Taking it to Edge, and Jumping Right Off

« Return to Hong Kong & Macau

Damn it Hackett, I don’t know if I can hack it. The plan was to jump off the Macau Tower connected by wire, they call it a Decelerator here (or Skyjump), in New Zealand, they called it Base Jumping by Wire. I tried it in Auckland, and it was blast, the wire slows and steadies your descent so that you’re fully aware on the way down, slowing gently so that you land on your feet below. After playing around on the Skywalk, in which I circle the Tower’s rim by foot, I convince Julia that the Decelerator is no big deal, even if it is the world’s highest. But then Hackett has to go and introduce this bungee, and now, TV cameras and all, I have to do it, how could I not and call this Modern Gonzo? It’s about pushing yourself to do things you’re not sure you’re capable of - from hanggliding over Rio to eating bugs in a Thai market. To make matters worse, we head out to Macau and find the Macau Tower closed due to bad weather. Returning to Hong Kong for a few days, now I have to think about the jump, revisit the Skydeck where I saw exactly how high 233 meters is. Jetlag, booze and fear - I don’t sleep for days in the tiny white cupboard-sized hotel room at the perfectly named Fook King Mansions. Fook me. It’s a perfect day at the tower on our return, Julia does the Skyjump (she loves it), and I follow her just for kicks. I return up the world’s 10th tallest free-standing structure to turn it into my Gonzo playground. Anyone will tell you that it’s the waiting that kills you. Once you jump, it’s over. So let’s break the wall here, I’m being followed by TV a crew, and a TV crew needs angles and set-ups and that means I’m going to be standing on the platform, outside in the wind, for a half hour, legs tied up. The fear is kicking my kidneys, a large crowd of Chinese tourists have gathered to witness the spectacle. And then Sean needs a practice, a dummy hop to the edge, and a 3-2-1, before pulling back to set up another angle. Pure psychological torture. Knees are jelly, head is spinning. I know that I’ll be safe, shit this is a commercial jump after all, but there’s something else at play here, a force that has grabbed hold of every sensible cell in my body to squeeze the life out of it. I am choking, and then the wind plays up and I have to wait some more.

Macau looks beautiful, bigger than you’d imagine, the brand new MGM and Grand Lisboa casinos glittering in the sun. Although it is the world’s biggest gambling center, the tourism guys don’t want to talk too much about gambling (shh, no cameras on the casino floor please). With its rich history of sea trade and Portuguese heritage, it’s made up of two islands covering only 27 square kilometres, located 64km from Hong Kong. Large parts of the city have been declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, and it’s odd to be in China and see bilingual signposts of Chinese and Portuguese. The Grand Lisboa looks like something out of a Godzilla movie, a weird, distinctly Asian skyrise with a Power Ranger design that spectacularly lights up at night. Behind me is the new Venetian, which is the largest hotel in Asia and currently the second largest building in the world (although Dubai, Macau’s Middle-Eastern, less whorey cousin will no doubt challenge that shortly). Costing US$2.4 Billion, The Venetian is the brainchild of Vegas mogul Sheldon Adelson, and is designed to attract mainland Chinese with the biggest casino in the world. I got a tour and the design is all Vegas - full frontal assault of kitsch and painted pomp. The smallest hotel room at 700 square feet is decadent enough, the next room up is 1800 square feet. High rollers are comped 6000-8000 square feet rooms, which conjures up images of pure excess. Beyonce is playing in the arena tomorrow night and the Venetian’s 3000 rooms are all occupied. Later this month, the Venetian have an exhibition tennis match - World Number 1 Roger Federer vs retired great Pete Sampras. Money is no object. Julia and I get on a gondola, complete with a flaming gay Italian gondolier singing bad opera through his bad teeth. The frontage is all fake, fake, fake, but the Asian market is loving every plastic brick of it. Around us, the shopping mall is huge, getting huger, and the casino floor is simply enormous, mostly made up of baccarat tables, electronic roulette, blackjack and Caribbean poker tables. I ask about some Texas Hold ‘em and nobody knows what I’m talking about - for the world’s biggest casino not to offer the world’s most popular casino game, it’s a little disappointing. Plus it’s too pricey to play even the cheap tables, and while the casino accepts Hong Kong dollars, they pay out in Macau Dollars, which are only accepted in Macau and not in Hong Kong. Someone is making ridiculous money out of all of this. Eventually, Zach and I find a 5c digital slot and I win $80 Macau, about US$10, and raking in my huge take I leave the Venetian shaking my head at the latest example of our excess to entertain, gamble, and make money. $2.4 billion could have educated a lot of children, and fed a lot of hungry people.

Gonzo Gallery for Taking it to Edge, and Jumping Right Off

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