Casi (almost)

Our first meal was downtown with Chip Hildebrand and Brad Gunnucio. The 1/2 chicken was delicious and it was great to reunite with friends. Chip said he flew over 140+ hours in 42 flights over a 2 months period. That guy is all smiles. 

The days have been relaxed yet productive in preparation for the first group this Saturday night. 

There is yet another comp going on here and many pilots from the world championships are still here to attend, including Bradley.   I saw 2 poor souls land right I front of the hotel today as the rest of the armada skied out and raced on. I haven't flown yet, as it is a great chance to prep and rest up for the busy weeks ahead. 

Pyro-cumulus cloud from a burning sugar cane field. 

Walking to town takes about 8 minutes and is all downhill from the hotel. We were carrying bottled water back each day until yesterday, when Brian and Rob ordered several 5gal bottles and stands so we can refill out bottles here. Nice. 

Found this beautiful butterfly (sleeping). 

We heard a loud boom near town and the power went out to the hotel around 4:30pm. Brian and I were cleaning out the solar showers (no hot water in the rooms) and it turns out that the water is pumped with electricity. No power = no rinsing. We let the bleach solution soak the vinyl showers in the tub and decided to take a dip in the pool until the power was restored. Ahhhhhhh. 

An hour later, still no power. Dinner time was drawing near when we got a text from Rob. He was in town at a bakery, enjoying a guanama smoothie while using the wifi and charging all his electronics. We took the hint, headed to town with cords in hand and grabbed another 1/2 chicken dinner before ordering a smoothie to hang out and 'recharge' with Rob. 

Since all Brian and I have left to do is rinse the showers, we are thinking of flying tomorrow to rev up for the following day with clients. Brian flew for a few hours yesterday and figured out the routine to get to the launch. It goes like this:  6am Tuk Tuk to La Union. La Union bus to Roldanillo. 8am (or 9am if it doesn't show up) Roldanillo shuttle bus to launch. Whew!  

The humidity is comfortable, the sun, intense. It's hot during the day, but the wind blows over the mountain in the late afternoon and it is fabulous. Tomorrow I will fly with my friends and fly for fun. I hope to visit the clouds and drink in the clean fresh air at cloud base. What a divine treat!

Ciao para ahora. 

Salúd!

Marty

Lluvia (rain)

Brian Howell and I made it to the shuttle early and were able to load all our huge bags before the first sprinkles fell. As we rolled away, it was hard to believe we finally made it and would be in Colombia tomorrow morning. 

It has been.a year since we made the same journey, only this time we both know more of what to expect, and it makes us all the more exited to be there again.

Carmen, Mia and Darla were all on hand for hugs and kisses as were Sammy and Rosie. I will miss them all, and already look forward to our reunion in 6 weeks. Brian's girlfriend Kelly was kind enough to drop us at the shuttle and see us off. 

Traffic was slow at times but we made it to LAX in good time. Our shuttle van did fold a Mercedes car door forward as the person in the car didn't look to see that we were driving in close proximity first. Oops. The police were called after the finger pointing started and info was eventually exchanged, allowing us to make our final drop at Copa airlines (in about 10 min) where we were to meet Alicia, our chef for the trip, a relative of Marité, (Rob Sporrer's wife). Rob, who owns and operates Eagle Paragliding had to leave Marité and their newborn daughter Maya home this time as she is less than a month old. Rob will use the break between tour 2 and 3 to return home and reunite his new family. 

The flight was only 5 or 6 hours but it was an overnight flight and it was packed. I didn't sleep much due to my middle seat and large passenger next to me. Still I was pleased with my movie choice "Remember The Titans."   Denzel always delivers. The food was good too, and I enjoyed a complimentary rum and Coke, but they really cranked up the heat and I was wishing I hadn't ingested the calories that seemed to only make me feel warmer still. Whew. 

We all met up after landing in Panama and had a coffee after the short walk to or connecting gate. Really an effortless trip thus far. Nice. 

I have a brand new UP K2-3 tandem and my trusty Icepeak 6 to fly. Both should be ideal for the light conditions and long days in the saddle. 

Gratitude is the dominant feeling for me on this trip.  I can't thank my wife and kids enough for this opportunity. It won't be easy for them while I'm gone but they are letting me go nonetheless and I feel truly thankful and happy. 

I'm now on the connecting flight from panama to Cali, Colombia, and as expected the skies look perfect. 

We should meet Rob there and he has shuttle arranged to wisk us away to our small town near the now famous Roldanillo, where this years' world paragliding chamionships were held In the 12 days before our arrival. I've been so busy getting ready, I didn't take time to follow the whole race. We started strong and I can only hope we finished strong too. 

The window seat has breathtaking views.  Love it!

I will try to post as much as I can.  This one is long. I'm sure there will be shorter ones too. 

Hasta luego,

Marty