Sunday, November 20
Today was, for the lack of a better word, cool. Mostly because we all went hang gliding! Ryan talked me into it because I was really scared about how dangerous it is and knowing that people have died (as if people haven't also died from driving cars or walking along the street). Malia was skeptical also so I thought it would just be Karen and Ryan partaking, but Malia changed her mind and I didn't want to be the only one not participating... and I'm really glad I wasn't.
To ensure safety they only let pilots fo 4 flights per day (smart), and by the time we got to the spot of departure most were already booked, or had already completed their 4 flights. So our guide went to look for pilots while we sat on the grass enjoying the weather and watching people land from hang/para gliding. Finally our guide found 4 pilots, himself included, and we filled out some paperwork before being split up. Karen, Malia, and Ryan went up the mountain together while I was stuck waiting for my pilot, aka our guide, who was still talking to other customers. By the time we started up the mountain I was sure everyone had already left and I was getting really nervous. The second we parked I ran up the steps to the takeoff platform just in time to see Ryan before he took off para gliding. Holy crap! Para gliding and hang gliding takeoffs are terrifying looking! Moreso hang gliding but para gliding isn't that much fun either I imagine. For para gliding you're basically sitting on your instructor and you take off by letting the wind pick up your sail. It was super windy today so takeoffs looked slightly violent. For my takeoff I was about to pee myself. I had to run off of a wooden platform right over the edge of the cliff. My pilot prepped me on how to run and how to hold onto his suit (he holds onto the glider), and after waiting for the wind to be just right, I was running and up in the air before I could figure out what happened. Being in the air was awesome compared to the takeoff! Flying tha thigh was such a rush and deifnitely the coolest thing (and most daring thing) I've done to date. The entire flight lasted about 10 minutes and we landed on the beach right where Ryan, Karen, and Malia were waiting. I'm really glad that Ryan convinced me to step out of my comfort zone and experience something as crazy as hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro.
The rest of the day we spent at a local soccer game between Botafogo (we cheered for them) and Internacional. Unfortunately Internacional won, 2-1, but the match was a ton of fun. The fans were crazy with their cheering and chanting.. very intense. For dinner we went to a Brazilian steakhouse finally! We all agreed we should have eaten there every single night. I have never eaten so much meat before in my life, and I'm not sure how Ryan walked home after eating the amount he did. This was our last day in Rio and I feel like we did every little thing we could have with the time we gave ourselves. Rio is an incredible city and I think we experienced the best of it.
This post is archived under
Brazil,
Hang Gliding,
Rio de Janeiro,
Soccer
