So it took a good hour to get up into the mountains and to get to the high cliff point country where you run off the side of a cliff to glide with a guide. It was a gorgeous setting as well as view. I was the second one in our group of 5 to go. We met some of their friends up there as well. I put on a sweatshirt since I was told it was cold since you go so high.
I paid the guy and he weighed me and all to get the right equipment etc. I was fine with everything at first until I was all strapped in and was told to run and keep running until I am told to sit (keep in mind this is all from a guy who barely speaks English and I am paragliding w/him 8000 feet in the air and dont know what he is saying... haha). I was slightly freaked out by this but figured it will all be okay and God has my back. :)
So off I went running until I couldn't physically run anymore due to the air grabbing the parachute so fast it almost pulled me backwards.
And we were off.
The first minute was me not sure what to do and the guide getting settled and his feet in the proper place which I still have no clue where and how that happened. Once he was settled it was smooth sailing. It was gorgeous and I was in heaven and took a few pictures.
Then the glider/parachute started moving up and down and back and forth slightly as the feel you get in a plane during turbulants. Oh, boy. I didn't want to stop and knew I was okay and would be fine. He kept asking, "are you ok?" and I would say "si" or "bien," until we had been airborne for about 10 minutes probably which seemed like an eternity. I was sweating hot. I felt all I could do was take deep breathes and not move, close my eyes, and pray I would not puke. I asked "can we go back." He knew I was not doing to well. He kept saying he couldn't get a good wind to get us high enough. He kept trying and all I wanted was to get down to the ground NOW. They told us that if they couldn't get us back up to the top of the mountain, that they would land below and take a taxi back up. Initially this was not a good idea for me, but at the point I got sick, I could have cared less if we landed in a lake or on top of a hotel below us cuz I just wanted down. I may have passed out even because it seemed like an eternity and I just hung my head with my eyes closed breathing deep. I could not wait to take off my sweatshirt that I should not have worn. If I didn't have that on, I probably would have been so much better but there was NO taking that off 8000 feet high strapped into a parachute.
So long story trying to make it short, we finally landed which seemed to me like an hour after take off but they told me it was only 20 minutes. We landed on our butts which I freaked out about thinking I was gonna break my tail bone, but that is normal and I had a cushioned padded seat so I barely felt it. I was just shocked for the first 5 seconds sitting in the grass of a field having all these cute little boys run up to us and help us undo the straps. The guide knew the boys and the boys knew exactly what to do with the straps and strings. They were so cute and helpful but I was in such a hurry to get off my sweatshirt w/o puking that I ripped myself out of those straps as fast as possible moving my head as little as possible. I tried to stand up and could barely do so, so remained sitting and wiping the dripping sweat off of my forehead and under my eyes. I seriously never knew I could sweat that bad under my eyes. I may have passed out for a minute in the sky or something... haha!
As I sat there, I hoped I didn't have to get in a car right away. The last thing I wanted and needed was to zip around corners of a mountain after my experience. I was tempted to just say leave me here and I will figure out how to get back later, but I had no money or ID so that was not an option. The guide was super nice and kept checking on me but we had little communication of course. The kids were trying to talk w/me and I was explaining in Spanish that I don't know or understand or speak much Spanish. They kept insisting to talk but I had no clue what they were asking me. It was sooo cute. They started doing flips and cart wheels for me and they loved when I said "bien" and they wanted to do it more.
So, after a good 15 minutes they boys and guide stuffed the equipment into the little yellow taxi. I got in the back. I was feeling better but still a little queezy. Luckily on our way down a path of some sort which we could have fell in the cracks of this unfinished road many times (no clue how they effectively drive on some of the things they do), we stopped to wait for another jumper who landed by us. They all piled in the small little taxi. Myself and 2 others in the back and 2 in the front including the driver. I was the only non spanish speaking person in the taxi and did not know one of them. I only knew my guide for maybe an hour max at this point.
We began to drive up the mountain back to the starting point. I have to say that the drive and listening to them talk and laugh and not having a clue what they were talking about had to be the highlight of the day. The country was gorgeous. The roads were hellaciously steep, but the driver was great and knew what he was doing and didn't scare me at all - even while he was zipping around the curbs like a bat out of hell in his little yellow taxi speeding race car... haha!
It is different than in the US. It had onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc inside and a great flavor. I was feeling like normal by this point and like a new person compared to how I felt an hour prior.
By 3pm or so, we headed off down the mountain to have lunch in the city on the "rich side" of Medellin. We had lunch at a place called Racheritos. I was not hungry but had to try something new so chose a dish called cazuela. It was a bowl filled with beans, chicharron, plantain, avacado, and potato straws on top. We split a beer called Triada which was basically OJ, Orange peel, beer, and rum. Definitely different. After I was unable to eat even half of my meal and everyone else was done later, they wanted dessert. How can I say no to that, no matter how full I am? Trying new foods as well. So we split 2 desserts for the 5 of us - one oblea and one waffle dessert. Since I needed pesos, I decided to pay for the bill using my credit card and in exchange the others paid me their pesos.
We said our good byes and headed back to Alejandra's to rest and get ready to meet her family for a dinner party. As we arrived back at her place we discussed how we were so tired and full that we did not want to attend for dinner but would like to stop in and say hello so I can meet her family prior to me leaving. So we relaxed for an hour or so, then got ready and cleaned up then headed out to meet them at a lounge/bar/restaurant by the park by Alejandra's.
We met up with them at a very trendy classy music playing place that was outdoors and gorgeous. I met everyone and it happened to be a relatives birthday. They ordered a few bottles for shots and too sip on and insisted I join. Drinking much was the last thing I felt like doing but did decide to try 1 of each shot. 1 was similar to a licorice which I did not care for and the other was whisky which I surprisingly liked. We sat around and had a few drinks/shots and talked (but I listened to them talk pretty much). It was a great evening that lasted an hour or so. We then headed home and went to bed since we had to wake up early in the AM to catch the bus to Cali.
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