We just came home from an 11 night Honeymoon in Turkey. We stayed in Ölüdeniz which happens to be one of the best places in the world to go paragliding. We did our research on who to go with as there are several companies all down the main strip offering to take you up there. We decided to use Sky Sports as they are recommended by Thompson and also provide you with insurance, as it's unlikely that your travel insurance covers you for extreme sports - ours certainly didn't. Plus, none of the companies can have insurance if they haven't been running under the same company name for 10 years, or if they've had any accidents - and a local waiter in Fethiye advised us against flying with Gravity for that reason, saying they had a few accidents last year. Gotta trust the locals. Sky Sports also change all their equipment at the beginning of each season due to their agreement with Thompson. Which again, is not a guarantee with any other company. So after some deliberation we booked our flights down at the Sky Sports shop for Wednesday 27th. We had to pay a bit more to fly with them, but what's £40 extra when your gambling on your life?
Wednesday rolled around and we got to the shop at 10.45am ready for our mountain trip. The drive up the mountain takes about 45 minutes and in my opinion I think that was the scariest part! Ha. Once you get to the take off point your around 2000 meters above sea level, which is over 6000 feet! (and yes, they run you off the top of it). We got our harness clipped on and the parachute was prepared, I was clipped to my instructor and told that when he told me to I had to walk, then run.
You take off a lot easier and smoother than you'd think and the views are amazing. We were over mountains covered in pine forests and I flew over the look out tower where a family live for 6 months every summer to report on any forest fires. We looped around gaining height waiting for Shaun and the others in our group to be air born and then we all fly in tandem, gradually making our way over the resort of Ölüdeniz and over the lagoon. The one thing I didn't bank on however, was that this would effect my habit of getting motion sickness.... Yeah... and normally I can control it pretty well and it doesn't actually develop into a physical sickness, but the motion up there is like nothing I've had before, it's no longer a case of trying to control the feeling, you have no choice, the only way I can describe it, is it's like going fast over a bridge only a lot worse, it literally makes your stomach lurch involuntarily (especially when you already feel nauseous). He helped me out of my helmet in time; swerved us a bit and told me to "Go to the left" and I so, I threw up over the side. Thankfully missing myself, my instructor and hopefully anyone else unfortunate enough to be below me. I think he had already radioed the other instructors to move out of the way, haha, and we were over the sea. all I felt after was shame and relief. Relief because I was so terrified it was going to be like throwing up on a roller coaster - right back at me. At the same time I was so embarrassed! I apologized a lot when we got down, but was informed that I was in no way the first, and wouldn't be the last!
It was however, the most incredible thing I've ever done and the views are just spectacular. You feel so free, and you can see so much. I would recommend taking the opportunity to do it if you ever get the chance, and I will definitely do it again.... But next time - I'll have the travel tablets prepared!
^ Me taking off
Shaun doing the spiral
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