We were staying at a very nice villa which had an array of leaflets about local activities. I had intended to go horse riding or mountain biking - hobbies I enjoy back in the UK - but the leaflets I had been expecting to see weren't there and rather than try to track down the companies on their websites, I had a better perusal of what leaflets were there.
Paragliding has never been something that takes my fancy but after reading the leaflet, I had to admit it sounded pretty good. Before I knew it I was checking out their website for further details (www.highlineparagliding.com) and made arrangements to fly tandem two days later! It wasn't exactly cheap (270 Turkish Lira - about £70) but it was worth every penny!
I met with Angela and Ozgur, husband and wife team, down in Kyrenia Harbour and then went with them in their all-terrain vehicle up into the mountains to the take-off point at 2500ft. Ozgur, a qualified and experienced pilot, got me kitted out with all the necessary equipment including spare parachute which he's never needed to use! He explained all I needed to know and before I knew it we were waiting for the wind to be favourable. All I then needed to do was run down a gentle slope at the top of the mountain and keep running until my feet no longer touched the ground. We were then flying! Ozgur was a very capable pilot and had camera equipment with him to get plenty of photos and videos whilst up there and the views were stunning. You could even see as far as Turkey! As we came in, Ozgur asked if I'd like a little trick of his where he spirals in and before my stomach could get too worked up by this manoeuvre, we were strolling back onto terra firma!
What a fantastic experience! I just wanted to get straight back up there to do it again! Oh well, next time!
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