Flying High in Iquique, Chile

Today, I took to the friendly skies not once but twice. The first flight took me soaring precariously under 10 thin strings and the second crammed me into coach for 10 hours with a snarly attendant. I definitely preferred the first.

The friendly boys at the Altazor Flight Park in the Atacama Desert picked us up (all 4 brave souls) at the hotel this morning. I thought I would be extreme hand-gliding but the boys quickly corrected me. "No, it's paragliding, a much safer sport." I breathed a sigh of relief.

With help suiting up, I strapped my video camera to my shoulder and around the harness. There was no way I was jumping off that cliff into a blurry abyss without capturing an exclusive. This adventure needed documenting, if not for my avid fan club (thank you my loyal readers) but in case something went terribly awry there would be a black box recording for the authorities.

Mario and Nick ran effortlessly into the wind, taking flight like soaring eagles. It gave the rest of us hope. Unfortunately, Max wasn't so lucky. Being the most nervous, he suffered 3 false starts, the last one nearly tossing him into the emergency fence. Poor guy was troubled but vigilant. Finally, a giant gust lifted his parasail high into the air and away he went.

My turn came last. I wasn't nervous because I was in 'the zone', meaning that I was too busy concentrating on my shooting to remember my safety. "Run, run, run!" called out my tandem guide. We jettisoned forward with all our might and then a strong blast of wind lifted us swiftly into the air. My guide instructed me to sit down. I shifted uneasily into position while one eye stayed glued through the viewfinder.



The scene was breathtaking. It was surreal. The early morning fog was lifting and I could make out the ram-shackled city of Iquique, the endless blue Pacific and the undulating hills of the desert. The wind stayed strong and we found a few warm thermals to carry us into the clouds where the birds squatted. We did loops and spins to bump up the thrill factor. Mario, Nick and me circled each other waving in delight.

As usual, I fought the reality that the ride would soon be over. Before I was ready to land I saw the long lonely beach below me with Max already there waving me in. Down, down we glided, landing softer than a feather on a pillow. What a fabulous way to wrap up a trip to Chile.