Is that safe?

There is a saying in the Bahamas 'don't let your mouth carry you where your foot can't bring you back from'.  I think that may also apply to putting yourself into situations you can't get out of!


One minute I was enjoying a Mojito in the hotel pool and next I am up in the air ready to puke the aforementioned cocktail.  All I said was 'I've never been paragliding' which prompted my action girl sister to drag me along to a group of men smoking dope and paying them money to strap me into a harness.

I am not a Health and Safety fanatic but correct me if I am wrong, paragliding is an 'extreme sport' so should some sort of risk assessment not have been carried out?  I was a bit concerned no-one weighed me to see if the boat I would be attached to could actually carry me.

I was taken out to a rickety, wooden platform in the middle of the sea used for fishing where two sleeping men were rudely awakened, jumped up and attached my harness to the 'line'.  I am really not the most co-ordinated of people and the three minute instructions given on take-off and landing positions was simply not sufficient. 

On take-off, I felt the crunch of my toe and my stomach did several somersaults as I was lifted higher and higher over the Caribbean Sea.  I was just about to puke when everything suddenly became calm and I thought 'wow'.  It was amazing.  The views were amazing.  The feeling of absolute stillness was amazing.  The warmth of the sun as I floated above was amazing.  The broken toe was throbbing but I didn't care.