[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 8 December 2014]

 

2 February 2014, Sunday

We woke up before daybreak, had a quick breakfast and checked out of our Aberdeen Youth Hostel just as the sun was rising. As we arrived late last night and set off early today, we barely had a glimpse of Aberdeen beyond our hostel and the nearby supermarket. I had expected this to happen when I was planning the trip but on hindsight, it would have been better to be less ambitious and cut down the driving distance per day, and skip Aberdeen altogether.

It would be another long drive today, as we travel southwest from Aberdeen on the east coast to make a pitstop at Killiecrankie in the centre, then move southwards all the way to the capital, Edinburgh. All in all, a distance of about 290km.

The drive from Aberdeen was scenic and we experienced coastal scenery and snowy landscapes before emerging in bright sunlight and lush green fields just as we entered Pitlochry. Just north of Pitlochry is the small village of Killiecrankie, and the reason we detoured there was because of bungee jumping.

Ever the thrill-seeker, IJ was excited to try out bungee jumping and he had pre-booked us a jump on this day. I had done it once before, at Taupo in New Zealand, so this would be my second time. However, that was in 2007 – 7 years ago, back when I was still fearless and foolhardy. It is true that the older you get, the more scaredy cat you become. So even though I had done it once before, truth be told, I was having butterflies in my stomach during the entire drive from Aberdeen.

On the other hand, IJ was beaming with excitement and could barely wait for his turn to jump. The jump is operated by Highland Fling Bungee and it is a 40m jump off Garry Bridge, into River Garry. For comparison, the one I did in Taupo was 47m. It costs GBP75 to jump, and if you’re feeling like you want more, the second jump will cost only GBP30. To complete the package, we also ordered photos for GBP20 and video for GBP35, setting us back a cool GBP130 per person, just for a few seconds of madness! They always try to market it as a “once in a lifetime experience”. Well, I’ve done this before and I’m still suckered into doing it. But yes, you pay good money to jump off a bridge, and it is totally worth it.

After emptying our pockets and getting weighed at the office (the minimum weight is 35kg and maximum weight is 120kg), we hopped on a van with a few other daredevils (one guy was dressed in a SpongeBob suit) and were driven to Garry Bridge nearby. We then climbed up a ladder to get to the underside of the bridge and walked the plank to the centre of the bridge, where we had an awesome view of the river below. I always prefer to do a bungee into a river, rather than from a tower or crane, where you basically jump into the ground. You know, just in case…

As the moment drew closer, the butterflies in my stomach seemed to multiply and flutter all over the place. As I got strapped up and was ushered to the edge of the platform, I honestly had an “oh shit” moment and I felt like pulling out. What’s worse, we had paid for photos, so the enthusiastic staff was making me pose for the pictures and I had to act all gungho when I was actually all nervous inside.

Alas, the time had come. There was nowhere to run. As I contemplated for the last time about backing out, the guy gave me a nudge and I was on my way. I plunged 40m down in a freefall and shouted out to release the pent up fears. It lasted all of a few seconds, but the thrill and adrenaline rush was unbeatable. I felt really alive at that moment, and like the last time, I felt like doing it again.

The scary part about bungee jumping is not the jump itself, but the moment right before the jump. It’s because you have to will yourself to remove yourself from the safety of the platform and into depths below. It is counter-intuitive and against every rational fibre in your body. In this case, if the guy did not nudge me, I would probably have stayed there for another 30 seconds or so, so it was good that he did. He probably saw me struggling internally and decided to help me. But yeah, that’s the scariest part – standing on the edge just before you jump off. But after you’ve done it, you feel like you’re invincible and you can do anything. It’s an amazing feeling. So if you’re still thinking of doing your first bungee jump, I would say – Just Do It! (But try to do it when you’re still young hee hee).

I took the plunge first, and IJ followed after. He too, had an amazing experience and enjoyed it so much that he almost wanted to sign up for a second jump. But we both chose not to in the end. After having our adrenaline all pumped up, it was time to complete the last stretch of the drive and head to Edinburgh.

By the time we arrived at Edinburgh, it was mid afternoon. We found our accommodation, Smart City Hostels, quite easily. We parked nearby, unloaded our luggage, checked in, then headed out again to return the car at the Europcar office at Waverley train station.

Smart City Hostels Edinburgh
Website: www.smartcityhostels.com
Address: 50 Blackfriars Street, EH1 1NE
Tel: +44 1315241989
Rate: GBP14.00/night for a 6-bed dorm

After grabbing a quick meal at the train station, we headed to Calton Hill for a view of Edinburgh city at sunset. Calton Hill is the headquarters of the Scottish government and where several notable buildings are located. It offers a panoramic view of Edinburgh and the view from here is featured on most tourist brochures of Edinburgh. Not surprisingly, there was already a horde of tourists and photographers with expensive cameras perched on tripods when we arrived.

It was a bitterly cold day and the wind at the hill was very cold. The view more than made up for it though. In the foreground was the iconic Dugald Stewart Monument, while the sun set behind the majestic Edinburgh Castle in the distance. There was also the half-built National Monument, which was modelled after the Parthenon in Athens but never completed, as well as Nelson Monument.

After getting our fill of the view, we decided it was too cold to linger any longer, and headed down the hill and back to the main streets of Princes Street and George Street for some shopping and refuge in the shops.

For dinner, we chose to have our meal at The Elephant House, located at 21 George VI Bridge. It is particularly famous because this was where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel. I was still feeling the effects of the bungee jump and my sense of adventure extended to my culinary choices, so I gamely ordered a portion of the Scottish national dish – Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.

I say adventurous because my previous experience with traditional Scottish cuisine didn’t go down too well – I can still remember the taste of black pudding to this day. So I was quite wary of trying out haggis, which is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt. Neeps is Scottish for turnip, and Tatties is potato, so those were ok. As it turned out, the haggis was not too bad. I wasn’t particularly fond of it but I managed to finish most of it. Definitely an improvement from the black pudding I had 3 days prior, which I spat out after just a small bite.

As we did not have to travel the next day, we could afford to have a late night out tonight. I found a jazz bar and decided to check it out. It was simply called, The Jazz Bar, and it is located at 1A Chambers Street, a short walk from our hostel.

It is quite a small, underground bar, but what it lacks in space, it makes up with ambience and quality. To enter, you’ll need to pay a small cover charge (about GBP5), which goes to the musicians. We were still quite early so we managed to get a good seat. I ordered a beer and a bowl of peanuts and waited for the act to come on.

The band for the night was a simple 3-piece with a singer that sounds like Sinatra, and he belted out jazz standards like Corcovado and The Way You Look Tonight. It was soothing and a great way to end the night. I enjoyed it a lot. After that, we went back to the hostel for some well-deserved sleep. More of Edinburgh to explore tomorrow!