Flying in the sky

We are about to embark on a week long camping trip in El Cocuy and will not be around Internet! So instead of giving M, G, and F all heart attacks we decided to post early 🙂

When we were in Bogota I happened to pick up a lonely planet that was at our couch surfers house and decided to read what they recommended for Colombia. While reading I came across a section on paragliding in Bucaramanga. I also noted that not only do they offer fights, you can also get lessons on how to fly! Instantly I envisioned us getting licensed and experienced enough to fly and begin doing tandem flights as a job. I thought maybe we could intern and do dirty work for them in exchange for flight lessons! So away we went to Bucaramanga.

Upon arrival we were a bit unsure on how to get to the only hostel in town, Kasa Guane, but we found our way thanks to some very helpful and kind Bucaramangans.

Once we got settled in to the hostel we decided to check out the city. The people are absolutely wonderful here! There are very few tourists who make it to this city, so when the locals notice a foreigner they want to help in every way possible and make sure you are as happy as they :)! It is a very clean city full of interesting architecture and over 30 parks (and these parks actually have not only trees, but grass flowers and fancy night lighting in them!)!

One of the many parks:

After exploring the city and taking ourselves out on dates we decided to get serious about staying in Bucaramanga and ventured up the hill to The Nest. We were told through email that they didn’t need any help with work but to come up and check it out anyway. Plus there was a pool and a place to set up tent so we were in!

The nest is located right next to a paragliding launch site and is occupied by either the paragliding students or traveling pilots who want to be able to take advantage of as many flights a day as possible. It has beautiful views of Bucaramanga and surrounding cities and is incredibly relaxing and quiet. After sundown the owners and workers all return home and leave the guests free to mingle and chill in the house. The hostel is run by the sweetest Colombian women ever! We have spent many of our hours up here talking about life, the good and the bad. She is a very strong Colombian woman who has been so good and kind to us that I know we will both miss her greatly.

While up here we have both realized that the courses are too expensive for our budget and that the dream of being a paragliding pilot is for another period in our lives, when we can dedicate some time and money to get the experience necessary. We did still decide to go on a tandem ride and try out the acrobatics that all the Colombians love to do!

Tonight our plan is to head down the hill to town and rumba until 3am in Bucaramanga, when we will then need to catch a ride to the bus terminal for our 4:30am bus to El Cocuy!

Tags: Bucaramanga, Colombia, travel blog