I like Koh Samui for what it is, but heart-stopping thrills aren’t exactly on that list. They haven’t got surfing. For scuba, you have to head over to Koh Tao. No skydiving. The rock-climbing is mediocre from what I’m told. Four wheeling is pretty decent anywhere, but you’re not exactly off the beaten track. It’s a mellow place, but if you’re looking for a quick thrill that will get your heart pumping (if not stop it), head over to Samui Bungee Jumping.

Bunjee jumping has always been on my list of things to try but never quite got the chance. I never imagined the first place I would do it is in Thailand, and I certainly never imagined I’d do it from some a tower of metal reaching into the sky. I always pictured a high bridge over a mountain canyon or something similar.

But an old girlfriend had come from America to visit, and after more than 3 months on Koh Samui, I was ready to get my adrenaline fix before I ended up cutting loose and killing myself on the motorbike. So trying my hand at bungee jumping just seemed like an obvious choice.

To find the place, you drive past the Reggae Pub in Chaweng to the end of a dirt road, but most travel agencies have a brochure and they will come pick you up at your guest house. The bungee is attached to a huge crane-looking machine.

You go stand on a small lift platform while the Thai guy wraps your legs up, then you stand on the lift together and it brings you to the top. Like an elevator. Nice butterflies all the way up, and the view is absolutely amazing.

There I stood, the palm-covered hills of Koh Samui stretched out before me, rolling into the distance beyond the chaos of Chaweng. The ironic truth about me is that I’m afraid of heights.

In fact, I’d venture to say I’ve got a healthy, if not over-exaggerated, fear of a lot of things in life, but the difference is I don’t let my fear hold me back. I’m as tenacious as I am cowardly, and I see a fear as a REASON to do something—because I don’t want to ever limit myself by my own human nature.

So I simply stepped up the platform, spread my wings with a quick thought to (WHAT THE #$%* AM I DOING THIS TIME?), freefell to the small plunge pool waiting below. Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow.

Something about bungee jumping is almost more unnerving than a skydive. I think this is partly because the supports are at your feet. You can’t see the cord trailing behind you. You can’t feel its security. You have no idea if it is even attached properly. It’s back there, but the fact that your feet are bound so closely together makes it almost more frightening, as if you have limited yourself to try and get upright if something should go wrong (as if it would make a bit of difference). With skydiving, you feel pretty, or somewhat, secure in your harness, and if you’re a newcomer jumping tandem it is reassuring to have your babysitter clipped behind you.

Another thing I think is more unnerving about the bungee jump is it is closer to the ground and there is no mistaking what you’re doing. There will be no life flashing before your eyes on this one—if it goes wrong, the ground is all too ready and waiting. When skydiving, you don’t really comprehend what you’re doing. That might partly be because it is just so surreal to jump out of a “perfectly good airplane,” as they say, but for whatever reason bungee just seemed to grip me a bit more.

It was a blast. I gave out the token holler as I plummeted through the air, my hear residing somewhere at the ends of my toes. I told them to dip my head in the shallow plunge pool below, but they somehow missed their mark because I came up dry. Which is another thing to think about…

Your life is held in the balance by the fact that they can calculate your weight with the tension of the bungee cord—this is how they decide whether or not your head will be dipped or not dipped. Well, I’m glad they under-calculated, but missing the mark by a couple feet was a little too careless then I was comfortable with, especially considering the pool was probably almost deep enough to stand in. All in good fun…

Such is Thailand…And worrying about such things takes the fun out of it. When you put your life in someone’s hands, it’s best not to think too much.

Which is why they have a bar at the bottom, by the way! This is great for getting a little loosened up before heading to the top of the world, and it’s also a great way to relish in your adrenaline buzz while you watch other hesitant backpackers try their hand.

A group of guys from India were there, and it looked like it was taking them all they had to give it a go. They were shaking like wet cats, letting out blood-curdling screams in the air, and one probably stood on the lift for about twenty minutes before gathering the guts to bail. Had to admire them “throwing themselves” out there though.

So if you’re lost in Koh Samui and a bit taken aback by the islands mellow atmosphere, maybe its time to get off the white sand beach. What’s more—every jump is cheaper than the next, so hang out for a while and get a few in. You will want to go again—I can assure you of that. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, this is about the easiest way you can get your fix. Step on the lift. Up, up, up, up…DOWN!!!! Woohooo!!!

Give it a go. Sure, it is sooo touristy, but this is a tourist attraction I can live with in any locale. Call me a sell-out, but I love a cheap thrill.