The Sacred Valley is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It's a region in Peru that is nestled in the Andes. Last month, I went paragliding from 9,000 feet to almost 15,000 feet. My brother said that at one point, he couldn't even see me through the clouds.
We were told we could either take a couple hundred hours of lessons--or fly tandem. So we booked a paragliding trip (parapente en espanol) with a small travel agency in Cuzco. I have to say, it was one of the sketchier things I've done. When we showed up for the appointment, it was just a taxi driver who took us about an hour outside of the city to a mountain, where we waited for our instructor.
We got out of the cab to find a free-standing store selling nothing but coca cola, water, kit kat bars, and toilet paper. Then there were the women standing outside selling everything and anything (except kit kat bars). And there were half-naked children running around. And plenty of stray animals.
Ruben-our instructor-showed up with a backpack. It didn't look like a parachute for two could possibly fit in the bag. But it did. My brother and I were told we would be flying at the same time, but it was apparent that there was only one parachute and one instructor. So my brother volunteered me to go first.
"This way, you can test out the equipment before I go."
Thanks Dave. I figured it had to be safe. We were flying tandem, so if something went wrong, Ruben was coming down with me.
Here is a video of my paragliding adventure. Enjoy. And if you are ever in Cuzco, I recommend a trip into the valley. I have Ruben's number if you want to go paragliding.