Words Fusion

Back in March 2010 my good friend and I decided to do what all us youngsters in our 20’s want to do – visit Thailand and discover what this cornerstone of Asia has to offer. My friend was already in Cambodia at the time and I was in Cairns, Australia, at the time. I was in Australia after having based myself there for over six months and wanted a change of scenery and so hopped onto the next flight to Bangkok.

I got on the phone to Greg and told him to meet me at the hotel the following evening. Despite the rather unpredictable Asian transport networks we successfully coordinated our arrivals to within a couple of hours of one another. We stayed the night in Bangkok, partied the night away and had some great fun before making out way down South to Koh Samui where my Uncle lives. He has the most wonderful house looking over the Island with a swimming pool, golf course and full time staff to cater to your every need. It was exactly what the doctor ordered after the numerous trials and tribulations faced by us backpackers over the last few months.

After a couple of days by the pool, eating fresh fruit and playing some golf in the haven amongst the chaos, it was almost time to leave. My friend, Greg, was going home to the UK for good but wanted one last challenge before he left – he wanted to do a bungee jump. I had already completed two when I was in New Zealand and swore never to put myself through such an ordeal again.

So that evening we drove down to the Bungee place on the east of the Island. Now – it is fair to say that the Bungee jump did not fill us with confidence. Few bungee jumping sites will put you completely at ease but this one was particularly run down. The pool at the bottom where the jumpers dive into was unnervingly shallow and the bridge and harnesses seemed rather ancient. Through complete desperation and after days of working himself up Greg decided to go forward with the jump. He refused to bottle it. He paid the money and what appeared to be a waiver was placed into his hand. It was all in Thai and so he had no idea what he was signing! Right there we needed a certified UK translation of the document. What did the document say? What was it suggesting? Was my friend going to die due to the negligence of the Bungee company? Was this a registered bungee company at all?

Needless to say my friend went through with the jump. He was completely committed to the cause. If I am completely honest – he was the first person of the year to complete a naked bungee jump at the site. He remains famous and now has his photo firmly fixed on the wall of fame.

By Will Ralston