Tuesday 19 June 2007

Handgliding with a hangover.

Hi there sports fans.
I haven't made it to BA yet, for reasons mainly related to booze and hassle booking flights I have spent the last few days in Rio, but oh how it has been worth it. 1stly, I don't have to do 2 days on a bus, I can fly half way to the Falls for roughly the same price and get the bus to BA from there and save about a day (and get to see a shite load of running water - yippee!!).
2ndly I was part of the Mellow Yellow pub quiz champions, yes we won a T-shirt and found out that Elvis´s middle name was Aaron.
3rdly I got to go handgliding, I tried last time I was here but weather and hangovers got in the way.
This time I managed to get it in, it was fantastic, scary as fuck but fantastic.
I was driven up into the mountains about 520m above sea level, told I needed to sign the usual if you die you cant sue disclaimer (which had me listed as a trainee pilot - how cool) and watch a safety video.
Got to the cliff top, some guy was making me get into a body suit and whacked a helmet on my head and strapped me onto the glider, my response was ´err don't I need to watch a video?!´. No, apparently not, so just run with the pilot off the edge of that cliff, 3, 2, 1 RUN!!
And that was that, no time to chicken out, say a quick pray, nadda, the dude that flew me (I shall call him buck rogers as I cant remember his name) later said the clouds were coming in hence the no time to watch it, flying by the seat of my pants quite literally.
After around ten minutes of my hand death griping this poor Bucks shoulder (how his going to explain nail marks on his back to the wife I don't know), I had to be told how to land,
Landed on the beach, Training complete.
How great is my life right now? ;)
Over and out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha, bet that was fun, did you use your spare pants!

M said...

See things never change with our good old stace. Still managing to get the drinking in then. We got your post card will email you. Let us know when you get to BA (as you put it) by bus, donkey, old smelly Yak or what ever other cheap skate why you manage it (tight arse).

stay safe and keep in touch

M XXX