Today was quite an eventful day for all of us. I didn't really think that much was going to happen. I had planned to maybe go tandem-paragliding for the first time, but I was worried because the weather looked very questionable. I signed up anyways for the 2 pm time slot. With a couple of hours to kill, I was able to watch Joyce learn to ride a bike. Yes, ride a bike. Almost 18 years old and Joyce still had NOT learned how to ride a bike. So, we rented one of the hostel's bikes for an hour and made her learn.
I'l admit I was not the most patient teacher and gave up after a little bit. Clarissa and Sarah were a little better and stayed outside with Joyce. It was a good thing, though, that I decided to go inside because it was there that I sat next to Chris, one of our fellow tent-mates. I hadn't really spoken a word to him the whole time we'd been here, so I was a bit nervous as I sat next to him to plug in my phone to charge. Although, it turned out that he is actually very amiable, and we started talking right away. Half an hour later, the rest of the group came inside (Joyce had been successful in riding a bike on her own aside from making left turns). They had decided to sign up for horseback riding instead of paragliding which disappointed me because the original plan was for at least one of them to take pictures of me in the air. Now their appointment coincided with mine. Chris piped up, though, and promptly offered to ride his bike to my landing spot to take some photos! Good thing I made friends with him.
When two o clock finally came to pass, we parted our separate ways as I boarded a small van to my paragliding spot and the females a bus towards the horses.
Paragliding was one of the coolest, funnest experiences I have ever had. It felt like I had wings and could fly anywhere I wanted to. Being tandem, I could not go wherever I wanted to, of course, but it was great nonetheless.
I could seriously see myself getting into paragliding on my own. Apparently there are small schools at which you can get your license and experience in two weeks.
I got back to the hostel a couple of hours later and sat down with Chris and Rick, our tent mates, and Trevor, Rick's friend. We were all talking about my first time paragliding when the women walked in. They all looked content except for Joyce who, turns out, is pretty allergic to horses.
The rest of the night was very fun. We and basically everyone we had met all had a few drinks to celebrate our new adventures. I remember coming to the hostel on the first day and feeling a bit shy since everyone was talking in what seemed like their already-made cliques and whatnot. However, by this night, we were the ones talking loudly, playing foosball, and socializing with the rest of the hostel. It was nearly two in the morning when everyone finally parted for bed. It was a great day to finish off Switzerland!
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