Late June 2001

WHAT MANDI IS DOING WHEN SHE ISN'T DANCING.

A whole lot can happen in five days.

I left Zurich early Monday morning for Geneva which was a very cool city. It was wonderful to speak French; there was a very French feeling to the city.
Everywhere you turn there is a bakery or a confiserie or chocolatier. I haven't had a Mille Feuille that good since Paris. And there were lots of young lovers kissing on the streets and in the parks.

The next morning, Tuesday, I packed up early and headed for Montreux which is along the Swiss Riviera. I walked along the Waterside to the Chateau Chillon, a beautiful old old castle.

That afternoon I hopped on the scenic train ride to Gruyere, a beautiful little cheese making town in the mountains. I toured the town, which is pedestrian only, visited the dairy had some wonderful cheese samples.

Then I proceeded to Interlaken, my favourite town. I met three really nice American guys who had also just met and the three of us, when we were accosted by a dude from the Funny Farm where we stayed that night Herrang style (10 person conference room with mattresses on the floor). Every night is a ridiculous party in Interlaken. Those crazy Aussies and Kiwis know how to
have a good time. There was a big fire out back and downstairs there was a club with a Russian 60's coverband playing followed by a pretty good Reggae
band. Very cool.

The next morning I went paragliding at nine am. It was wonderful. We drove up to a high mountain slope where we set ourselves up. Once up there we glided around the mountain tops and over the town for a good twenty minutes. We had really good wind and it was absolutely stunning.

At noon I met up with Tim who came in from Zurich to go bungee jumping with me. They drove the group of us to the site, a narrow rock canyon with a harsh white water river running below alongside the landing site where we were
lowered afterwards. From the top the 80 metre drop could not possibly have looked more scary.

They geared me up into the harness and my fear changed to excitement when I got onto the platform, next in waiting on deck. I was actually tap dancing up there! What a strange moment. Once I got the edge I apparently shot off like a rocket.

Freeze frame. Me standing at the edge feeling like the bungee master was pushing me forward when really it was the pull of the chord at my ankles. Having to look down briefly to make sure that I was standing with my toes off the edge, brief glimpse of the 80 metres below me.

Freeze frame. Looking straight out in front at me at the opposite cliff face.

Freeze frame. The realization that I was in the air, touching nothing at all, that I had just jumped, that I was plummeting towards the bottom of the canyon. It
was an out of body experience.

Freeze Frame. Feeling the the chord pull at my ankles, slightly tangled at first but then fine. Looking at my feet and then at the huge amount of rock swirling
around me.

Freeze frame. Swinging down, surrounded by rock and then rushing river and releasing the huge cry of utter ecstasy, a reaction to the most incredible exprience of my life.

There is nothing that you can do after something like that. Almost nothing. What else could we do? The next day we jumped again. This time, the big one.

It was the first time of the season opening the Stockhorn jump. This is a special jump. Only ten people at a time and never often, even in the good weather. For this jump we took a gondola (cable car) up the mountains to a huge gorge with a lake down below. It was a sunset setting and just breathtaking. They then take you up a second gondola, 121 metres over the lake. The gondola from where we were jumping is very small so they can only take five people in it at a time.

I asked for some brief instruction on the jumping technique, waved out the door to Tim which was ridiculous cause he was so far away I couldn't even see him, set a hand on each side of the door, looked out in front of me, leaned back down and launched myself out of the swinging cable car. It was a smooth long dive, much longer than the one yesterday. I felt like one of those divers who jump off high mountain cliffs. Then I felt the pull at my ankles and the bit of a pull on my neck too and there I was hanging with the row boat still very far below me and a beautiful mountain range and grassy green surrounding floating somewhere below my head. I floated there for a while before ending up in the rowboat. All in all it was a more peaceful, mellow jump then the day before.

I've conquered the Interlaken bungee jumps. Well, maybe not conquered but I did it and I'm proud of myself.

So I sadly did leave Interlaken and am now back in Zurich where the big festival starts tomorrow. I'm very excited though still intrigued by the prospect of
getting to return to Interlaken in order to teach Lindy Hop. You never know.

Love to everybody and peace on Earth. I'm high as a kite.

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Rhythm Hotshots did a two hour performance which was TERRIFIC. And among the first-time-crazy-things that Mandi has done in the past week or so she can now add to the list dancing on stage with the Rhythm Hotshots.
Part of the show involved having a dance couple (me and Brien) bust out on stage and start social dancing until a cop (Frida) kicks us off to return to the
show. Very funny. All caught on video along with lots of other illegal video footage, performance and social dancing... Steven Mitchell is in the house.

Last night was magical. Imagine this. Zurich Hauptbahnhoff Central Train Station transformed into a concert theatre. Free show of none other than the Count Basie Orchestra and George Gee with performances by the Rhythm Hotshots, Chazz Young and Angela Andrews. It was unbelievable.

The first set with the Count Basie Orchestra a few of us were able to get right up to the very front of the stage. WOW. The station was full to the brim. It was like a
rock concert. Second set four leads and another follower and myself were able to square off a small amount of space for a mini continuous jam, still nice
and close to the front. Melissa and Chance from San Diego, Tony from the San Diego/San Fran area, and Ben and Brien from Seattle. We danced that way, leaders continuously stealing Melissa and I, right there with the full on swing of the orchestra right there for us.

Later we had the wonderful dance performances of the Rhythm Hotshots including new members Frida and Zackarias who fit in so well with the group, those 18-year-olds were born to be Rhythm Hotshots. Awesome tap
too and a fabulous DISCO number with Asa, Mattias and Eva. Then George Gee played for us right through until 5am. Wowee!

Wishing everyone in Toronto well.

Rock steady,

Mandi