Back in the early summer in southern France I befriended some English paraglider pilots and we ended up traveling for a week together, hitting numerous flying sites as we headed north towards the Swiss border. We connected again in September in St. Hillaire to attend the Coupe Icare free flying festival and this is where they introduced me to Deano, another Englishman who has been in Goa for the last five weeks. Alex, Kester and Gans (his real name is Ian but from his thick Newcastlian accent he obtained this nickname as instead of saying “I’m gone” he says “Us gans”) are planning on traveling through India and Nepal for the next 2-3 months, primarily to hit paragliding sites.
They arrived one morning after taking an overnight bus from Mumbai and after some breakfast (more like a brunch) we hiked up to the main launch with our wings hoping to get in a flight. Conditions were decent but not epic but by the end of the afternoon everyone had taken to the air. It was great to fly with these guys again.
The boys up on launch:
Alex kiting:
Kes really likes his helmet...
Flying by Kes and Gans:
We stopped at a restaurant bar called the Dolphin View for a post flight beer. While we were sitting chatting, looking out over the beach and ocean, we saw a paraglider come around the corner from the area known as the “bowl” and he was very low. We watched intently as we all questioned whether he would make it to the beach...and he didn’t. He splashed into the ocean, thankfully missing some nearby jagged rocks. Landing in water with a paraglider can be quite dangerous as the harness can act as a life jacket, which is good, but it is a preserver that is attached to your back and butt and may force your head under water...which is of course bad. Additionally, it is very easy for a pilot to get limbs knotted up in the lines of the paraglider which is being pulled to and fro by the waves. The boys (Alex, Kester, Gans and Deano) raced down the beach but we could already see that there were others helping out. Thankfully the pilot, a Russian, was okay and they were able to retrieve the equipment too.
The post flight beer:
The boys returning from their rescue attempt:
That evening we hit a restaurant called Oasis that Deano recommended for some seafood. We met up with a French friend of theirs, Bertrand, and a German woman he had just met in the last few days, Ute. Almost everyone ordered fresh fish while Gans did not hold back. He splashed out by ordering a huge lobster and some large prawns which set him back 1600 rupees ($35) which is a king’s meal here (one can eat for as cheap as 60 rupees and by contrast my red snapper meal was 350 rupees)....and he was not disappointed although he did suffer some tummy troubles over the next few days but it wasn’t necessarily from this meal.
Our lovely seafood choices:
Gans getting personal with his lobster:
After dinner we ventured down the beach to a party place called Coco Loco for a few drinks and laughs. The night got a bit messy when a couple of bottles of Royal Stag whiskey somehow made it onto our table and I think a few of the guys were feeling a little worse for wear the next day.
Post Royal Stag:
The conditions for flying were pretty weak over the next few days but the three guys didn’t mind so much as they were getting their beach fill...but as quickly as they had arrived, they were off again, heading up to a place called Panchgani (which means Five Hills) to do some thermal flying. It was great to see them again and I’m sure it won’t be the last time...the paragliding world can be quite small at times.
Travel and fly safe boys!
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