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.