When Frank got up at 1PM we had lunch and walked down the hill to the Tibetan colony to pick up supplies and inquire about paragliding. Unfortunately there's a ban on gliding for the week because of the cricket match in Dharamsala as they are worried that someone could sail in and drop a bomb on it from the air. I was told that people were going up after 5PM when the police quit guarding the road for the day but we didn't think of making tentative arrangements for that evening.
I spent most of the day playing around on my computer, organizing photos and making "magic sand" for Aloke. When we got out for a walk at 6:30 I saw paragliders in the air. We called up our contact who raced over with his gear and we rushed up the mountain. This was probably the riskiest and most exhilarating part of the experience. We zipped up one the narrow one lane mountain switchbacks honking the whole way to warn people coming the other way. We were rushing to catch the last few minutes of daylight. It took half an hour to get up the hill.
Strapped in, we ran over the edge of the cliff just in time for the parachute to open. Paragliding is amazing. I found parachuting a bit boring but this was just so much fun. You are low enough that you see everything below you and he did some stunts that would make the craziest roller coaster look tame. At one point I think we were almost upside down. It was ridiculously expensive for just 10 minutes in the air. I paid the full price which usually lasts 50 minutes. I found out similar flights in Manali go for 1/4 the price. I really need to remember that every transactions needs to be negotiated.
When we landed I sat with the guys and had some tea as they smoked a joint. The stuff grows wild everywhere here in Himachel Pradesh. It's actually why a lot of tourists (i.e. Israeli) end up staying so long.
That night Frank got on a tirade about following the tourist path and how little you see of real India when you go by the book. I do agree in a lot of ways that the Indians you meet on the tourist track are a very different breed than regular folk. It attracts a particularly skeezy person to try to make a career out of fleecing and misguiding tourists.
I did find his disdain for the Western tourists misplaced. I have been meeting great people along the way. I don't know if it's because many of the people I've been meeting are more open to experiencing new things without hangups, or if they share the same issues of having to make their way in a foreign land. Don't get me wrong, just coming to India doesn't make you cool. There are a lot of loud obnoxious tools along the way who come to get drunk, high and laid who will never meet anyone more interesting than their bartender. So far I've only found one American that I wanted to hang out with. I appreciate the people that I've got to spend time with through the last month.
I spent most of the day playing around on my computer, organizing photos and making "magic sand" for Aloke. When we got out for a walk at 6:30 I saw paragliders in the air. We called up our contact who raced over with his gear and we rushed up the mountain. This was probably the riskiest and most exhilarating part of the experience. We zipped up one the narrow one lane mountain switchbacks honking the whole way to warn people coming the other way. We were rushing to catch the last few minutes of daylight. It took half an hour to get up the hill.
Strapped in, we ran over the edge of the cliff just in time for the parachute to open. Paragliding is amazing. I found parachuting a bit boring but this was just so much fun. You are low enough that you see everything below you and he did some stunts that would make the craziest roller coaster look tame. At one point I think we were almost upside down. It was ridiculously expensive for just 10 minutes in the air. I paid the full price which usually lasts 50 minutes. I found out similar flights in Manali go for 1/4 the price. I really need to remember that every transactions needs to be negotiated.
When we landed I sat with the guys and had some tea as they smoked a joint. The stuff grows wild everywhere here in Himachel Pradesh. It's actually why a lot of tourists (i.e. Israeli) end up staying so long.
That night Frank got on a tirade about following the tourist path and how little you see of real India when you go by the book. I do agree in a lot of ways that the Indians you meet on the tourist track are a very different breed than regular folk. It attracts a particularly skeezy person to try to make a career out of fleecing and misguiding tourists.
I did find his disdain for the Western tourists misplaced. I have been meeting great people along the way. I don't know if it's because many of the people I've been meeting are more open to experiencing new things without hangups, or if they share the same issues of having to make their way in a foreign land. Don't get me wrong, just coming to India doesn't make you cool. There are a lot of loud obnoxious tools along the way who come to get drunk, high and laid who will never meet anyone more interesting than their bartender. So far I've only found one American that I wanted to hang out with. I appreciate the people that I've got to spend time with through the last month.
1 comment:
The paragliding looks priceless; I don't know why you berate yourself for neglecting to haggle. I can't believe you took pictures. I'm torn between thinking you a dork and being grateful that you shared them.
Totally nice about the insane ride to the top on a single track road- for that I am truly jealous! It seems like you got a unique experience that was well worth it. Did you really get to see the sun set while suspended in midair? amazing!
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