Diving Into the Sky
When I got to the open door of the Twin Otter plan and looked out, my mind seemed to stop. I was not sure if I could have made a decision to jump. I could not hear the jump master's* count to three, but sensed it from the forward and back motion of my body with each count. Before I could make sense of what was going on, I found the solid floor of the plane was no longer present under my feet and I was falling into a void. My body tensed up and a thought crept in that there is nothing to hold on to...
The jump master tapped on my shoulder and pointed towards something. I turned my head to see another sky diver (our cameraman) waving at me. Immediately everything made sense and I waved back at him. I was doing a Tandem sky dive from 12,500 feet above Lake Elsinore near Los Angeles, USA.
Stillness
Many years ago I was hiking in the Borivali National Park, Mumbai, India. I started at the break of dawn and headed deep into the jungle. After about an hour of hiking in dense forest, I came upon a clearing. On reaching the clearing I was greeted with the breathtaking sight of nature in its full glory. The expansive Tulsi Lake* was in front of me. Beyond the lake, mountains could be seen. The morning fog had not yet cleared. And the lake was absolutely still. There was not even a slightest ripple on the surface of the lake and it reflected the mountains and foggy sky. It all appeared so surreal. I was entranced by the sight and stood still for few minutes to take it all in.
Notes:
* Jump master: A professional sky-diver who is harnessed to the tandem sky-diver i.e. me
* Tulsi Lake is situated in the core area of the National Park and is no longer open to public
When I got to the open door of the Twin Otter plan and looked out, my mind seemed to stop. I was not sure if I could have made a decision to jump. I could not hear the jump master's* count to three, but sensed it from the forward and back motion of my body with each count. Before I could make sense of what was going on, I found the solid floor of the plane was no longer present under my feet and I was falling into a void. My body tensed up and a thought crept in that there is nothing to hold on to...
The jump master tapped on my shoulder and pointed towards something. I turned my head to see another sky diver (our cameraman) waving at me. Immediately everything made sense and I waved back at him. I was doing a Tandem sky dive from 12,500 feet above Lake Elsinore near Los Angeles, USA.
Stillness
Many years ago I was hiking in the Borivali National Park, Mumbai, India. I started at the break of dawn and headed deep into the jungle. After about an hour of hiking in dense forest, I came upon a clearing. On reaching the clearing I was greeted with the breathtaking sight of nature in its full glory. The expansive Tulsi Lake* was in front of me. Beyond the lake, mountains could be seen. The morning fog had not yet cleared. And the lake was absolutely still. There was not even a slightest ripple on the surface of the lake and it reflected the mountains and foggy sky. It all appeared so surreal. I was entranced by the sight and stood still for few minutes to take it all in.
Notes:
* Jump master: A professional sky-diver who is harnessed to the tandem sky-diver i.e. me
* Tulsi Lake is situated in the core area of the National Park and is no longer open to public
1 comment:
loved your narration of sky diving experience.
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