MY PARAGLIDING ADVENTURE!

Place: Langkawi island, Malaysia.

The last day of our honeymoon trip. My husband had been enquiring about paragliding for sometime and then we found a tamil restuarant guy who asked us to go to Cenang beach. We went there and found 3 fishermen who offered to take us for the sport ride.

Now I was reluctant! Not that I hadn’t been in fun rides at theme parks.. But of late, I’d been panicky even if the car or bus speeds down a slope. Now we’re talking about going on a parachute, several feet above the ground!! Its natural to be nervous. On the other hand I wanted to be a sport and did not want to render myself as a delicate darling!

Fortunately (or unfortunately!), we found that we were short of Ringgits (Malaysian currency) to pay for the ride. My husband was upset and I was relieved. There was enough for one, so I insisted him to go alone. He refused and tried convincing the fishermen to accept Indian rupees, they could exchange it later. However, they refused. As we were just about to turn back, they spoke among themselves in Malay and suddenly seemed to have changed their minds-they agreed to take both of us. They brought a motor boat and asked us to get in. While we were wondering why we had to get into a boat, they explained that paragliding takes place at a different part of the island and that’s why the boat. So we got in.

Well, thanks to all the movies and the news channel flashes I watched all these years, I thought we were going to be robbed and thrown into the sea!!!! Come on, that’s what they must’ve discussed in Malay!! Should we put up a fight??? We’ve been married for a week and are going to be thrown in the sea already??? Why didn’t I learn karate after school hours instead of whiling away all the time chatting??? In fact, I was looking around the boat to see if there is some object I could use!

Before I could let my imaginations run further, the speeding boat landed at an island. Wow! We aren’t going to be thrown into the sea after all! There were lots of tourists, a few ready to go on the ride, a few landing and the others just watching. Those on the ride seemed to be having so much fun, but I was still nervous.

Now expect the unexpected! I was busy putting on my safety belt, totally oblivious to the “Down” alert which the instructors were shouting. A paraglider landed in full speed, its rope cutting right across my cheek, narrowly missing my eye. I tried pulling it away, injuring my fingers too in the process. Maybe I was being warned!! Maybe the Gods were asking me to stop!!!! But I still dared to go.

Summing up all courage, I told the instructor that I was ready! Up went my paraglider, opening up in air. My nervousness was suddenly gone. Flying in midair right above the sea, I was not a bit scared. The panicky feeling I had when my car or bus sped-it wasn’t there! It was so cool. The surrounding was perfect. Strong winds, blue sea below (yeah their sea is actually blue!) and the sunset (it was around 7.30, they have a late sunset.) I just didn’t want it to end. It was the best ride ever. And the landing was so smooth too. I wasn’t even bothered that I was bleeding. The ride compensated it all!

The motor boat then took us back to Cenang beach. It turned out that the fishermen were not evil after all!! In fact, they were sweet enough to take my husband to the nearest exchange center, get the money and drop him back. Well don’t blame me, blame my genes-we Indians are taught never to trust strangers, aren’t we?

PS: The picture was shot by me, when my husband went paragliding.