1 night of Samba dancing. Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Jumping Off a Cliff
My family always ask what I want come birthday and holiday time. I seem to say the same thing, experiences. I have what I want and don't need a darn thing. I want to experience the world, doing things I would never think of doing.
And today...I jumped off a cliff (thanks Dad for the birthday money...this is what it bought). A tandem hang-gliding flight. Now, let me just make this clear, I was absolutely terrified! There's nothing natural about running at break-neck speed off a cliff, hoping the wind is just right to catch your glide. All these reasons are exactly why I did it. I don't believe in living life in a boring fashion. Take risk, enjoy. Every once in a while a risk will bite you in the butt, but you bite back and move on.
My instructor, Marcelo, made me feel at ease, sort of. We did everything so fast (the single practice run) that he gave me no time to think, to sort out the insanity of the situation on my head. After our practice run, we got on the platform, assumed the position, and ran.
And there it was...the current that took us up, up, up. I flew like an eagle over Tujuca National park forest, with the beach and sea a few hundred meters below the forest floor. The view was amazing. We circled, catching a current of wind, that brought us closer to the clouds, closer to the top of the mountains. The forest was emerald green, the sea azure blue. In the distance was Ipanema and Copacabana, and then Corcavado and SugarLoaf.
Before I knew it, we caught a draft over the sea. And it was time to conduct our landing on Pepino Beach. Let's just say I'm not the most graceful lander of man-piloted aircraft...but we made it there with no broken bones, no broken equipment.
Of course, my instructor took multiple photos of the flight, but I opted to not purchase and instead keep the images in my head. They are mine. Not to share. The story will have to suffice to family and friends. Besides, this is not a story about captivating views or the beauty I saw. It's about taking a risk, doing something you would never do, experience the penultimate moment of freedom.
And today...I jumped off a cliff (thanks Dad for the birthday money...this is what it bought). A tandem hang-gliding flight. Now, let me just make this clear, I was absolutely terrified! There's nothing natural about running at break-neck speed off a cliff, hoping the wind is just right to catch your glide. All these reasons are exactly why I did it. I don't believe in living life in a boring fashion. Take risk, enjoy. Every once in a while a risk will bite you in the butt, but you bite back and move on.
My instructor, Marcelo, made me feel at ease, sort of. We did everything so fast (the single practice run) that he gave me no time to think, to sort out the insanity of the situation on my head. After our practice run, we got on the platform, assumed the position, and ran.
And there it was...the current that took us up, up, up. I flew like an eagle over Tujuca National park forest, with the beach and sea a few hundred meters below the forest floor. The view was amazing. We circled, catching a current of wind, that brought us closer to the clouds, closer to the top of the mountains. The forest was emerald green, the sea azure blue. In the distance was Ipanema and Copacabana, and then Corcavado and SugarLoaf.
Before I knew it, we caught a draft over the sea. And it was time to conduct our landing on Pepino Beach. Let's just say I'm not the most graceful lander of man-piloted aircraft...but we made it there with no broken bones, no broken equipment.
Of course, my instructor took multiple photos of the flight, but I opted to not purchase and instead keep the images in my head. They are mine. Not to share. The story will have to suffice to family and friends. Besides, this is not a story about captivating views or the beauty I saw. It's about taking a risk, doing something you would never do, experience the penultimate moment of freedom.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Rio de Janerio: On Holiday
So, here I am "relaxing" in Rio, on vacation. Sounds better than it actually is. The first day was nothing short of glorious. Beautiful weather, great surf, sand that slips through the cracks of your toes. I spent the better part of the day at the beach. Like usual, I fell asleep in the sun (with sunblock of course).
There must be something special about the sun here in Brazil, as I know look like a peppermint (more red than white, though). Strangely, I'm okay with this, as I have been born with skin that turns to tan rather quickly, and with minimal damage. People do look at me differently, with my racoon eyes (have they never seen an Americano before??). It's quite funny...and I'm sure friends and family will get a good laugh upon my return to the states.
Second day was unexpected. I went and toured a favala (slum). I visited the largest favela in the city with 250,000 inhabitants. There were things you'd expect to see. Deterioriating housing, extreme poverty by my standards, etc. However, I saw things I did not expect. Cable TV. Internet service. And lots of smiles. These people are extremely happy to live there, as they are not homeless. I thought I'd walk away with a new outlook on life...how fortunate and lucky I am to have been born in America. How lucky I am to be in the top 1% of wage earners in the world. Instead, I came back with a sense of no matter where you are, there is joy to found, friends to make, and making the best of what you have is the key to life.
I also spend much of day two working, "under a bus." That's all I'll say. Oh yeah, I also will be cutting my vacation short by 2 days, as work demands are overriding.
Day 3. Well, it hasn't gotten off to a good start. I was supposed to start a tour of colonial downtown at 9AM. It's now almost 11. 2 hours of my day wasted. They should be picking me up shortly, but still, 2 hours wasted.
Shortly after this tour ends, I will be jumping off a cliff (weather permitting, of course). I do not think that flying is any way natural for human beings...if it were, we'd all be coughing up feathers and pecking at our food. I'm deathly afraid of the para-gliding adventure, but cannot wait for the views from above. Rio is such a beautiful city...all humans should be required to come to see for themselves.
Later tonight...it's Samba dancing. That's right. A late night with a Samba school that participates in Carnival. I'll let you know how my new moves turn out, assuming, I don't fall asleep on the sequined clad men and women that will surround me.
There must be something special about the sun here in Brazil, as I know look like a peppermint (more red than white, though). Strangely, I'm okay with this, as I have been born with skin that turns to tan rather quickly, and with minimal damage. People do look at me differently, with my racoon eyes (have they never seen an Americano before??). It's quite funny...and I'm sure friends and family will get a good laugh upon my return to the states.
Second day was unexpected. I went and toured a favala (slum). I visited the largest favela in the city with 250,000 inhabitants. There were things you'd expect to see. Deterioriating housing, extreme poverty by my standards, etc. However, I saw things I did not expect. Cable TV. Internet service. And lots of smiles. These people are extremely happy to live there, as they are not homeless. I thought I'd walk away with a new outlook on life...how fortunate and lucky I am to have been born in America. How lucky I am to be in the top 1% of wage earners in the world. Instead, I came back with a sense of no matter where you are, there is joy to found, friends to make, and making the best of what you have is the key to life.
I also spend much of day two working, "under a bus." That's all I'll say. Oh yeah, I also will be cutting my vacation short by 2 days, as work demands are overriding.
Day 3. Well, it hasn't gotten off to a good start. I was supposed to start a tour of colonial downtown at 9AM. It's now almost 11. 2 hours of my day wasted. They should be picking me up shortly, but still, 2 hours wasted.
Shortly after this tour ends, I will be jumping off a cliff (weather permitting, of course). I do not think that flying is any way natural for human beings...if it were, we'd all be coughing up feathers and pecking at our food. I'm deathly afraid of the para-gliding adventure, but cannot wait for the views from above. Rio is such a beautiful city...all humans should be required to come to see for themselves.
Later tonight...it's Samba dancing. That's right. A late night with a Samba school that participates in Carnival. I'll let you know how my new moves turn out, assuming, I don't fall asleep on the sequined clad men and women that will surround me.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
3 AM; Sao Paulo, Brazil
Early morning on Nov 5th, I awoke in the middle of the night. Curious to see the voting results back home, I decided to tune into CNNInternational. And there was Barack Obama walking on stage to make his speech.
I will not get political here nor use this forum to spew my political views. I will say this, however. President Elect Obama's speech was nothing short of moving, nothing short of presidential.
It is rare to see a politician, a leader continuously and effectively use the power of the words "we" and "ours." These two simple words are what got him elected. Yes, there was a flawlessly ran campaigned, he understood the moment and needs of the country, and many other factors that contributed to his election. But these two words drove the American people to listen, to follow him.
I will not get political here nor use this forum to spew my political views. I will say this, however. President Elect Obama's speech was nothing short of moving, nothing short of presidential.
It is rare to see a politician, a leader continuously and effectively use the power of the words "we" and "ours." These two simple words are what got him elected. Yes, there was a flawlessly ran campaigned, he understood the moment and needs of the country, and many other factors that contributed to his election. But these two words drove the American people to listen, to follow him.
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