There are many answers to the first question, ranging trom simply "Wow!!' to "Forty-six and still doing stupid things"

Bungee Down Under advertises the activity as the ultimate adrenalin experience, but they have also seen people overcome their fear of heights and face up to their fear of life. "It can be a -changing experience," said Alan. "People think if can do that, I can do anything. One Japanese girl told that whenever she jumps she puts her problems on the top of her head and lets them fall off as she dives."

At Ayia Napa, age is no limit. The oldest's jumper so far is a 77-year-old Cypriot. In Australia a man aged 82 holds the record but the US claims the world's oldest bungee jumper who dived off at the age of 100! At the other end of the scale age is not really a factor since minimum weight requirements generally mean that children around 12 or 13 and over can jump.

Bungee jumping is now a worldwide sport. The first jump sites outside New Zealand were on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, at the end of the 1980s. Within a few years the operators took their equipment to other countries such as France, Dubai, Cyprus, Japan, Singapore and the United States. The main bungee centre is still Australia, where Bungee Down Under operates year-round.

Jumping from a special cage plafform over the sea is what it's all about in Cyprus. Elsewhere, jump sites include railway bridges, helicopter jumps of 1,000 feet, buildings, snow lifts and specially built towers.

Interested? Don't ask me for a recommendation -- I only write the words...