Eenie, meanie, minie, mo. Which adventure sport shall we do? Seeing how San Gil was the self proclaimed adventure capital of Columbia we felt obligated to sample some of the offerings. I have never been a fan of river rafting, and abseiling didn't seem too unique for us as it was essentially rappelling (something we do often on our own at home) but soaring over the countryside attached by a few strings to big sail - now that would be a new adventure. Parapenting is what they call it here. I think we call it paragliding and we signed up for a short tandem ride over the tobacco and coffee fields near the town of Curiti with views of canon de Chicamocha out across the valley. We were 4 strong, plus our 2 pilots and another assistant. Without much conversation we all jumped into the shuttle van and headed for the hills.
A short walk to the top of the hill and they started pulling out the sails (if that is what you call them.). Amazingly, although the hill wasn't really that high, the wind was blowing. Until now there had been no discussion of what to expect. The pilots just went about setting up and getting ready to fly. John or I had never parapented before so the lack of info was a bit concerning. I was thankful they took the other 2 guys first.
But before I knew it they were calling both John and I over to be strapped in. You stepped into a harness that they connected to the pilot and you sat back, lifted your feet up (I felt like a baby in one of those bouncing chairs that hang from the doorway) and the wind caught the sail and you were off. It happened that fast, no positioning, no running off the cliff, just sit back and the wind did the rest. Instantly you were soaring with the birds, rising, falling, and turning with the updrafts. The area had a lot of wind activity so we didn't need to go far - in fact you land exactly where you take off from. My pilot had 10 years of experience, spoke decent English, and had a new baby at home - something I was pleased to hear as I thought that might mean that he wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. He wants to see his child grow up - right?
But it was far from a tame ride. In fact we started by turning right, then left, big smooth arcing turns which grew in intensity as they narrowed in diameter. Then we would suddenly drop - and then float back up. We talked a bit about Colombia, his family, my trip but mainly I just sat back admiring the view and enjoying the ride.
Then he started a small corkscrew maneuver. Since I didn't complain he stepped on the gas and we did a major corkscrew at amazing speed dropping serious altitude. My stomach was in my throat - as I am prone to motion sickness I had to close my eyes for a minute as the trees were quickly approaching and blurring into a green mush. And just as quickly we floated back up. Amazing!
John had seen the whole thing from his vantage point across the sky. As we were both in the air at the same time he tried to video my ride while I tried to get some photos of him.
The ride was about 25 minutes which at first had seemed like it would be too short but it was just right. I landed with ease right where we started. John's pilot was a little less experienced and didn't do as many maneuvers. He also had a little hiccup in the landing - I think he might have "lost" the wind. But it was only a minor issue and they landed a little down the hill from the mark.
Without much further discussion, the pilots packed up and we walked down past the drying tobacco to the van. After a celebratory drink it was back to town.
What a great experience - soaring like a bird! Now when I see hawks catching the updrafts and soaring in the wind it will remind me of San Gil, Colombia and my first parapenting flight!
