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HOME > NORTH TAIWAN > TAIPEI > ARTS & LEISURE > TAIWAN FUN MAGAZINE, October 2003. VOL.3 ISSUE 10
"Daddy, I want to jump!" she pleaded to her astonished parents. "Are you sure?" her concerned father asked skeptically. "I want to jump!" she repeated. "I want to jump! I want to jump!" This amazing six-year-old is the youngest bungee jumper in Taiwan, adding her name to the long list of Bungee International's Taiwan jumpers. This daring band has grown to 30,000 since American Cortney Smith established the venture in 1992. I have to prostrate before this youngster, for I still don't possess the nerve to fling myself from a great height. If you're like me, you'll have to live vicariously through people like 42-year-old Jack Chang, a Bungee International coach for the past 11 years. Chang says he's jumped an "infinite" number of times, but admits that although there is no trace of fear on his face before each dive, he still feels it. "'I'm BACK!' is my first thought," Mr. Chang says. "You've done it, you feel like the king of the world--that you can do anything after this!" That's what I call persuasive motivation. Chang says around 60 percent of jumpers are female, 40 percent are male. The average age is 18 to 25, but the oldest jumper was 65 years old. To experience all this first hand, it costs NT$3,500 for a jump, and then you're offered a membership card for NT$1,700. With this card, all future dives cost NT$1,700. The ten coaches and assistant coaches are only available on weekends. You can choose falls between 35 to 72 feet (11 to 23 meters) from various locations around Taipei. The most convenient is perhaps The Core Pacific Living Mall, where 60-feet (18 meter) jumps can be made on Saturdays and Sundays. But make up your mind. The membership fee is non-refundable. Address: 30,
Lane 90, XinYi Rd., Sec.5
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