Paragliding

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Jumping off a cliff will render you going one out of two ways; up or down. If you go down, you hit the rocks an unsurvivable number of meters down. Inadvisable. Hence the paragliders. Designed to make you go and stay up, if used correctly.

The winds of the Pacific seem to make the cliffs of coastal Lima the ideal spot for this sport. With impressive skills the pilots maneuver their equipment to head out over the cold and dark ocean before turning around and go back over dry land. Soundless and colorful bodies whirling around the skies of Miraflores, adding a dimension to the point where the huge city ends and the vast ocean begins.

With Lima seemingly suffering from a lack of interesting activities and sights for such a massive city, and not knowing when an opportunity to safely jump off a cliff will present itself again, I decide to give it a go. No waiting, a simple form to fill out and sign – “if you crash you’re screwed in every sense of the word” - , hand over $50, and you’re good to go.

The instructions are not so much of a crash course in paragliding, more of a “put your helmet on” procedure. Strap on, and run towards the edge. Luckily you’re not completely thrown into the deep end, or in this case, off the cliffs. You’re flying with an experienced pilot. In fact, it’s not so much flying on your end, more of a tagging along wherever the pilot is going with his paraglider.

If the lack of instructions was worrisome for the few seconds between running towards the cliff and being airborne, this is quickly forgotten. It’s apparent that the pilot knows what he’s doing. He’s doing the flying, I’m doing the viewing, works for me.

Within seconds we’re high above the ground. Needless to say, the view from up there is spectacular. Swirling in between and above the skyscrapers of Miraflores, Lima stretching as far as the eye can see in three directions, the Pacific Ocean stretching even further in the fourth direction. Larcomar, the modern but moderately interesting shopping mall on the coast, resembling a little LEGO model down below.

For a quarter of an hour or so, this is my world. A birds-eye view over land and water, without the constraints of an airplane or a tower. “I believe I can touch the sky”. And take a lot of pictures doing so.

Eventually the time comes for landing. The pilot takes a last spin over the ocean before descending and finally touches ground. The adventure in the sky is to an end, but the feeling of freedom lives on.

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