Bucket List: Parachute Jumping

Dearest friends,

The wish of being able to fly was always in the heart of humans, even from the early times. Researchers say that the most dreamt about things are flying or falling - somehow I see the two connected: you cannot fall being seated down, you have to be up there somewhere. I was always fascinated about flying and I told you that I have a travel bug that allows me to enjoy flights immensely, even when  there are turbulences. Of course, for me the best seats are the ones next to the wing, window seat - I can get to see the world from up there are reflect how truly small we really are. 

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My first flight was also the longest one I ever made - it was a direct flight from Bucharest to JFK New York, summer of 2007... 8 years later I am in love with travels and even the thought of being a stewardess crossed my mind a while back. I also understand people who are stressed about flying, I can understand that it is hard to relax when you know you are up there in the clouds, but it is statistically proved that the planes are actually the best methods of travel - they have the lowest rate of accidents. Plus for the low adrenaline fans there is nothing like a good take off or landing ;) that feeling when you are airborn (the plane is completely off the ground) is priceless! But add to the whole plane trip some parachute jumping and make sure you mark that on your Bucket List ;)

 

What  better way to celebrate the 1st year Church ceremony anniversary of our wedding, then by crossing an item from both our Bucket List: Parachute Jumping!!! Now I must underline that my awesome other half did this once before, but by himself - with the static line.  We both love adrenaline but I have to "blame it" on myself... I came this time with the wild idea of jumping. I have settled down that I will never do bungee jumping as it can damage your spinal cord or cause you pains and I already have that from time to time so no need for more! But the idea of parachute jumping was always on my mind. 

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I always wondered what the feeling was up there in the clouds... are you closer to God there and you may get a glimpse of it? ;))) Smiles aside, but when Marek showed our nieces his video of the jump, the small ones asked him if he saw God, as at the beginning you could not see a thing - we were above the clouds... I always wondered if I would be able to jump or if I would be too petrified... would I scream or cry or panic or just have no reaction whatsoever... I always believes that people, in time - at different ages, need to test themselves and see what they can handle, what can they withstand! It is beneficial for your development to know your limits and see how you can grow. Fight your fears and embrace what you can be capable of achieving! :)

What is the point of having a fancy - yet regular and old-fashioned - dinner out in town to celebrate yourself, when you can cross an item of your Bucket List, next to the one you love?! If you are searching for a wild way to celebrate life, I recommend you to do parachute jumping. If you have never done this before, the best way to start is by doing "tandem jumpjng" ;) Nothing can go wrong! (Except the parachute not opening up, but that is a very very small chance!) You will have someone taking care of everything for you - the instructor to which you are tied knows what to do and there is no need for stress ;) he will even correct your posture as you jump and won't let you fall like a rock ;) 

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The instructors have thousands of jumps behind them, so the jump is like a ritual that they could perform with closed eyes! I found the team with whom we jumped - KrakSky based in Kraków - through the Internet and Marek did all the setup with the reservation and getting us to the place - Marek's younger brother took us there ans held our hand ;))) after seeing us before and after the jump he said he would like to do it as well, so you can see how much we loved it :)

We jumped on a Saturday early morning - my flight was the second one that took off that very day & Marek's was the 3rd one. We jumped in pairs, from a small airplane - they split couples into girls and boys and I jumped with a lady and Marek jumped with her other half. There is not much you need to worry about: just contact KrakSky in time - I believe Marek booked the time almost a month before, and he made sure we would be one of the first to jump. The money you need to pay before you jump - also then you will fill out the form in which you agree that you are aware of the risks and you give the person that they should contact in case something goes haywire... which does not happen, don't worry ;) 

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Before the jump you have a short 10 min training,  you dress up in the jump suit, and get ready to board the small plane. You never know how time passes... while we were climbing up with the plane I did not realise how long we flew. Only when I came down and took off the gear Marek's brother informed me that we were flying for at least 30 min before we jumped - I was surprised :) From the KrakSky field, as you go up, you can see the city and Wieliczka - salt mine - so keep your eyes open and enjoy the view. We jumped from 6000 meters and we had a free fall for over 200 km/hour... the experience is breathtaking and the moment the parachute opens... you finally get to breathe easy and enjoy the view. My first thought when the chute opened and my first words when I touched the ground was: I wanna do it again! :) and Marek feels the same... so who knows what's next! 

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We recommend  it from our heart and we must admit KrakSky is a kick arse fun team to be with. They did not speak in English but I did understand them and all went well - the are professionals and have thousands of jumps behind them. The tandem jump costs 690 zloty at this moment and if you wish to have the camera on the instructors hand (the one you jump with) it will cost 800 zloty. If you wanna record every moment and every muscle, you can get the foto + video from instructor for 880 zloty or you can go overboard and have also the extra camera guy shooting you,  jumping right before you, for 1000 zloty. The full option with foto and video from both = 1100 zloty and that was the exact one we picked ;))) the picture and video will be sent to you zipped, via link, to your email - max one week after the jump - and your pics will probably appreciate on their Facebook page even quicker ;) we recommend them and we recommend trying parachute jumping at least once in your life, especially of you are an adrenaline freak ;)))

Have you ever did parachute jumping? What were your thought and feelings? Did you also panic a bit when the plane door opened? Did you feel relieved when the parachute opened? Did you wanna do it again when you touched down? I did :)

Yours truly,
The LadyBug That Loves To Face Her Fears :)