Since we were out of the hills I didn't really have much need of a guide but Dommar insisted on staying on and acting like a wounded puppy dog. It seemed I couldn't piss without him trying to help. I'd done a couple days site seeing and so was basically just trying to relax until my paragliding course started. It got a little ridiculous when I was trying to talk to a shopkeeper who had great English and he'd butt in, trying to translate when his English isn't so great at all!
About the only time it was actually useful was when I got sick the day before my Paragliding course started and he was my personal waiter. But then when he threatened to stay because I was sick so I tipped him and made sure he got on his bus! Then I moved hotel ... not to escape but to save the half hour walk to the school :)
The course is very relaxed and fairly informal. Especially compared to the climbing, mountaineering and scuba courses I've done. Maurice our Scottish instructor is pretty good value and has a very down to earth attitude to everything. Every second word is either 'Aye' or 'Fecken'. He and his wife Japti (also an instructor) and their 10 month old Keiren, alternate seasons between here and the UK. The first few days were ground handling practice, theory (weather, flight dynamics, law etc), a few instructional tandems flights and then delays due to bad weather.
Oh and I almost got taken out by a motorbike sliding along the road on its side followed by three guys sliding along at high speed after it. They looked pretty sore after! Glad I didn't join them. Another funny thing I saw was a heap of soldiers training in the morning, running down the street with their guns. The last guy was lagging and was running along with no gun while a civilian ran next to him holding his gun!
Then today the sky dawned hazy but cloud free and we finally got to fly! Admittedly they were all low flights where you practically land as soon as you take off but flying nevertheless. Not only has the last two days been cloudy so that no thermals develop it also means cold showers because it is mostly solar heating here. But today after after getting of the ground and having a huge grin I also had a much needed hot shower. Yay!
We resume after a break for Christmas and then head up into the hills for the real deal. A big 800m drop into the valley so we get a lot of air time without needing to worry too much about thermalling skills just yet and just enjoy being up there.
I can't wait!
Have a Happy Christmas everyone!
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