Rio de Janeiro Travel Story: Ready. Set. Hang Glide!

“Come stand over here. No need to be scared” shouted my hang-gliding tandem partner.

I nod and give a thumbs-up.

“I have a new parachute. Got it this summer. If anything happens, I got you.”

 I wasn’t sure if I should feel reassured or terrified about his enthusiastic comment.

“You ready?”

A simple “ready as I will ever be” rolls off my tongue as if nothing else could have been said to turn back what I was about to do.

“Ready. Set. Run. Now jump.”

 Flashback to July 2015, two months before I left for my study abroad program, Semester at Sea, where I was to live and study on an old cruise ship and travel to 12 countries over four continents in three months, my over-excited self was scrolling through Pinterest looking at things to do in Rio de Janeiro, one of our stops in our three-month itinerary.

I kept seeing the same tourist things; until I came across a travel blog promoting “Heart Pounding Things to Do in Rio.” With no prior adrenalin-junky background, I’m still to this day unsure why this blog caught my attention. Was it because I had never done a death-defying action? Or was it due to the fact I kept telling people I wanted to live life like there was no tomorrow?

My newfound confidence led me to this “oh hell yes, I’m going to do this” attitude that gave jumping off or out of something more intriguing. As I wholeheartedly scroll through the blog, I am drawn to “EasyFlyRio,” a hang gliding company that offers “the best and most reliable hang gliding experience in all of Rio.”

 Fast forward to November 14, 2015. The day has come. I’ve arrived in Rio de Janeiro. The hang gliding reservation is booked. I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of our transportation to the hang gliding center.

Having been waiting over an hour for our transportation, I have gone from cool, calm, and collected to a nervous Nelly. I try chatting with my friends, but that only makes me more nervous. I Snapchat my brother, Matthew, and tell him not to tell Mom I was hang gliding today. She always told me if I was going to do anything crazy like this to tell her after it was already done. He sends me a Snapchat back with the caption “Okay! Don’t die [insert heart emoji]”.

Hotel guests come and go, some with beach equipment, others walk by with their noses in a phone. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. The clock in the lobby ticks on. Still no driver.

Finally, after 75 minutes of sitting in the hotel lobby, our driver screeches to a halt in front of the hotel and pounces out of his car eager to greet us. He hurries my four friends and me into his four-seater car. He asks us how fast we want to get to the hang gliding center. My friend, Jasmine, jokingly shouts out 15 minutes.

“15 minutes it is. It is usually a 25-minute drive, but your wish is my command,” announced our driver.

Jasmine looked at all of us as though she was sorry for even joking about it. He asks me to time the drive, and I timidly oblige, unsure if he is actually serious. The next 20 minutes was a flash of speeding, weaving, and honking through the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

It felt as though I was in a Fast and Furious movie. Finally, after a death-defying car ride, we arrive at the bottom of the mountain.

“Welcome to the Disney World of hang gliding,” proclaimed our driver.  

 This was certainly the place to be to hang glide in Rio de Janeiro. Dozens of hang gliders were hanging around waiting to go up the mountain and glide. I eagerly exit the car, ready for the most exhilarating experience.

Our driver instructed us to the main building, which was considered their hub of hang gliding. The hang-gliding worker commands all of us to the computers to sign the consent forms. I skim the rights and agreements and sign my life away.

 After we signed the consent form, we were one by one sent to meet our tandem partner. I turn around to see a man not much taller than my 5’5 frame, with skin that’s seen many years of hot, Brazilian sun, and a demeanor that shouts experienced hang glider. We do our introductions, and he reassures me he has been hang gliding longer than I have been alive.

Next thing you know my friend and I are whisked into his car charging up the mountain to the point where we take off from. My heart beats a little faster the higher we get up the mountain.

Finally, after what feels like forever we have arrived at the top.

“Welcome to the top of the world, where fears are overcome, and dreams come true,” announced Heli, my tandem partner.

I had arrived at the heart of hang gliding in Rio de Janeiro. In line to jump off the cliff were experienced solo gliders to first-timers, similar to myself. I saw myself in the other nervously pacing, trembling legs, and heart-pounding people at the top. Unsure what to think or do at this point, I go to the edge of the railing to look down at the brave souls who were already in the air gliding through the clouds.

I could see how beautiful this experience was going to be, but watching as each glider jumped off the platform a small sliver of doubt crept over my conscious.

Before I could let my mind think of all the things that could go wrong, Heli walked up to me with a harness and helmet.

“Put this on. It’s almost our turn to jump for joy off the mountain. Get pumped!”

Once I was all strapped into my harness, and attached to the hang glider, I realized it was our time to jump. About ten minutes prior to this, Heli and I practiced the running routine we had to do to ensure a safe takeoff. Heli told me I nailed the practice run, and I was feeling confident I wouldn’t screw up the takeoff.

We stepped up on the green, wooden platform hundreds of people had stepped on to jump off before me. Heli gears himself up for takeoff. I look out to the trees, beach, houses, and traffic below me. Was I about to do it? Was I about to jump off a cliff?

Heli was ready, and all set up to go. One deep breath later, I’m calm. I’m ready.

“One, two, three. “Ready. Set. Run. Now jump,” yelled Heli.

The anxiety and fear I had felt all morning was left back on the platform. I was doing it. I was up in the air. I felt like a bird. 

I had never had a vantage point like this before. I was seeing homes from right above. The ocean’s color from above was out of this world. We were flying in and out of the clouds. We were flying over the forest surrounding the mountain we had just jumped off of. The trees looked like broccoli ripe for the picking.

Being up in the air was surprisingly calm and not at all scary. Heli and I spoke about his love for hang gliding and the upcoming Olympics, which were to be held in Brazil the following year in 2016. 

But just as quickly as the flight had started, we were nearing the end of the flight. 

We take our turn to land on the beach that I had passed not long before in the car on our way to jump. 

The landing was as smooth as the take-off was 12 minutes prior. As soon as my feet touched the sand, I let out the biggest sigh of relief I had ever had in my life. 

Heli and I grab the equipment and walk out of the way before the next group lands. 

I walk over to my friends and give them the biggest hug. We couldn’t believe we all did it. We conquered the fear we had just a short while before.

With my group of friends and I safely back together, we jump back into the Fast and Furious-like driver's car to head back to our hotel to rest after an exhilarating morning.