Well last day in cairns. Can't say I will miss it as too much of a meat market for me.
I get the bus to mission beach. There's one stop on the way and its raining like you wouldn't believe. Why mission beach... well i am in for a parachute jump at 14,000 feet to land on mission beach.
Forgot to mention while at the bus stop who do I meet... clare and becs again who are taking the macathety grey hound to brundy. Well we say goodbye for the last time... again!
After, guess what, sleeping on the bus we arrive at mission beach. The weather has got a bit better. We get to the building of "jump the beach". There are about 5 of us. My self and a swiss girl with purple moheaken are doing 14,000. 3 others 2 from vancouver and one from sydney are doing 12,000. I am getting video's and everything!
We get the gear on and I am tandoming with john and my camera man is dave. We get strapped up and go for a bus ride for about 10mins to the plane. On the way they are filming us and also telling the worst jokes possible, really racist and sexist and boy did it work taking your mind off stuff like the jump for instance, as you were so busy thinking if only I could cut your chord while I am up there.
We go up in the plane luckily I am at the back and can't see out the window. I am nervous, and have been to the loo 3 times by now. Then the plane has to land as it's raining on the beech, and management are not comgfortable us jumping. It's vengance now on the sky divers for all the essex girl jokes which were poor, and doing the jokes about people have died, and they were on the beers last night and are hung over, so they hope they remeber to pull the shoot.
You should see sky divers when they can't jump and have to land back on a rickety old plane they are literally shitting themselves. That was great fun getting my own back.
Eventually we go up again. The first lot go out and then we go another few feet to 14,000 and I go. I have to place my knees over the side and lean my head back. I am mouthing the words "oh shit" all the way... then we go. Wow fantastic... in the clouds falling 120mph for a 60-70 secs free fall. Absolutely awsome! No words can describe it, so I won't you will just have to watch the video. It was great!!!!!!!!!
We land and go back to the place to get our videos. We dissappear to get some food and chat about the jump. Feeling a bit tired after the adrenline rush we return. The others go back to cairns and I have to wait for the sky divers to return so I can get a lift to the beach shack, a youth hostel I am staying at so I have a few beers with the sky divers there and get invited out for the evening. I also get to watch the real videos of there weekenders called the fun festival. One woman, who is a part time prostitute and part time sky diver, does a jump naked on the video. I hope there wasn't rain like I had today which literally cuts your face.
Anyow after that I go to the youth hostel which is much to be desired and meet the welsh couple that were on the kakdoo trip. Quick hello and a queue for the shower. The dorms here have 18+ to bunk beds and 2 showers so its a long queue.
Next I go into town make calls back home, organise my macarthy bus ticket for the next morning, then meet a couple from leeds travelling from sydney by caravan who werew drunk and on the piss. Emily had just done the jump and was pissed off with the after care custoimer service at the sky dive place so when thky divers arrived and she was pissed she gave them a grilling.
Anyway the night out with the divers involving red wine and gear was interesting. We had some food then got a cab for a 10 minute journey the other side of town. I met a female sky diver who nocks the socks off of them and is the best in the country. Good for her. Found out the best courses are in brisbane for a week and it costs loads of dosh, but out of all the sports in OZ its the best paid adventure sport. As I was told they get to jump out of planes at 14,000 feet straped to beautiful women. That's their chat up line I think.
Anyway it was like a scene out of men behaving badly and point break. We go to one of their houses where they sit around smoking bongs, then after about 2 hrs we have a fire on the beach. 2 hrs because it took 2 hrs to get the fire going. They are not aboriginoies and fire doesn't come naturally. Anyway some really trippy conversations about finding love... and love of sky diving it's their family within their family I felt I was in point break.
Then I noticed the group getting smaller, and my time to make an exit. But trying to get a cab number is no easy feet from a stoned sky diver. Here goes my not smartest move ever... as it was getting down to just 3 of us and I had realised they were stalling on a cab number, I stood up to go as I now realised this was a backpacker shagging set up. So I asked again for a cab and got... oh I have no credit on my phone... then I can't remebr a cab number, then why don't you stay here. At which point I thought sucker... I fell for that. Then realised as I looked along the beach there were several other fires where other groups of sky divers were trying to get laid. Thinking oh shit now and not showing It I go straight into the house wake one of them up who I know ordered a cab in the first place and get a cab home. Think the other that was left was surprised, but hey I'm not falling for that, or all their free love conversations. Eventually cab arrives after now me, running out of small talk, and I make it back to the youth hostel at 2.50. Completely nackered and a bit tipsy but glad I had head together. Think I woke a couple up but still managed to get the bus the next day feeling prietty dumb about the whole thing but pleased my integrity was intact!
Posted by alexd at July 1, 2004 02:33 AM