luni, 31 august 2009

vineri, 28 august 2009

BUNGEE JUMPING IN CHEILE RASNOAVEI

Experimentand bungee jumpingul.Cheile Rasnoavei.

Partea cea mai grea este la numaratoare. 3, 2,1 si...SARI! Apoi urmeaza reculul, care te face sa te simti ca un presh bine scuturat de o gospodina sarguincioasa (foarte hotarata sa-si impresioneze soacra sau sotul).

Zborul e scurt, nu ai timp sa inregistrezi prea mult din imaginile ce ti se deruleaza rapid in fata ochilor si care nu sunt decat Picea Abieshi, Abieshi Alba si stanci, si in nici un caz momentele cruciale ale (prea..)scurtei sau lungii tale vieti (bla bla bla)*. Dar probabil ca depinde la la om la om..

Ceea ce ramane dupa, e senzatia ca ai facut ceva straniu si ca a meritat macar o data in viata (de preferinta la salariu, caci costa ceva..). A, si durerile de glezne, umeri, spate etc, din nou, in functie de cat de fortzos si mers la sala esti, banuiesc. Iar cand singurul sport pe care il faci e butonatul la calculator si urcatul scarilor din facultate, oasele iti sunt scuturate ceva mai dur…Dar, inca o data, merita.

In final insa, partea cea mai ciudata e cand nici dupa scufundari la 10 m adancime (fara a sti sa innoti si cu fobia de apa in sange) sau salturi de la 135 m altitudine, tot nu reusesti sa simti adrenalina.. THIS is really freaky !

* Filmuletul cu saltul e in faza de postproductie si urmeaza sa-l afisez.


Si acu ceva mai mult despre bungee jumping, pentru interesati sau curiosi.

Originile bungee jumpingului.

......Sariturile cu coarda elastica (asta inseamna de fapt « bungee », in slangul din Noua Zeelanda) se pare ca isi au originea intr-un vechi ritual - Gkol, practicat in Insula Pentecost din arhipelagul Vanuatu. Este vorba despre un obicei al tribului Bunlap, asociat cu sarbatoarea culesului recoltei, si menit sa asigure bogatia acesteia dar mai ales sa testeze barbatia si curajul membrilor de sex masculin ai tribului (femeile Bunlap se intelege de la sine ca-s curajoase, de vreme ce-i suporta zilnic pe acesti aruncatori cu capul in tarana... , si asta fara Vuittoane, Jimmy Choo sau telenovele care sa mai atenueze socul imaginilor respective, bune doar de stirile de la ora 5 ..). Exista chiar si o unitate de masura a barbatiei, constand in mai multe niveluri ale platformei /turnului de pe care sar masculii tribului, cu capul inainte si picioarele legate de liane. Doar o suprafata inclinata cu pamant mai afanat este menita sa amortizeze impactul acestora cu Mother Earth.

...

........Un documentar realizat de BBC in anii 50, in legatura cu aceste obiceiuri ce inlocuiesc concursurile de la Festivalul Berii de pe la noi, a starnit interesul unor curajosi de la Clubul Sporturilor Periculoase din Oxford University. In 1979, 5 dintre membrii clubului faceau primele salturi, de pe Clifton Suspension Bridge. Arestati pe loc, cei 5 au dat startul unei adevarate revolutii in domeniul sportului. Bungee jumpingul a inceput sa castige din ce in ce mai multi adepti ai extremelor (depresie sau extaz), fiind practicat in din ce in ce mai multe locuri, mereu cautandu-se depasirea cotelor de inaltime sau adrenalina.
Primul salt comercial a fost facut in Queenstown, Noua Zeelanda, in 1988, de catre A. J. Hackett. Azi curajosii sar de pe poduri, stanci, cascade, cladiri, din elicoptere sau baloane …(unii doar din sarite/pepeni/tzatzani)

….Potrivit Cartii Recordurilor Guinness, care inregistreaza insa doar sariturile de la punct fix , cel mai inalt punct de bungee jumping este Macau, din China (233 m). Dincolo de faptul ca sunt multi care spun ca ei au sarit de cel mai sus, se pare totusi ca cel mai inalt salt a fost facut in 1995, in Coreea de Sud, de la circa 1000m, dintr-un balon.


.........In Romania, instalatia de la Vidraru este a doua ca inaltime din Europa (166m), dupa cea de la barajul Verzasca, din Elvetia (220 m), pe care a reusit s-o surclaseze doar pentru doi ani, in timpul in care cea elvetiana a fost inchisa, in urma unui accident. In Cheile Rasnoavei, saltul se face de la 135m, iar partea inedita e faptul ca te arunci dintr-un fel de cosh (nu din ala tratat la cosmetician) ridicat de un scriptete actionat manual, de catre doi barbati vanjoshi. Asa ca, pentru cei intens mancati de indoieli, urcarea de 25-30 minute e un prilej excelent de a-si re(re,re,re…re)vizui optiunile.


Si...a kind of English translation.

Bungee experiences.

.....The worst part comes when you here the counting: 3, 2,1 JUMP! And then the recoil makes you feel like a carpet duly shaken out by a perfect housewife (determined to impress her mother in law).

......The flight is very fast, you have no time to notice to much of the images displayed in front of your eyes. It’s all about trees and cliffs and not at all about crucial moments of your (too..) short or long life (bla bla bla). But I suppose that it depends on every person..

.....What remains after is the feeling of heaving done something strange but worthy, even for once in your lifetime (preferably on your wage day, because it kind of costs..). Yes, and also the ankle and shoulder aches, which depend on how strong you are, I suppose . But when the only sports you practice are pressing your computer keyboard and climbing the stairs of the university building, your bones are clearly more painfully shaken.. But, once again, it worthes.

....But in the end, the oddest part is when, after diving at 10 meters depth (without knowing how to swim and with a lifetime water fobia in your blood) or after jumping from 135m of height, you still can’t feel the adrenaline rush.

THIS is really freaky!

And now, a few words about bungee jumping, for those interested or curious.

Origins of bungee jumping.

.....The jumps with elastic ropes (the term bungee designes an Elastic Strap, in the New Zeeland slang) have their origins in an ancient ritual – Gkol, performed by the members of Bunlap tribe, in the Pentacost Island (Vanuatu archipelago). It is a old ritual associated with the fig harvesting festival, intended to insure rich harvests but, most of all, to test the courage and the manhood of the Bunlap male members (the courage of women being implied, as they are brave enough to support these land divers…, without Vuitton purses, Jimmy Choos or soap operas to diminish the effect of the horrible accidents..). There is also a measuring instrument of their manhood consisting in the different levels of the tower they use to jump off, head first and with the ankles tied by liana vines. Only a sloping surface of softened earth is supposed to provide some kind of protection, partially absorbing the impact with Mother Earth.

........A BBC documentary about these rituals, broadcasted in the 55’s, inspired the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club. Five of its members performed the first bungee jumps, in 1979, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Arrested immediately afterward, the 5 jumpers had started a sports revolution.

.........Bungee jumping has started to attract more and more supporters, being performed in a lot of places, always trying to overstep the altitude and adrenaline limits. The first commercial bungee jumping site was made by A. J. Hackett, in 1988, in Queenstown, New Zeeland. Nowadays people jump from bridges, cliffs, falls, buildings, hot air balloons or helicopters….

According to the Guinness Records Book, which register only the jumps from a fix point, the highest bungee jumping point is Macau, in China (233 m). Beyond the fact that a lot of jumpers say they had the highest jump, it seems that the highest was made in 1995, in South Coreea, from a hot air balloon (about 1000m).



.......In Romania, the bungee jumping platform from Vidraru is the second highest in Europe (166m), after the Verzasca bridge, in Switzerland (220 m). When the last one was closed for 2 years, because of an accident, Vidraru was the highest one in Europe. In Cheile Rasnoavei, you can jump 135m, and the interesting and unique thing is that the basket getting the jumper and the instructor at 135 m is manually activated by two brave men. Thus, the ascension takes about 30 minutes, while the indecied persons can re (re,re,re…re)examin their options.


marți, 4 august 2009

TOURISM ANTI-COMMERCIAL

... Iata si o antireclamă turistică, de data aceasta.
....La limita între râs si plâns, acolo unde se situează, din punct de vedere turistic, şi aspectul multora dintre oraşele româneşti atinse de miracolul urbanismului socialist.