Three years after Della opened its doors to the adventurous, it has introduced, some newer thrills. Dhiman Chattopadhyay learns to fly, screams in fear, rappels down a hill and even milks a cow on a visit
When was the last time you flew through the air, holding onto nothing but a string, spent a few minutes hanging upside down in mid air and to finally cool off, rappelled down a hill or learnt how to milk a cow? If you haven’t done it so far, you ain’t seen anything yet.
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We’d heard about Della Adventure Resort’s new scary rides and the over 100 adventure experiences it offered visitors. So when a few New Zealanders came down to set up India’s highest bungee jumping set and the giant Swoop machines at this sprawling resort near Lonavla, we figured it was time to test if we had it in us to be an adventure junkie.
Ticket to ride
Things began pretty well. First up, we learnt how to drive a complex-looking three-wheeler across a mud and dirt track that sloped up and down all the way. Keeping the mean machine from toppling wasn’t easy but we managed. After all, we drive on Mumbai’s pothole-riddled roads everyday.
Whiz through the air
The Flying Fox was a tough one. Harnessed to a rope 50-feet up in the air and hanging on to a thin cord, we were let loose and went whizzing through the air at great speed for 400 metres to the other side, all the while praying the rope wouldn’t snap. The instructors simply laughed.
The Swoop
I backed out when it came to the next ride -- the brand new Swoop where one is securely tied inside a sack, handed a safety catch, hauled up several feet up in the air and swing through the air for a full three minutes! My friend proved to be the braver one too and went through the three minute adrenaline rush. She cameu00a0down to earth to proclaim it was “absolutely thrilling”.
Scre-eam
We’ll be honest here. We chickened out of Della’s most hyped, newest and most dangerous ride -- the Bungee. One of the few bungee jumps in the world that rises so high, this one takes bravehearts up 45 metres before dropping them headfirst (with one leg tied to the rope) for a free fall. Our friend who volunteered screamed his lungs out when he went through the free fall for about 20 metres before the rope tugged him back upside down and finally brought him down.
Moo!
A personal highlight for me was learning how to milk a cow -- no easy job. Ganga, the trusted milkman, showed me exactly how to use the thumb and index finger to squeeze a glass of pure milk. Wow! I am skilled for an alternate profession now.u00a0