump site. Estimated time
of arrival: 11 a.m. Actual arrival: 11 a.m.
As we made our way to the
bridge, getting more and more nervous and excited with each step, we saw it for
the first time. It was massive. You couldn’t even see the bottom of the ravine
and even though we must have been a couple hundred meters away from the site,
you could clearly hear the screams of joy, terror and adrenaline as if we were
right next to them. We were ready. We went up to the desk to check in for our
11 a.m. jump reservation only to find out we missed it. Even though our jump
was scheduled for 11 a.m. it is customary for all jumpers to arrive at least
one hour prior to the jump for safety regulations and procedures. Not a crazy
notion in the least. Unfortunately our weekend planner failed to mention that
little detail and we were unable to participate in the jump.
There was a later jump scheduled
in the day, but in order to participate in that, we would have to sacrifice the
cheetah walk. As a group we opted to just do the cheetah walk and come back at
a later time for the jump. Our new jump is being rescheduled to sometime this
week. I guess I will just have to wait and see. As we were leaving, the lady
behind the desk of the bungee site asked us if we were doing the cheetah walk
later; apparently she overheard us speaking earlier. She told us if we were, it
is required for all participants to have long pants and closed shoes. Our
lovely weekend planner failed to mention that as well. Fortunately we brought
shoes, but that still meant we had to go to a store and buy a pair of
unnecessary pants. I have five pair of sweatpants and work pants in my room. Needless
to say I was a little bit frustrated by this point.
It was probably an accumulation
of things. I have been in Mossel Bay, South Africa for 10 days participating in
a Great White Shark research internship and have yet to see a Great White
Shark. Been on a bunch of exploratory boat missions for the shark, but apparently
they’re quite elusive in the number one most populated Great White Shark
location on the planet. I went on a cage diving trip last week to see one, but
inclement weather ended the trip. I am scheduled for a bungee jump and the
weekend planner tells us the wrong time. I am going on a cheetah walk and the
weekend planner doesn’t tell us a single thing about it or what the proper
attire for the outing should be. Plus, my rescheduled cage diving excursion
tomorrow is scheduled to occur in the middle of a storm currently brewing in
South Africa. Good times.
If the cheetah walk wasn’t
absolutely amazing, I don’t know if I would have made it through the day without
going ballistic. The place we went to, Tenikwa, was absolutely gorgeous. The
owner at the end of the tour asked us if we wouldn’t mind rating our experience
on tripadvisor.com and this might be the
first time I actually do it. It was unreal. When we got there, I wasn’t in the
best mood; understandably. We had some time to kill before our guided tour through
the facility began and there were a number of enclosures with meerkats, tortoises
and African birds to entertain us. I got plenty of pictures. Of course I
immediately began singing Hakuna Matata. That brightened up my day slightly,
although I’m sure the other interns didn’t love my singing as much as I did.
When our tour started, we first
began with a number of cats confined to enclosures. These were the animals the
tour guides didn’t trust with humans because of territorial issues, etc. The
first cat we saw was a Carakal. It was brown with huge black ears and could
jump 3 meters straight up in the air. Another was the African leopard; one of
the largest and deadliest predators in Africa. Even the trainers here won’t
enter his cage. The final caged animal was the baboon. They we’re pretty cool.
Especially since their cages seemed humorous to them. We had a “safe” tunnel to
walk through the baboon exhibit, but when we arrived, the baboons were sitting
comfortably within our path. The tour guide yelled something in Afrikaans – one
of the local languages in South Africa – and the baboons, in a mocking sort of
demeanor, casually crawled through the fence and back into the enclosure. It
was quite enjoyable to watch.
After
the tour guide explained about each of the cats, we moved on to the enclosures
with the African cats allowed to accept human visitors. This included the
African Wild cat, Serval and Cheetah. The African Wildcat was nothing more than
housecat with unpredictable behavior. The serval looked like a combination of
every cat in Africa. With huge ears and a yellow coat, it had spots and stripes
and pair of large whiskers. It is the second fastest cat on the planet behind
the cheetah, but can jump 5 meters straight up in the air. It’s cages were the
highest in the park.
The last cat was the cheetah. We
were able to walk into the cage and stand as a group while the cheetah came
around and became comfortable with our presence. Toddlers and infants were not
allowed within the cage due to risk of injury. A female cheetah will
instinctively attack any small mammals within the confines of her territory; it’s
a motherly instinct. There were two young girls who were not allowed in because
of this but ended up getting closer to the cats than anyone. The tour guide was
not lying. From the moment we entered their area, the cheetahs walked up to the
fence and stared at the two children and her mother. I got a number of
pictures. It was really creepy to see. You could tell the cheetah would devour
them if the opportunity presented itself. Good thing there was a metal fence
separating the two parties.
That concluded the tour, but we
would still have the chance to walk two of the eldest cheetahs on their daily
walk through open safari. The two cheetahs, Chester and Zimbale, were brother
and sister. Technically, the two cheetahs could have escaped at any point. The
four interns and a married couple were able to walk the two cheetahs along this
path with the assistance of three trained guides. It was amazing. There were
points during the walk where you could feel the power and speed of this animal.
My roommate Ben and I kept arguing over how many seconds it would take the cheetahs
to catch us if we decided to sprint in front of the animal (a task we were
explicitly informed to never do). The tour guide said the cheetah reached 120
kilometers per hour in roughly 4 seconds. That’s sort of fast so I guess it wouldn’t
take long. We weren’t allowed to walk in front of the animal, make sudden movements,
bring any bags or external material the cats could bite onto or stare into
their eyes.
Chester was a lot more
aggressive than his sister Zimbale, so we had o be extra careful around him. If
he started walking and we happened to be in front of him with the other cheetah,
we had to move out of his way instantly and allow him to pass unopposed. We
were a little nervous in the beginning, but the cheetahs were surprisingly
docile. We were able to walk them with leashes, pet them as we pleased and take
as many pictures and videos as we pleased. The whole thing was absolutely
amazing.
Just imagine walking a cheetah
with a leash? This is the same animal you watch on discovery channel hunting
antelope and I had him on a leash like a suburbanized canine. It was pretty
cool. At the end of the tour, we were given wine and food and a chance to
relax. I felt much better by the end of the day.
Hopefully the weather will be
gorgeous tomorrow and I will be able to bungee jump by the week’s end. I’ll let
everyone know as soon as possible.
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