I’ve discovered that U2 are visiting Santiago as part of their Vertigo Tour on the 26th Feb! Desperately trying to get hold of tickets which went on sale on the 16th Jan…
Any ideas? Know any ticket dealers, or companies selling trips from the UK that might have a few places spare? DJ Oscar Torres…you’re a man who knows these things!?
Any help much appreciated!
I’ve lost all self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
The classic words of U2… have come true in the last two weeks. Rather than live in our flat like a mole while Rachel was away-without furniture, the flat did resemble a hole- I investigated and negotiated my way to getting paragliding lessons!
Me, running off a mountain in a jumpsuit? With my reputation?!
Not wishing to scare anyone, in particular, my mother or, perhaps more importantly, my mother-in-law, I’ve kept it quiet until now. But after an hour long solo flight today, i can’t help but spill the beans… I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my little adventures into the sky. My teacher, Juan has taught myself and another chilean to fly in just over 8 days, using a unique form of “spanglish”… or, as I like to call it, chilengish!
The benefit of learning here, is that it is cheaper and the chilean solo licence (awarded by the ministry of aviation) is exchangable with International standards and the UK licence. I’ve also had lot of flying practice- more than you would get at schools elsewhere- because the conditions are consistently perfect for learning. I’m learning at Vizcachas, south-east from Santiago. A south-westerly wind blows every afternoon from 2pm till 5pm, after which novice pilots can launch easily and have smooth flights.
Today I flew solo for over an hour, experiencing a range of conditions, from light to turbulent winds, catching and soaring on thermals and ridge soaring. The difficult bits- landing and take-off- are becoming easier. So far my landings have been very smooth- no more than a 4ft bounce! No broken legs yet.
The runway… dry and, errrr, very hard
Anyway… its been fascinating to learn about the wing, aerodynamics, controls and emergency procedures. Paragliding also challenges and improves your decision-making skills and spatial awareness. I feel it has boosted my levels of self-assurance, forcing me to better judge and accept risks. Every move in the sky requires a commitment to move the body and to focus the mind. Sounds like a form of meditation.. I suppose it is… alone, drifting on nothing but air!
If I can pursuade Rachel to part with a huge sum of her hard-earned money, I may consider buying some equipment in order to pursue this sport on a regular basis during the summer, or even during the summer in Europe. I’d really like to gain either a tandem licence or an instructor licence, so I can teach others to fly. I can see a new job on the horizon… although it would be seasonal!
Elevation! I recommend it to anyone! If you plan to visit Chile, come and have a go.
Play spot the paraglider
Well, besides the election of Michelle Bachelet, here is some other news from Santiago.
So things gradually coming together. Do keep in contact and send any news/prayer requests to us by email or via the website.
Some news:
Michelle Bachelet has won the second round of the Presidential election held today in Chile. Michelle becomes Latin America’s and Chile’s first female President. It seems that Santiago has gone mad!!
The new president elect, with 53.49% against billionaire rival Sebastian Pinera, has just made her triumphant speech before 250,000 people in a park in central Santiago. Elsewhere people watch or listen in earnest… if, that is, they are not driving. If they are driving, then an uncontrollable force results in a sudden attraction between hands and horns!
We live around 200metres from a main route in Santiago, the inner ring-road as it were, and I can hear a choir of car horns sounding permanently! It’s like Chile just won the World Cup, only that is very unlikely given the quality of football here (noise and intensity comparable to Italian football, standards more like that of Scotland). I suppose its as if England just got into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Although that party didn’t last as long as this one!
While Rachel’s away, the boys have been at play. I’ve been testing the limits of my new sound system made by Sony. I believe that they have incorporated a new technology into the system known as an Acoustic Levitation and Positioning Device, tested by NASA in the early 1990s, on blocks of stone or similar materials.
I was searching for a test device and found….errmmm, Timbo. The result?
Amazing! Nasa explains the phenomenon as follows (from their patent, in 1991):
“An acoustic levitator includes a pair of opposed sound sources which have interfering sound waves producing acoustic energy wells in which an object can be levitated. The phase of one sound source may be changed relative to the other in order to move the object along an axis between the sound sources.”
I could call this a mildy successful experiment, were it not for the neighbours!
Didn’t Timbo do well?! Beat that Big Al! (I understand Big Al is currently sitting on Kim’s bed…boring, boring bear!)
Doug: “So Timbo, what did it feel like?”
Timbo: “Fabulous, man… but what’s with the noise? I’m bear-ly able to hear!”