Paragliding Taiwan Summer 2013 PingTung

I forgot to mention, a while back, Daisy and I had the opportunity to go paragliding.  We knew a Latvian guy a little older than I who got most of his paragliding experience in Nepal.  He offered to take us out paragliding for a day down in beautiful Ping Tung in Southern Taiwan.  So we got up early, rented scooters with a couple of our friends and jumped on the bikes for the next couple of hours.

Daisy gearing up and getting her pre-flight
safety briefing.

When we arrived, our friend and one of his buddies had been gliding all morning so they knew the conditions were ripe for a fantastic day soaring over the coastline.  We met them on the beach and with a quick acknowledgment, they jumped in their van and took off up to the mountain.  What followed was pure bliss.

Now many may consider paragliding to be an extreme sport.  But as we casually drifted through the taiwan sky, riding the updrafts and flowing out of one turn into the next, I couldn't help but think otherwise.  I have little doubt that when the winds pick up, our gentle gliding could turn into a chaotic maelstrom, but this day no such disaster ever came about.  It was quite relaxing actually.  As a passenger of course, your only experience is that of floating through the sky gently riding the breeze.  You dip and climb, bank and accelerate, all the while calmly taking in the awe-inspiring scenery all around you.  No, this wasn't an adrenaline-soaked maniacal sport, it was pure enjoyment, as could be scene from the never-ending smile upon my face during the entire flight.

Waiting for wind

As I was receiving a lesson in meteorology, during my flight, I couldn't help but reflect on all the cool things I've gotten to do in the past and be grateful for them.  I would certainly recommend paragliding to anyone whose never tried it.  On a calm day, there's nothing to fear.  No stress.  Just run, jump, and float -quite different from my turbulent but amazing hang gliding experience over the Appalachian Mountains a few years ago. A good friend of mine told me a while ago after we got back from Afghanistan that "Sometimes life is just like that.  Sometimes you have to just take a deep breath and jump."  So get out there and jump!


Paraglide Taiwan has a Youtube channel and Facebook page.  You can find other videos on his Youtube channel here.

My flight!