Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A little more about Zorbing, considering that my yet still technically single sister wishes to know more about it and that I had a nap till 12 midnight tonight and as such will be sleeping any time soon, so i figured i should update this blog abit.
Zorbing basically is a recreational activity which involves stuffing a person into a giant plastic ball (a Zorb), not unlike a bubble and rolling it down a slope. Typically the entire experience lasts less than a minute though the adrenaline rush tends linger abit longer.
A majority of people will choose from 2 forms of Zorbing; wet and dry.
The wet version involves filling the Zorb with water (slightly less than half full) and having you splash down the slope with it. From my experience it is relatively difficult to stand up during the descent, you generally tumble down the slope with the water. Note that due your weight you don’t actually go head over heels but just have the ball move around you, sort of like a spherical slide. It is considered a mild form of Zorbing and generally for people who don’t like too much spinning. This version usually involves a challenge; if you can remain standing at the end of the slope, you get another go at it. While from my experience the challenge is relatively impossible to succeed in. The people in the Zorb park assure me that it is possible, just takes practice (which basically just means more $$$).
The dry version involves strapping you down in a harness and letting you down the slope. Considerably more exhilarating than the wet version, the dry version allows you to go head over heads and at different angles. It is with this version that a number of stunts can be executed albeit with the help of some friends. Making it just as fun for them as it is for you. Well sort of.
Typically you have friends lie across the grassy slope and have the Zorb run over them. Reminiscent of Chouji attacking in Naruto. The person in the Zorb merely feels a couple of bumps on the way down.
A more extreme version of this ‘Zorb bowling’ involves human pins and as you can guess a Zorb bowling ball. I personally have never tried it but i hear that being run down by a Zorb (not necessarily hitting you head on) can be quite an unpleasant experience. Another antic that you can attempt is angling your legs up such that it forms a ramp for the Zorb to fly off from. So far i hear the record height is about 6ft. Heaven knows how high that is (SOME people really should convert to the metric system). This last method is abit precarious; one of the attendants injured his leg whilst attempting a new record. Note that these stunts are usually not offered in the ‘official Zorb’ experience. I was fortunate enough to have the boss out for lunch that day as well as a fun-loving attendant.
There is theoretically a third version, a kinjutsu; the wet harness version. The zorb is filled with some water and you are strapped down. It is considered the most extreme of all the versions and the attendants liken the experience to being in a washing machine, only slightly more uncomfortable. According to the boss you just end up a ball of wet sloshing confusion, fighting for breath and having water up your nose, though personally i suspect that she just didn’t want to go through the hassle of drying the harness.
I have videos for you lot when I get back to Sg.
On a personal note the next week’s going to be a tough one for me. I have 2 mid semesters scheduled, 1 practical lab report due as well as 1 instrument essay due. Sigh.... If only I had taken another set of course that didn’t clash so sadistically.
That is all.
Jon.P™
P.S I consider myself abit of a chef now. I can whip up a Tandoori Maryland chicken with bryani rice AND curry with just a 5 dollar bill and 3 fifty cent coins.
No really. I made laksa the other day. Not those instant crappy prima ones. But with prawn paste, coconut milk, fish cake, siew bah and it only took me 1 and half hrs.
Zorbing basically is a recreational activity which involves stuffing a person into a giant plastic ball (a Zorb), not unlike a bubble and rolling it down a slope. Typically the entire experience lasts less than a minute though the adrenaline rush tends linger abit longer.
A majority of people will choose from 2 forms of Zorbing; wet and dry.
The wet version involves filling the Zorb with water (slightly less than half full) and having you splash down the slope with it. From my experience it is relatively difficult to stand up during the descent, you generally tumble down the slope with the water. Note that due your weight you don’t actually go head over heels but just have the ball move around you, sort of like a spherical slide. It is considered a mild form of Zorbing and generally for people who don’t like too much spinning. This version usually involves a challenge; if you can remain standing at the end of the slope, you get another go at it. While from my experience the challenge is relatively impossible to succeed in. The people in the Zorb park assure me that it is possible, just takes practice (which basically just means more $$$).
The dry version involves strapping you down in a harness and letting you down the slope. Considerably more exhilarating than the wet version, the dry version allows you to go head over heads and at different angles. It is with this version that a number of stunts can be executed albeit with the help of some friends. Making it just as fun for them as it is for you. Well sort of.
Typically you have friends lie across the grassy slope and have the Zorb run over them. Reminiscent of Chouji attacking in Naruto. The person in the Zorb merely feels a couple of bumps on the way down.
A more extreme version of this ‘Zorb bowling’ involves human pins and as you can guess a Zorb bowling ball. I personally have never tried it but i hear that being run down by a Zorb (not necessarily hitting you head on) can be quite an unpleasant experience. Another antic that you can attempt is angling your legs up such that it forms a ramp for the Zorb to fly off from. So far i hear the record height is about 6ft. Heaven knows how high that is (SOME people really should convert to the metric system). This last method is abit precarious; one of the attendants injured his leg whilst attempting a new record. Note that these stunts are usually not offered in the ‘official Zorb’ experience. I was fortunate enough to have the boss out for lunch that day as well as a fun-loving attendant.
There is theoretically a third version, a kinjutsu; the wet harness version. The zorb is filled with some water and you are strapped down. It is considered the most extreme of all the versions and the attendants liken the experience to being in a washing machine, only slightly more uncomfortable. According to the boss you just end up a ball of wet sloshing confusion, fighting for breath and having water up your nose, though personally i suspect that she just didn’t want to go through the hassle of drying the harness.
I have videos for you lot when I get back to Sg.
On a personal note the next week’s going to be a tough one for me. I have 2 mid semesters scheduled, 1 practical lab report due as well as 1 instrument essay due. Sigh.... If only I had taken another set of course that didn’t clash so sadistically.
That is all.
Jon.P™
P.S I consider myself abit of a chef now. I can whip up a Tandoori Maryland chicken with bryani rice AND curry with just a 5 dollar bill and 3 fifty cent coins.
No really. I made laksa the other day. Not those instant crappy prima ones. But with prawn paste, coconut milk, fish cake, siew bah and it only took me 1 and half hrs.
