I have acrophobia. Well I don't sweat buckets when I am on top of a hill, but I am kinda of scared of heights. It is something that I have always been trying to overcome.
I learnt to climb trees as a child in an attempt to scale greater heights and well to keep up with the boys in the apartment. Who said boys had to have all the fun? I forced myself to tackle the jungle gym with as much as ease as possible.
Then came the ultimate test for my fear. Paragliding.
We had gone to Manali and went paragliding at Kulu. I was all excited and totally up for the challenge right till I reached the top of the hill. The entire jeep ride up to the top was fine. Then we had to walk to the jumping off point and the fear that hit was intense. You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach when your palms are all sweaty and moments from your life flash before your eyes because you are sure this would be your last day on earth. That kind of a fear.
I walked slowly to the top and debated on whether I should backwards instead of forward. Each step seemed like a step toward impending doom and I was wondering what the hell I was thinking saying yes to jumping off a 6000 feet high hill. Evidently the clean Manali air had messed with my head. I was not used to having clarity. All decisions were made with noise in the background. (Try living with neighbours whose tv speakers face the common corridor). For the first time I could hear my mind voice loud and clear - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. ARE YOU MAD?
We reached the jump off point and while my feet remained transfixed in one place, my eyes wandered. One of the pilots (the guys who would do the jump with us) called me forward. "Why me", I whined out aloud. Before I could react further, two men stood one either side of me, put my arms through a harness, strapped a belt around my waist and told me to hold the harness. I was still trying to grasp what they were saying (mostly because my Hindi is that bad), when suddenly one them held the harness and dragged me off the edge. Literally.
I could hear my mother in the background telling to chant "Sai Ram Sai Ram" to ease my fear. I was too busy screaming because I was pretty sure that there was no pilot strapped along with me and I was just going to be gliding on my own and crash to a gory death among the rocks. (It was 6000feet above ground level, shit scared would be an understatement)
Then it happened, I stopped mid way of a scream because I was already mid air. I could feel the wind playing with my tresses. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and sighed in relief. This was beautiful!! And well I wasn't going to die. I was sitting extremely comfortably and strapped behind was a really nice pilot who kept asking me if I was afraid. "Me? afraid? Hell no" is what I wanted to reply, but I decided to be modest and say "thoda". It was a breathtaking view and that feeling of gliding in the safety of a harness is par to none other. It really was a one of a kind experience and I have no regrets.
There I did it. Ticked one more thing off my "30 things to do before I turn 30 list". Okay I admit there is no such list. Shhh..
krupa
I learnt to climb trees as a child in an attempt to scale greater heights and well to keep up with the boys in the apartment. Who said boys had to have all the fun? I forced myself to tackle the jungle gym with as much as ease as possible.
Then came the ultimate test for my fear. Paragliding.
We had gone to Manali and went paragliding at Kulu. I was all excited and totally up for the challenge right till I reached the top of the hill. The entire jeep ride up to the top was fine. Then we had to walk to the jumping off point and the fear that hit was intense. You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach when your palms are all sweaty and moments from your life flash before your eyes because you are sure this would be your last day on earth. That kind of a fear.
I walked slowly to the top and debated on whether I should backwards instead of forward. Each step seemed like a step toward impending doom and I was wondering what the hell I was thinking saying yes to jumping off a 6000 feet high hill. Evidently the clean Manali air had messed with my head. I was not used to having clarity. All decisions were made with noise in the background. (Try living with neighbours whose tv speakers face the common corridor). For the first time I could hear my mind voice loud and clear - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. ARE YOU MAD?
We reached the jump off point and while my feet remained transfixed in one place, my eyes wandered. One of the pilots (the guys who would do the jump with us) called me forward. "Why me", I whined out aloud. Before I could react further, two men stood one either side of me, put my arms through a harness, strapped a belt around my waist and told me to hold the harness. I was still trying to grasp what they were saying (mostly because my Hindi is that bad), when suddenly one them held the harness and dragged me off the edge. Literally.
I could hear my mother in the background telling to chant "Sai Ram Sai Ram" to ease my fear. I was too busy screaming because I was pretty sure that there was no pilot strapped along with me and I was just going to be gliding on my own and crash to a gory death among the rocks. (It was 6000feet above ground level, shit scared would be an understatement)
Then it happened, I stopped mid way of a scream because I was already mid air. I could feel the wind playing with my tresses. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and sighed in relief. This was beautiful!! And well I wasn't going to die. I was sitting extremely comfortably and strapped behind was a really nice pilot who kept asking me if I was afraid. "Me? afraid? Hell no" is what I wanted to reply, but I decided to be modest and say "thoda". It was a breathtaking view and that feeling of gliding in the safety of a harness is par to none other. It really was a one of a kind experience and I have no regrets.
There I did it. Ticked one more thing off my "30 things to do before I turn 30 list". Okay I admit there is no such list. Shhh..
krupa
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