Bloukrans Bridge

Does what it says on the sign!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....Bungeeeeeeee. Oh my god, where did my stomach just go? No time to worry about that. Air rushing past, my stomach trying to find its anatomical place, failing as I continue falling. Suddenly panic, surely it's been more than four seconds. The ground is getting closer, and I am getting faster. Why am I still falling? And then the bungee kicks in. With a feeling of security, as much as one can feel secure tied by your feet, upside down to a giant piece of elastic, I was rushing upwards. And then...the most perfect moment of my life. Eyes closed, arms stretched wide, falling in silence. The initial shock gone, replaced by a supreme sense of freedom. No worries, nothing matters, just this exact moment in time.

Jump number and weight

A good luck handshake with the jump master

Strapped and ready to go

This is living life jumping off the edge!

Fear hits as I begin to fall

Deeper I go

I'm geting closer to the bottom now

I can fllllllllyyyyy

Approaching speeds of 120km per hour

And a distance of nearly 200 metres

Back on the bridge and alive

Me and my jump master

Back on the bridge the dance music is pumping, blood is coursing through my body, and I have never felt so energised in my life. It sounds strange but you lose partial control of your limbs as the adrenalin sends you into a state of frenzied movement. My brain was moving faster than my mouth as I tried to recant what had just happened, all the time tapping out the beat of the music with my feet. I try sitting down, but within seconds I'm up and positively bouncing around. There is only one thing for it, I have to jump again - only this time backwards!

If shuffling towards the edge of a 216 metre bridge when you can see the drop is bad enough, try doing it backwards, with just the voice of the jump master to guide you. Not only that but you have to have the back of your feet off the edge slightly. With each tentative step back my heart pounded harder, my sense heightened and my nerves took over. The exact words I used, with millimetres to the edge, starring back at everyone on the brdige, were, 'This is farking shit scary guys!' And it was genuine fear, pure fear, the sort that doesn't come along often in life.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1....Bungeeeeeeee. Silence. My mouth catches my stomach this time, eyes fixed on the faces above. Smaller and smaller they get until that rare sense of freedom washes over me again and I zone out. Eyes closed as I relax into it, a thoughtless perfection I will chase for the rest of my life. To live in that state, even for just one hour a day, is my idea of heaven. This is pure escapism, this is life. All I need to do now is bottle it and I am set!

Jump two coming up

Back for more...are you mad?

No turning back now

Going down, down, down

Better to look up than down

Free as a bird

That's me, along way down

Oh F**k!

Myself and Elliot after the jumps

Until today my motto in life had been, 'Why live on the edge when you can jump off it'. However, it's now, 'Why live on the edge you can jump off it...twice'. It has taken me twenty-five years to begin living, and I don't intend on stopping anytime soon.

written by  MarcusInAfrica on March 4, 2009 from Port Elizabeth, South Africa
from the travel blog: Cape to Cardiff
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One last sunset before I leave

Mr Messy and Mr I Don't Do Running!

However, once on the road I wanted to be anywhere but there. The opening leg of my journey was a 12-hour Baz Bus journey from Cape Town to Storms River, which was spent going through the emotional mill once again, only this time knowing I was truly on my own. It seems weird, but for so long I have wanted to do this trip alone, yet all I craved today was the company of a familiar face, the touch of a familiar hand and the reassurance of a warm smile. Instead I armed myself with Hunter S Thompson's Hell's Angels and tried to loose myself in a world a million Miles from mine.

An emotional traveller setting off

Suffice to say when I got to Dijemba Backpackers in Storms River I was ready for a cold beer by the open fire, the place I feel most at home. There is something about a camp fire that is magical, watching the flames flickering in the gentle breeze as my worries slowly eased away. I was prepared for a few rough days, so whilst feeling relaxed I expected a few more emotional swings until I finally settle into my new life.

written by  MarcusInAfrica on March 2, 2009 from Cape Town, South Africa
from the travel blog: Cape to Cardiff
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Sun rise at Devils Peak

One excerpt that caught my attention was by Scott Kennedy, a travel writer for Lonely Planet, who was reminiscing about the stage in his life when his eyes were opened to the endless opportunities for adventure. The crux of what he was saying being this: it doesn’t matter who you are, where you are or what you have, the only obstacles preventing us from a world of endless adventure are those created in our minds.

If I am being honest I have, in the past, created obstacles for myself – as I am sure most of us have – that have stopped me from discovering my limits, stopped me from going out to the edge and seeing how far I can push myself. I would be lying, so close to the trip, if I said some of those old demons hadn’t returned to test me. The difference being, this time I am ready to overcome them, there is a burning desire deep inside of me to take this challenge on and triumph.

Devils Peak from Lions Head

Waking up, naturally, at 05:30 is not so bad, as long as it is a once off. However, five days in a row, including the weekend, and you start to wonder if this is the early stages of insomnia developing. But then, as sleep gives way to the realisation that life is about to change, maybe forever, you forget about the tiredness and being awake at unsociable hours and instead try and focus on what needs to be done to ensure the adventure takes place as planned.

Table Mountain from Lions Head

Suddenly there is so much I want to do, and juggling doing all those things with preparing for such a major trip can be a balancing act at times. Although with the early rising comes the chance to see Cape Town in all its beauty, sunrise on a peaceful Sunday morning – not everyone’s idea of fun but a chance to create a few more memories here, before the next chapter begins...

written by  MarcusInAfrica on February 18, 2009 from Cape Town, South Africa
from the travel blog: Cape to Cardiff
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Firstly a warm welcome to my travel blog. This will, on the whole, be my main means of communication with the outside world for the coming two years - a scary thought but given the nature of Africa it will have to suffice. Whilst I cannot promise regular updates, due to the lack of internet the deeper into Africa one ventures, I will post as often as I can throughout my trip.

Now to the trip itself. The plan is to travel from my current address, in Cape Town, to my parent's house in Wales on one continuous trip, working my way through Africa and Europe using only public transport. I realise some readers may be scratching their head's with bewilderment as to why someone would want to do that. Don't worry, you are in good company, as there have been, and will be again, times when I have thought 'what the hell am I getting myself into?'

So let me explain. For a while I have been thinking of leaving Cape Town (not permanently) and heading off on an adventure, and then I thought to myself if you are going to do it, at least do it properly, thus 'Cape to Cardiff' was born. The initial idea came whilst in Malawi last year, but since then has been developed to it's current state - one which I am happy with in terms of safety and well-being.

The route, which will need to be flexible if I am to complete the trip in the guidelines set out, provisionally looks a little like this: South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Spain, France, England, Wales.

Whilst such a trip will be an almighty challenge, it will be one that I must embrace head on if I am to complete it. There will be dangers along the way, as one would expect, but they will, along with everything else, develop me as a person and enrich this trip.

It is my hope to experience as many different cultures as possible on my journey, as to really travel in a country I firmly believe one must submerge themselves in that countries culture. In doing so I hope to discover myself on this trip, as well as discover the true beauty of Africa, a continent that has truly got under my skin.

For now that's all. But below you will find a map of Africa that charts the route I plan to take through 'The Dark Continent'. There is still a few months to go, so if anyone has any tips or advice for this epic trip please don't hesitate to contact me.

And finally, a reminder that this will be used by my friends and family alike, so if you are commenting please keep it clean. And if you can't keep it clean, mail me at marcus_leach@hotmail.com

My travel map and route