Sweet Sensations

The 1st time we went paragliding was epic, but it was so adrenaline filled and insanely unique of an experience that it immediately slipped through the fingers of our memory. The sensation, the images, it all faded into a blur and made myself, my husband and my 11 year old son demand another go.

It was my husband Jesse's birthday and while being in Jardin, Colombia was clearly gift enough, we took the opportunity to sail the skies again. Having done it once before, in the neighboring town, we felt like pros as we climbed into the back of the open jeep; gratitude swept over us that it was not the crap van the other company used to try to kill us in. But then we hit the trail and decided that the way anyone gets from point A to point B on the small little roads of the area was to see how close to death they could get. Jess has an CJ jeep at home so we are no strangers to off-roading, but this was something different, even Jesse was nervous. The jeep rocked hard side to side tilting perilously onto the left tires, then the right as we griped anything we could to stay inside. Soon, as we launched off another boulder, we started to laugh at the absurdity of being in the most terrifying of vehicle journeys yet again. Maybe the guide books were right to warn us about driving in Colombia.

We were less nervous going into this round of jumping off a cliff than the first time we decided to, but the full body tingling had been surging before we even got into the jeep. By the time we got to the top of the hill, our hands were shaking, our hearts were racing and we were once again wondering why we were being such crazy asses.

The hilltop we were to fly off this time was not the hellish steep cliff-side from the 1st time, but was a gentle slope, a welcome sight! The wind was perfect and they teamed each of us up with a pilot immediately. This too was a wonderful surprise as this meant we would, all three, be in the air at the same time. Quickly we were clipped in and before we could silently throw-up in our mouths, we were launched high above the Emerald City below; a gentle, warm breeze blowing against our faces.

Sweeping to the right over luscious fruit farms, we began swirling up up up into the clouds, a chill raised goosebumps on my arms and I swung my legs, relishing the sensation of the wind against them. We sailed over dense green hills and through wild jungle filled valleys, past diamond dazzling waterfalls and spun down toward the caramel colored stone town. We floated over the tight lines of coffee farms and blue bagged banana trees, we passed cows on hillsides close enough to almost pet and danced between immense flowering trees. Intermediate butterflies fluttered in my stomach as the currents of air would change, making us wobble and reminding me that I was dangling thousands of feet off the ground. But the sheer outrageousness of being flown through the sky, unencumbered, was addictive. I watched as the golden sunlight moved across the layered mountains and glinted off the tile roofs of the buildings below; an impossible view to behold and yet I was seeing it. The beauty of the world, this country, lodged a lump into my throat and as tears rolled down my cheeks, my chin began to tremble and I took a moment to absorb this amazing experience with every particle of myself. As if trying to record it deep down in my core.

It was a glorious day for paragliding which meant we were able to stay in the sky for an unprecedented full hour. There was only a week left to our stay in Jardin and as we soared with birds and under rainbows, I said a goodbye to this place of perfection. To have had the chance to not only visit this town, but to truly live here among its kind, caring people, felt like a punch to the heart as the ache of leaving set in. Our time in Colombia was anything but expected and more than I could have ever wished for. We set off on this adventure unsure what we would find; what we found was utter happiness.

We slid to the soft grass at the end of our flight exhilarated, a feeling of celebration bubbling from the three of us. We delighted in sharing stories of our individual experiences and laughed as we sipped wine at our favorite cafe. Jess' deep voice full of excitement rippled against my son's infectious smile, wide and bright over his lime/ coconut drink and echoed the pure bliss I felt. Like the Dorothy Parker reading night on the sailboat at the beginning of our adventure, this would be another magical moment I would never forget.

*this post is brought to you by sappy sentiment which I recommend pairing with our San Francisco International Wine Competition winners Aglianico (bronze medal red wine) or Abbott White (Silver medal white wine blend)

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com