Adventures

When you jump from a plane...

There are some things in life your rational mind finds difficult to fathom - taking a chunk of your savings when you are jobless to jump out of a plane - crazy?

Maybe we humans are meant sometimes for wilderness. It has been a while since this wish of you surfaced in your heart. All the time your rational mind silenced you thinking it was impossible. Still for months and months you kept saving, hoping one day you will make it.

Present day. Dubai. A clear day. You arrived 45 minutes early to your scheduled slot time. The doors of the skydive office were closed.

You decide to take a walk around. You are mesmerized with the Dubai skyline. You spot a truck parked on the side. You joked to yourself that you would be taken in that truck to your take-off site.

At the exact time of your slot, the booking officers opened the office doors. A throng of people got in. You were mesmerized seeing so many skydiving enthusiasts. You stood in the queue to go to the counter. They checked your weight and placed a band with your name on your hand. You were given a buzzer which will beep when your turn will come.

You waited upstairs with the buzzer. After a while, the buzzer beeped. The child in you got so excited that you were almost gliding the stairs down. You were asked to wait for your instructor and videographer. Your instructor called out your name. He is so warm and kind that you feel so humbled. He put on the harnesses for you and gave you instructions on how to bend your body while skydiving. Then the photographer asked you a few questions and Voilà, your turn came up to board the plane.

You were led to that same pickup truck (you laughed out loud inside seeing your guess becoming correct). You were taken to the take-off runway. And you board the plane.

The plane took you higher and higher. You could see the Palm Jumeirah down. You see the Skydive team opening up the doors. And the reality hits you that you are about to jump tandem with your instructor. The instructor ties you with a harness to him and puts goggles for you. You feel like you are a baby snugly wrapped in the baby carrier. The instructor asks you multiple times if you are all okay. You excitedly give the okay sign. The instructors and videographers all give fist bumps to each other. When your turn comes up, your videographer jumps first after getting the signal from your instructor. He flew like he was a piece of paper crumbled and thrown at high speed. Your mouth opened widely in astonishment. Your instructor then jumps. You dive at such a speed that your brain does not process the present.

You forget the banana pose (lean backwards with the head and bend your legs) you are supposed to take in. You can feel the air pressure. You can feel like you have extra senses. And then the instructor taps your shoulders (signal that one can release one's hand from the harness and be free).

Your brain is still processing. You slowly wave to your videographer. At times you forget you are supposed to wave at him for great photos. You are way too immersed. Then your instructor deploys the parachute. You rise up at such speed that you feel to giggle. And then the parachute opens.

Peace. Serenity. Calmness. You feel so at the present moment. You are gliding like a bird in an upright position taking a good bird's eye view of the Palm, the mountains and the Dubai city. Time felt slow and you soaked each moment. You ask your instructor about how many years he has been in the skydiving profession. He replies thirty three years. You are awestruck. He slowly makes the descent letting you feel the view profoundly.

You expected your landing site to be different. But then you see your instructor taking you to the Skydive office. Wow! Again you feel awestruck. You were asked to bend your knees for the landing. The instructor makes you land. The videographer asks about your experience. You describe the calmness you felt at the end. You thank your instructor profusely. You also thank your videographer.

You slowly walked back to the office with a smile that was hard to remove. A smile that will stay with you. A smile that pats your back for following your heart.

When chance and choice intertwine

There are moments in one's life where one is spellbound about the fickle nature of life - one wrong move (from chance's side or your side) and you wonder what could have happened.

This trip was more of a heart's calling. You decided to hear it and went for a one-day trip to Mussoorie far off from the place you work. As it was a sudden plan, you relied on Tatkal to get a confirmed berth from Delhi to Dehradun.

The incident happened while you were returning from Dehradun to Delhi. The day before was of deep fog. Winding hairpin bends. With almost no visibility, reaching safely to your train station was a cat's whisker escape.

You reached your train station in Dehradun and got on your train to Delhi. You had to get down at the early morning wee hours (4:30 am). You usually wake up if you set your mind. This day was different. You were relaxed enough that you didn't mind if you didn't wake up on time.

And that happened. You wake up on time and the next thing you realize (you would have dozed off!) is the train leaving Delhi station - the one you had to get down. You confirm whether it was indeed Delhi railway station that the train passed. Your worst fear came true when the train staff confirmed it indeed.

You started weighing options: One as this is a high-speed train, to get down at any Delhi railway station if the train stops there for some signal. Get a cab from there to Delhi airport to catch your flight back. Second, get down at the next stop which is Mathura. You will miss your Delhi flight but then you can maybe plan an Agra trip. 'Oh, no! You stopped your heart from that idea. You cut short your trip to Mussoorie to one day as you didn't have time and now you are thinking of an Agra trip!', you rebuked yourself.

You hoped for the first option to happen. And thanks to chance, the right opportunity peeped in. Within three km from Delhi station, your train halts. Maybe waiting for some signal, you don't know. The reason won't matter anyway to your present that moment.

You get off your train. Dark, early morning wee hours. All you have is your mobile torch. It was a quick decision and you relied heavily on chance to be favorable. As you slowly traversed the small sharp pebbles on the trackside, you were steady in your mind, alert enough to weigh in options for your safety. At one point on a track near you, you heard a train roaring in speed. You kept walking with the feeble light of your torch. Your ears were sharp, your eyes were sharp, your brain was sharp. Your brain was processing the possible situations that can happen eager to act if it senses something wrong. At some points, the tracks crossed each other and you were forced to walk through them to move forward. You carefully navigated them. Your Google Maps was on to track your real-time location. As you kept walking you were wishing Google Maps had a 'Railway track' option so that you could navigate easily. But then at moments like these, when our survival instincts kick in, we forget to check the Maps. It is some intuitive mode in our brain that works then.

Now comes the main part. A waterbody approached and there was no other way except you walk through the track. There is no railing for protection too. If you fall sideways you are on water. If some high-speed train zooms on the track you are walking, again you will have to jump to the water.

Thankfully that was a small stretch. You looked back to see any signs of a train approaching. No signs. Good. You ran that stretch crossing the waterbody. Then you kept walking on the sides of the track again, sometimes middle between multiple tracks (you decided on which side to walk based on your present judgment). Now you can see some train parcel office on the side - a huge indicator that your station is near. You kept walking. And then you saw the station. That moment! You were brimming with a deep sense of gratitude for chance. Anything could have happened. But then it didn't. You also thanked yourself for your alertness once you were on the track and for those momentary quick decisions you had to make.

Moments like this evoke a profound grounded feeling, and your humility soars. How many things are not in our control and if one of the things that we take for granted goes wrong, our whole life path would be altered.

After catching your flight and reaching your destination, you are spellbound. Your mind rewinded to that stretch where you were forced to walk on the track on the sides of the water body. You kept thinking again: one wrong move from chance (of course for chance there is no right or wrong move, but relative to you, a wrong move, in that sense) or unknowingly from you, and you would perhaps not be here telling this story! Speechless and spellbound, you smiled with profound gratitude.

Hanging on the edge of a cord...

Oh, bungee jumping - what is it about you that you have this vivid memory!

You go in some sort of gypsy van climbing the mountain to the bungee jumping office. You are briefed. You smile with a grin 'Bring it on!'. You are then asked to do a small hike to the bungee platform. Alone and humming a tune, you walk to the bungee platform. The cantilevered platform is painted bright yellow making it easy to spot. You roll up your sleeves and get excited. The platform looks sheltered till the end (or is it?).

You look down and think 'Oh, this is easy, they should have made the platform even higher.' You excitedly don the safety gear. You remember the dive first principle that can make the jumping easier. You start to rehearse it in your mind. You are calm. Cheerful instructors are guiding you, engaging in pep talk. You smile widely. Waddling like a penguin due to the safety gear, you reach the end.

'Ohhhh...my!!!!', you exclaim as the sheltered platform gives way to an unsheltered protrusion. With no roof above your head, standing on the protruding edge of the cantilevered platform, your brain finally fathoms the reality. They tell you not to look down and you do it anyway (well, not to blame us, right!). Birds fly out of your head. An intense fear grips you screaming 'Are you crazy? What are you doing? Don't jump'. You are blank. Is there a word for intensely blank – you are that. There is no dive first principle now. You hear vaguely your instructor saying ‘One…’.

Everything fades and you jump (mind you, they don’t push you). Your body does not like the jump. It feels uncomfortable. And the bungee cord halts. Your worst fear comes into picture: ‘Is there something wrong with the cord? Will I come out alive?’ You feel so helpless and tied, unable to move. You feel your weight being taken up by one of your arms as you are hanging sideways. You decide to let go. You think it is okay if there is something wrong with the cord too.

A complete surrender. Time stood still for what felt like an eternity. Then the cord started doing some gymnastics, twisting and turning you. You are like ‘Damn, you were still just a moment ago!’. Then the cord started slowly moving down and you could see two people down lifting a long stick for you to hold on. You try to catch it. After a few attempts, you hold it and they bring you down. They make you lie down and give you water.

Your brain is like, 'What just happened?'. You are then asked to hike back the mountain to the office. They had some ‘Supergirl’ song bellowing from speakers tied to the mountain trees. You pretend it's your theme song (what is the harm, right?). As you hike above, you think ‘I am so glad I jumped!’. And now you have a wide grin, unlike the earlier sheepish grin, this one was a nod to the mental growth you just gained from those few intense minutes!

Sea, I see you!

The sun rose just like any other day in Andaman. You're all set for your first scuba dive. They said you have to reach the dive shop by 5:30 am. Your heart drops. That's too early for you. You ask ChatGPT why this early, and it explains that early morning is the best time to dive. You breathe a sigh of relief.

At the dive shop, you wait for your instructor. A crew member instructs you to put on the scuba suit and a weight belt. Your instructor arrives and guides you and your fellow first-time divers to shallow waters from the shore. You carry the equipment carefully, avoiding the hidden rocks on the sea bottom. The instructor briefs you about the scuba gear. Your goggles seal your nose, so you have to breathe through your mouth. You learn underwater communication signals; apparently, the "super" emoji means "okay" in scuba diving. You like it.

Then, you head further into the sea and jump into a large white boat in the distance. Luckily, the crew carries your equipment. You climb a ladder hanging from the boat and sit. The crew is super chill, excitedly discussing which dive site to take you to. The names don't register in your mind. The crew helps you don the scuba gear piece by piece.

The boat stops. A crew member demonstrates how to jump vertically into the ocean with a big, long stride. When your turn comes, you jump.

You float almost instantly to the sea surface. Your instructor comes to you and magically makes you sink, fully controlling your scuba equipment. You are now inside the sea.

Blue. Light greenish-blue. That's what you see through your goggles. Schools of fish greet you. You forget the instructor, the camera crew member, and the other divers. You feel alone in the ocean. Whenever you feel pain in your ears, you pinch your nose just as instructed to equalize the pressure. Occasionally, you see the hand of your instructor giving you signals. Nothing feels unnatural, even your breathing. The scuba equipment inventors can pat themselves on the back. What an invention! Your instructor takes you down to the depths. You see the seabed. Spectacular coral reefs and astounding colors that nature has carefully hidden in the depths—hues of purple and green—stun you. You see a tiny clownfish and almost say, "Hi, Nemo! I found you," but you can't with the nozzle in your mouth. You see more clownfish and many other fish. You wish you knew their names. At some point, you feel your eyes might pop out in astonishment. What a beauty! You even like the air you're breathing from the cylinder. You're in a dreamy state of calmness.

Your instructor takes you to some other part of the sea. Marine life goes on, uncaring, as if you are part of it. You feel like a fish. Your instructor now slowly makes you ascend to the surface and the boat.

You're still in the past, amazed. No words. Just a wide smile. It feels as if you know the sea now. The sea will never be the same for you, you guess.

Soaring like a kite!

Turquoise blue waters. A bright blue floating pathway to a boat. You get in. You, along with five other parasailing enthusiasts and the boat crew, start sailing far from the beach. You see the thick rope attached to a pole in the boat. A parachute lies lazily at the end of the rope on the boat's surface. Meanwhile, the crew attaches the parasailing gear one by one to the enthusiasts. After sailing for a while, the enthusiasts are called one by one. Your turn comes. You clutch the parachute handles on both sides. As the boat sails forward, you are lifted upward and backward into the sky. You smile. You smile so wide that it hurts your jaw. The wind is rough. You clutch the parachute a bit tighter. You start moving up and down. You soar like a kite. After a few minutes, the crew pulls the rope back in and you land back on the boat. You smile again!

The jumping spree!

The deep green hue of the Umngot river was mesmerizing. You were taken on a serene boat along the river. At a pitstop with a cliff, they told you that you could jump off the cliff as many times as you liked. There were two points for jumping- the higher one reserved for divers, and the lower one for beginners. When you asked if you could do the higher one, they shook their heads. So, you went for the lower one.

Your spine shivered as you looked down at the river from the cliff. Deciding to go for it you jumped. You landed with a thud in the river, water rushing into your nostrils. It was unpleasant. You sank into the river, and your life jacket buoyed you back to the surface. Ha! There came the endorphins. A burst of them made you climb the cliff again and again and jump off it! Until it was time for the boat to head back, you couldn't control your jumping spree!

Swoosh....

Ah, ziplining! You remember it so fondly. It looked a bit intimidating at the start, as the valley you were about to zipline across was quite deep. Nevertheless, you decided to take the plunge. The crew informed you that you would have to do a series of ziplines, finally culminating in the main one across the valley. The main adrenaline rush was in the last one. Though you were hanging above a deep valley, you savored the river below, the waterfall in the distance, and the mountains in their glory. "Phew! What a ride!" you thought after completing the final one.

That hard giggle!

You were all set for bungee jumping, waiting excitedly at the office for your pick-up van. You waited and waited, but the van did not come. The officers there explained that the van was unable to reach due to heavy traffic, so your bungee jump wouldn't happen today. It was postponed to the next day.

Seeing that you came all the way for bungee jumping, the officers took pity on you and arranged a rafting expedition instead. You smiled, as you wanted to go rafting but didn’t think you could fit it into your tight schedule. Though you had done it a few times before, they said rafting on the Ganga was a must-experience.

An officer took you in his vehicle, zooming across the tightly packed traffic. It seemed like he was on a chase—and yes, he was. He chased a mini-van and spoke with the driver. It seemed your rafting trip was set. You got in the van, enduring a bumpy ride with a bunch of strangers. A slight tinge of fear enveloped you, but you trusted the process. The mini-van dropped you and your fellow rafters at the rafting point. It was a downhill path with rocks, and you carefully walked through them.

After a safety briefing that included the commands you needed to follow to sync the paddles, you entered the raft with your fellow mates. Together, you followed the commands—sometimes stilling the paddle, sometimes getting into the boat and tucking under when a big wave came. You kept paddling in sync. During the expedition, you were taken to a resting point where you could have Maggi and tea. There was a hidden gem of a waterfall there, and you forgot everything, soaking in the moment.

You were asked to join the raft again. Then your captain announced, "A deadly rapid is approaching, all in position." You braced yourself as the waves of the river engulfed and rocked the raft. The pure adrenaline made you giggle so hard. After a few minutes and a few more light rapids, you reached the rafting endpoint. You remembered that hard giggle and smiled.

Like a bird in the sky...

You were on your way to Manali from Sainj when you spotted a paragliding site. Your heart raced—you badly wanted to try it. You asked for the price, and they told you that payment was required in full before being taken in a Gypsy van to the hilltop for paragliding. You were apprehensive but decided to take the plunge.

A van stopped on the road, and they asked you to get in. You did and were taken to the hilltop, where you saw other paragliding enthusiasts sitting on the ground. A group of pilots was chattering excitedly. They asked for your weight and assigned you a pilot based on it. There was no first-come, first-served system; you had to wait for your pilot's turn.

You noticed the pilots looking at a distant point—someone whispered they were gauging the wind conditions. You and the other enthusiasts waited until the winds were favorable.

Finally, after some confusion about the order of turns, your pilot approached and called you over. He instructed you not to lift your knees and to keep running. You were nervous, especially in your slippers, but on his signal, your pilot rushed forward like a gust of wind. You started running but involuntarily lifted your knees. Still, your pilot made the jump, and suddenly, you were airborne.

You had always dreamed of flying, and now you knew what it felt like. You soared like a bird, enjoying every moment—until your pilot, trying to add some thrill, started doing stunts. Not realizing you preferred calm, he quickly stopped when you requested no more stunts. The experience was too beautiful for words—it felt as if you were gliding over rivers, roads, and hills, living your dream of flight.

Soon, you sensed the pilot lowering the parachute toward the landing spot. He gave you instructions for a smooth landing, which you followed religiously. Your pilot expertly executed the maneuver, and you landed safely. You watched as the other enthusiasts landed after you. Reliving the in-air moments, you got into another van that took you back to the paragliding office.