Part-time paraglider, full time adrenaline junkie: I tried two adventure sports in a year |
Posted: November 15, 2019 |
When I was growing up, till about the age of 14, I was scared of everything. My mom tells me I used to avoid going out to play, and that I used to scream and cry if a cat came near me. Then for some reason a switch went off, and I began to get more confident. I honestly don’t know what happened, but suddenly I was trying out the biggest roller coaster at the amusement parks, or diving into the deep end of the swimming pool. After that, I’ve just been trying out one adventure after another.
This year, in addition to 3 treks in the Himalayas, white water rafting in Kolad near Pune, and motorbiking to Goa, I’ve added two new sports that I hadn’t tried before. In case you’re wondering – I save up my own money and plan my leave very carefully. I’ve never tried paragliding in India so I thought I’d start with that.
Going paragliding in India I drove down with some friends from Pune to the pick-up point for paragliding. We’d each eaten fried eggs and toast in the morning, but we were so hungry by the time we reached, so it was lucky that the meeting point was a restaurant. After fresh poha and two cups of hot tea, I felt ready for the day.
A jeep came to pick us up and took us to the main cliff area where the flights were taking off. We could already see red, yellow and green gliders in the sky, and I was super excited to think that I’d be up there soon.
The instructor gave us very clear instructions and then strapped us up. I wanted to participate in the take-off and my instructor said to wait for his go-ahead. When he gave the signal, I ran as fast as my legs could take me, and then suddenly my feet were just moving in the air as we lifted off.
From behind me I heard the shriek of another tandem paraglider who had taken off! It was super fun. I was laughing and singing songs, and we climbed really high. I was literally walking on sunshine!
Going rock climbing in Manali
Like paragliding, I was looking to do an individual sport where it was just me or one more team member, so that I could focus on feeling and doing the adventure. I stumbled upon a 5-day, all-inclusive rock climbing course in Manali and decided this is for me. On the first day, we learned all about the gear, knots, technique and balance. The next day was a demonstration on bouldering, rock climbing, and rappelling. After more theory on hold, rock formation, I was wondering if I should have chosen to do something else, but then we got to practice bouldering.
The next few days were spent in perfecting technique and climbing higher. On the final day we all took turns to scale a mountain wall. People were waiting on the elevation and you had to pass the test to ascend to their mysterious party. I volunteered to go first. Step by step, grip after grip and hang, I was discovering muscle groups I didn’t know I had. It was like a slow dance. But as the distance between me and the ground grew, I felt more focused and energised to push through. One last push from my toes and calves and I propelled myself to the top. I looked back down and realised how far I had come.
Now after writing this and reliving my adventures, I want to try something else. I wonder what I should do next.
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