X Center

Another of the items Nick has on his bucket list for this trip is Zorbing. For those not in the know, Zorbing involves strapping yourself inside a giant ball, and then having it roll downhill into a lake, at which point you unstrap yourself and roll the ball like a hamster until you get back to dry land. It was invented several years ago in New Zealand, and I thought at the time it looked kind of fun, but it wasn’t until Nick’s cousin tried it here in Chiang Mai that we actually knew of a place to give it a go.

Once again, Riam and her husband are our tour guides, and they pick us up at the hotel to take us to a place not far from the elephant camp called the X Center. They do a bunch of activities here (which we’ll get to in a bit), but the Zorbing is what we came for, and after the obligatory waivers are signed, we’re off to the launch point. My usually fearless traveling companion has opted to be videographer for this event, so Nick and I are on our own.

The setup is pretty much as advertised, as velcro straps around our waists and ankles attach us firmly to the walls of the ball. What the pictures don’t tell you is that the two layers of clear plastic provide for a great greenhouse effect that jacks up the temperature, and do a great job at holding in the sweaty odor of past Zorbers.

After a quick thumbs up, we are rolling down the ramp, laughing hysterically all the way to the water. Left to our own devices to get back, I unstrap the velcro and promptly roll the ball sideways, pitching myself halfway out of the ball and into the lake. Nick thinks this is funny.

Pulling myself back inside the ball, we start hamster our way back. It takes a surprising amount of effort, and my wet clothes have made the walls quite slippery, adding to the challenge. Nevertheless, we succeed in returning to dry land, and realizing that it really was a whole lot of fun, head back out onto the lake for a few more minutes, during which I try in vain to tip Nick out the side.

Another of the activities they offer at the X Center is the bungee jump. I have always been tempted to try this, not for any good reason other than to prove to myself I could do it, but have never managed to work up the courage. After staring at it on the price list for a while, and watch some of the videos on the monitors, today doesn’t feel much different, so we instead opt to go for a hour in an off-road buggy. Angela opts to sit this one out as well (off-roading and laminectomy apparently don’t go well together), drawn instead to the spa for a massage.

Our guide takes up a trail that winds up through the hills, crossing a number of sketchy bridges, and splashing through a couple of rivers along the way. I’m not sure if the experience would be the same as a passenger, but as the driver, this was a blast.

The extra hour has exposed a brief window of courage, so before getting in the car to head back to town, we decide instead to watch a few people jumping from the bungee tower. It doesn’t seem that far up, and everyone doing it seems to came back with smiles on their faces, so before I change my mind, I buy a ticket. It’s non-refundable, which really is brilliant on their part, as it sets my sense of cheapness in an epic duel against my sense of self-preservation.

While I await my turn, Nick has a look on his face that says he thinks he wants to try but isn’t quite sure. It’s possible to go tandem, so I let him think about it for a while and he ultimately decides to go for it (I’m so proud of this kid!).

They get us ready by wrapping big compression bands around our calves that are so tight they feel like they are cutting off circulation to my feet (however since these will be the only things that keep me connected to the bungee cord and from plummeting to my death, the tightness feels pretty good thank you very much). We then hop over to the car that will take us up to the top of the tower, some 150 feet above our heads.

Perspective is a funny thing, and where from the ground looking up the top of the tower doesn’t really look that high, from the top looking down – yikes!

Now safely (I hope) connected to the bungee cord, we both edge our way out the side of the car, and after a quick countdown, I surprise even myself by falling forward into space (Nick now going over whether he likes it or not). On the ground, I was certain that I would only jump with my eyes closed, but the fall happens so fast, and with my brain struggling to process what just happened, that by the time it even thinks to send a message to my eyelids, we are almost at the bottom.

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I can feel the cord slowing us down, and just before we hit the water, it jerks us back up into the air, at least 2/3 of the way back to the top. What a rush! Nick and I are both cracking up, jacked up on adrenalin and having just faced down fear. After repeating the rising/falling process a half dozen times, each one shorter than the last, we are left just hanging in the air upside down while the car travels back down the tower and lowers us to the ground. We give the whole experience 4 enthusiastic thumbs up.

We’ve pretty much done all the X Center has to offer now (and my wallet is a whole lot lighter than when we started), so we head back into town, stopping for lunch at a local restaurant on the way. We check the hotel pool again, but it is still freezing, so we relax a little in our room, catching up on email and getting Nick’s cartoon fix.

We have only one day left here in Chiang Mai, and I have to admit that after a few days here, it has definitely grown on us. While our initial impressions weren’t that favorable, it is much easier to see now why it gets such great reviews. We’re ready for a change of scenery, but some day I’m sure we’ll be back.