SKYDIVING from 8500 feet!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I went skydiving today!  I went skydiving today.  Can you believe it?  I’m not sure I can which is why I’m repeating myself.

I first read about the option of skydiving in Mendoza in a Get South tourist book I’d picked up in Pucon.  For some reason, I felt inclined to do it.  This is my around-the-world trip; if I don’t do it now, will I ever?

Tali had agreed to go with me, so we woke up at 7:20am in order to be ready for our 8am departure.  As we’d been warned, 8am doesn’t always mean 8.  Not only that, but the sky was cloudy so I got back in bed, not very hopeful.  I awoke to the sound of a honking horn followed by Andre (the guy at the hostel) calling my name.  It was time to go!

At 9:30am, Tali and I nervously left the hostel and crammed into the front seat of the car since the back was full.  Fortunately the ride wasn’t too long since I was crunching part of Tali in an effort to keep clear of the gear stick.  The other three in the car were Israeli, so Tali spoke to them in Hebrew and I just sat looking out the window.  Turned out they tried to go yesterday but had to come back since the weather wasn’t good having spent about six hours waiting.  Having heard this, I wasn’t too surprised when we were told to sit and wait.  About an hour or two later, we got clearance for the first jump and we all went to watch the first guy get suited up and take off.  The plane flew higher and higher eventually becoming a small speck in the sky.  That’s when I though, am I really going to do this?

But there was plenty of time to sit and wait so I tried not to think about it.  Following in tradition and utilising my creativity, I had Tali write on my hands "Hola mom dad Shell".  After the first three went, there was a break.  Tali and I got a bit nervous about the weather conditions, but they were only refueling the plane.  At 1pm, Daniel my guide got me suited up for my flight.  I got a bit nervous while they put on the gear but quickly calmed down.

Ready to go, with Daniel

I have to say that climbing into the small plane and watching take-off I was oddly calm.  As we soared higher, I serenely looked out the window trying to remind myself what I was doing.  I honestly wasn’t nervous.  That was before they opened the door.  As soon as the door open, I freaked out (video evidence shows this change).  I paid close attention to directions while being completely scared.  As I swung my legs to the right of the plane, I couldn’t look.  I knew Daniel was going to do all the work for me, so I crossed my arms against my chest, leaned my head back and let him do the work.

Having fun in the plane

We're about to jump... see how scared I look?

When he jumped from the plane, I hooked my legs behind him as quickly as possible.  Next thing I knew, we were falling.  Free falling.  And you know what was going through my head as I plastered a smile on my face for the video cameras?  Firstly, that the wind rushing in my face was really uncomfortable.  I didn’t like the feeling of my cheeks vibrating so profusely.  Second, it’s a bit chilly up here, wish I’d worn the long-sleeves I brought with me.  Third, the wind is extremely loud in my ears.  Fourth, is this ok for my eyes (I was wearing glasses, but even so)?  Fifth, when is this going to end?

All of this was going through my head as we fell from 8,500 feet.  I remember reaching out to touch the photographers hand and then waving goodbye as we shot off.  I’m pretty sure that’s when Daniel pulled the parachute.  We jerked back up as the parachute caught the wind, but I only vaguely remember this.  Next thing I knew, we were floating.  My post-free fall reaction is also on video.  Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, is all I could say.  I was relieved to no longer be falling.

The next part of the flight was just like paragliding.  We floated through the air.  I looked around at the city of Cordoba and its surrounding countryside of fields, the clouds preventing a clear view of the landscape as we slowly made out way back to the ground.  Even though I was relaxed, I was still processing the free fall.  As we got nearer to the ground, I searched for Tali and found her on the grass below taking pictures.  I’m not sure how long we were floating, or falling for that matter, but I heard Daniel say “legs up” as we approached the ground.  For some reason I put my legs out when we landed (not the best idea) but quickly pulled them back it.  It was over.  I’d done it.  I’d jumped out of a plane at 8,500 feet and made it safely back to earth.

Coming in for a landing

We made it!

Tali came over to give me a hug after Daniel unclipped me.  We walked back to the hanger together as I tried to explain the feeling of falling.  When I watched the hand-camera video of my flight, I almost started crying while I laughed.  I saw the panic in my face when the door opened and it was almost like reliving it made it more real.  The aftermath was when the emotions really hit me.  But since Tali was getting ready for her flight, and I was supposed to take pictures as she’d done for me, I stopped the processing and focused on her.

After my flight, before Tali's

After she made it back to the ground in one piece, we waited for our videos.  For the other jumpers, the video was ready before the next person came down, but mine seemed to be taking forever.  When I went in to ask, they told me that they needed to download my song (which they originally said they had) and were working on it.  I replied that I would have chosen a different one, but it was under control. 

About 10 minutes later I was handed my two DVDs and immediately put in the video to watch, then the other disk to make sure the pictures had loaded properly.  Once Tali had her videos we were all ready to go.  However, everyone at the skydiving center was eating lunch (they didn’t offer us any, even though it was 3pm and we were hungry) and we had to wait for our driver to finish.

As much as I’d wanted to use the computers at the center to immediately post on facebook that I’d gone skydiving, I wanted to tell my mom first.  So as soon as we got back to the hostel, I called her.  At first she didn’t hear what I said and when I started talking about the plane, she said “you did what?”  Yep, mom, I went SKYdiving.  It was a fun conversation.

Considering it was already four in the afternoon, Tali and I quickly left the hostel in search of food and ended up at a pizza restaurant nearby.  We talked about our morning adventure before getting into a deeper conversation about life and relationships.  When the pizza arrived, we dug in.  After sitting for a while to digest and enjoy being still, we walked back to the hostel.  I spent the afternoon trying to get the pictures and videos off the DVDs and online since I don’t have a CD drive on my netbook.

The afternoon passed quickly and at 9:30pm Tali and I went out to dinner.  She’d heard about grilled goat, a specialty in Cordoba, and wanted to give it a try.  Since most Israelis self-cater (make their own food in hostel kitchens) I was her best bet for a restaurant partner.  We went to Raoul’s, suggested by Alain (at the hostel), and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Tali was completely satisfied with her goat, and I loved my steak with a guacamole type sauce and vegetables.  We considered having dessert and the waiter brought us a sample of the dish we were going to order.  I think my facial expression said it all; I was not a fan.

Back to the hostel we went at 11:30pm, and while I was happy to get ready for bed and write, Tali joined the Israelis for a night out in a neighboring town.  I still can’t believe that I went skydiving today.  I’m glad I did it once, but I certainly won’t be jumping out of a plane again.