july 9th: paragliding and canoeing

paragliding off a 5,000 foot mountain

Today I faced my fear of heights and paraglided off a mountain in Pohkara. We took a taxi to 360 Paragliding, then took their van to the top of the mountain. 

While I got into the van, I met a guy from California that had been paragliding for a few years. We had a good conversation while riding up. He was telling me that he freelances his photography and film skills to companies looking to promote their businesses. His project in Nepal consisted of trekking in the Annapurna mountain range. He ended up inviting Sujan and I out for drinks that night. More on him later in the post.

Once we got the top, we grabbed the gear and buddied up with an instructor. I was paired with a guy from Venezuela. He started explaining what to do once we were strapped in and ready to go. 

The instructor got the chute up in the air. He yelled at me to walk, then run as fast as I could off the cliff. We shot into the sky! We made our way off the mountain into the air.

The view from Pohkara from the mountain we jumped off.

The tandem paragliders ahead of us getting ready to head out.

Below is a video of the craziest part of the ride. Excuse my swearing. I was a bit scared...

My landing wasn't the most graceful thing in the world. I was supposed to land on my feet, but couldn't keep my balance. 

We got back to the hotel and rested for an hour. The paragliding took a lot of out me. What an amazing experience overall. I was blown away by how wonderful the views were as well as the instructors skills. I'd definitely do it again!

Sujan and I headed out to the lake after resting. We rented a boat from a local woman who then rowed us around. 

A breathtaking view with the monsoon clouds rolling in

The monsoon clouds creeping upon us after canoeing

After the clouds passed a bit, the sun a came out. What a site.

Sujan and I met up with the guy from the mountain. Cody Tuttle, a professional photographer and film maker in Nepal/California, met us at a vegan restaurant with his wife. I ate a sampler platter of Mediterranean dips. We all talked about paragliding, the art of photography and film making. Cody is a really interesting guy. I'm hoping to stay in touch to possibly intern for him. I'd love to learn more about his trade. To check out his work, go to codytuttle.com.