Some people watch their step. They look at the ground and take every step with great thought and care. Some others stare at the skies above even when walking the ground and often find themselves up, close and personal with the dust on the ground. It is almost like they are looking for something above and are indifferent to the affairs of the earth...
For better or for worse... I have always been in the latter category. The skies always seemed to fascinate me. Flying with the birds was a dream for as long as i can remember. Nothing thrills me more than the wind in my hair and the sight of open skies...It is very easy to find me staring at the open skies and birds, especially during the sunset. And this has caused many a downfalls... However, despite the many falls and injuries, I have always been unable to keep my eyes glued to the ground.
This dream of flight came a lot closer to reality when I moved to the Salk Institute which is situated right next to the San Diego Gliderport. The paragliders with their bright, colourful sails would dot our skies ever so often as they took off from the gliderport nearby and I would watch them with this never ceasing child-like fascination as they fluttered about like bright, cheerful butterflies. It was always a sight to behold and an ever present temptation.
I finally succumbed to the temptation last week and made the leap of faith... And it was an amazing experience. Bravely or foolishly, I was not afraid all through the flight. It was definitely not very daunting too. I enjoyed my twenty minutes of flight with my camera and landed with a single regret .... I wished the flight was longer ! The best and almost surreal part of the entire flight was this moment when a flock of birds flew past us and that will remain etched in my memory forever. It was probably then and only then that i actually registered the fact that I was airborne... ;) The entire experience feels like a great beginning to me right now.. because though paragliding was fun, it didn't give the actual feel of flight. I now seem to want to sky dive and hang glide. And so even as I tasted flight for the first time all I learnt is that I will do it yet again and hopefully differently...
Below are some pictures from my entire experience and a quote that I really liked...
For better or for worse... I have always been in the latter category. The skies always seemed to fascinate me. Flying with the birds was a dream for as long as i can remember. Nothing thrills me more than the wind in my hair and the sight of open skies...It is very easy to find me staring at the open skies and birds, especially during the sunset. And this has caused many a downfalls... However, despite the many falls and injuries, I have always been unable to keep my eyes glued to the ground.
This dream of flight came a lot closer to reality when I moved to the Salk Institute which is situated right next to the San Diego Gliderport. The paragliders with their bright, colourful sails would dot our skies ever so often as they took off from the gliderport nearby and I would watch them with this never ceasing child-like fascination as they fluttered about like bright, cheerful butterflies. It was always a sight to behold and an ever present temptation.
I finally succumbed to the temptation last week and made the leap of faith... And it was an amazing experience. Bravely or foolishly, I was not afraid all through the flight. It was definitely not very daunting too. I enjoyed my twenty minutes of flight with my camera and landed with a single regret .... I wished the flight was longer ! The best and almost surreal part of the entire flight was this moment when a flock of birds flew past us and that will remain etched in my memory forever. It was probably then and only then that i actually registered the fact that I was airborne... ;) The entire experience feels like a great beginning to me right now.. because though paragliding was fun, it didn't give the actual feel of flight. I now seem to want to sky dive and hang glide. And so even as I tasted flight for the first time all I learnt is that I will do it yet again and hopefully differently...
Below are some pictures from my entire experience and a quote that I really liked...
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
No comments:
Post a Comment