Paragliding

Finally today the weather was nice enough that  we got not only a little sun, we also got to go paragliding; perhaps one of the most iconic extreme sports of Merida (there are pictures of paragliders on the garbage trucks and some city signs). We spent a half hour driving up a steep and dangerous mountain road, till we got to the top. 

Some of the pilots were already in the sky, others were assigned to us and we got hooked up. Basically what happened was we took off running towards the edge, the kite picked up the wind and at the edge of the cliff we sat backwards and flew upwards.

Maybe its hard to tell, but I am flying there. He swooped in on the ground several times.

That would be the cliff we had to run off of. There's the people waiting for their turn.

My pilot and his hands moving the kite.

I did get a little sick and utilize the vomit bag... It took about 30 minutes to descend and when we finally landed it was suddenly so hot on the ground, unlike up in the wind. It only cost about $50 at the nonlegal exchange rate, which is a STEAL for that much time in the air anywhere else in the world. Also, in Venezuela, you don't sign waivers or anything for this sort of stuff... you just... jump off a cliff and do it.

Settling my stomach down an hour later.