Happy birthday to me… Happy birthday to me… Happy birthday to me… Happy birthday to me…
Talking about shameless in a whole new level. Well I’m super-duper excited because hubby gave me the best birthday present ever! Skydiving baby!!! Yeah!!! It’s our first skydiving experience and we’re extremely thrilled. I found a really good deal on www.adrenalin.com.au which includes video and pictures for only AUD374 per pax.
My in-laws wanted to try their train ride and were kind enough to bring the kids along so we dropped them at the Hornsby station before heading to Picton drop zone.
After driving for about 1½ hours, we saw the big billboard. Sydney Skydivers. Actually they did provide free transfer from the city and the pick-up times are 7am and 11am but we chose to make our own way there at our own convenient time. Slowly, the butterflies in our stomaches were forming. Did I really sign up for this? Did I really want to jump out of the plane? If this was a movie, I could literally see so many question marks popped above my head. Argh what the heck… I’ve already paid for it and it’s something I’d always wanted to do.
I parked the van alongside several other cars. We thought it would be empty because it’s a weekday. We registered ourselves at the reception and waited for our names to be called. We have Teana, Nay-zar-roo-deen, (and other jumper names). Please proceed to training area. It’s a good thing I didn’t put my first name in full. :p Then, a Japanese-looking guy gave us jumpsuits to put on and warned us to remove any loose items unless we didn’t mind losing them. My shoes were not tightly secured so I had to borrow theirs. Yuck! I wondered whose feet had been in there. Beggars can’t be choosers… Unless, of course, I didn’t mind driving home barefooted. So you see, it didn’t matter what you will be wearing on that day because you still have to put on the jumpsuits they provided. The same guy guided us on skydiving procedures of what to do, where to hold, etc. Shortly after, all the instructors came to the training area. I was ecstatic that they assigned a female skydive instructor to me. Lori was friendly, chatty and bubbly. My numerous questions about skydiving did not bore or annoy her. Hubby on the other hand was rather quiet, probably nervous. His instructor’s name was Scott.
There were about 18 instructors including jumpers who boarded the Cessna Caravan. As Kevin McCallister said in Home Alone: “This is it. Don’t get scared now.”
There were indicator lights in the Caravan which tells the instructor what to do as we elevated. The red light indicates it’s time to hook the jumpers to the instructors. Yellow light indicates everyone should be ready and when the green light is on, they open the door and it’s time to jump! Lori and I were the last to jump and before us were hubby and Scott.
As we sled closer and closer to the door, I was feeling a tad bit frightened. After seeing hubby jumped off, it was not scary anymore.
Woooooohoooooo!!! I did it! I jumped off the plane! It was exhilarating! It was even less scary once the parachute was out. While hanging in midair, I marveled at the beautiful landscape before me. Allah Almighty. Glory to Allah. What a beautiful sight. I am very thankful for all the blessings bestowed upon me. Once we landed, I immediately searched for hubby. When I saw him, I quickly ran to him and hugged him. We told each other that we’ll be doing it again!
For those who are daring enough to ride on any looping roller coaster, you should be brave enough to do this and we really encourage everyone to try, at least once in a lifetime. Trust me it will be an amazing experience. And now, we are certified! 😀
It’s time to meet the in-laws and kids for post-lunch. My FIL wanted to eat beryani so hubby and I struggled a bit to find the nearest beryani shop in town. Using GPS while surrounded by skyscrapers in the city really sucked! We got lost and suddenly we’re in Anzac Parade. Hubby suggested that we go to any nearby halal eateries regardless of cuisines in Anzac Parade rather than making our way back to town. I concurred and we found a halal Indonesian Nasi Padang restaurant called Pondok Buyung less than 5 minutes drive away. Finally we were eating familiar foods. Got tired of kebabs already. Once everyone’s full, it’s time to head home.
Do share your views and post any questions you have in the comments box and I will have them answered in an instant! 🙂
Later,
Teana
