Another hot one. It can only be in the mid seventies, but when that sun beats down directly, it's very intense. I found a nice rose garden to sit in, with a gazebo, right by the boat dock. It's really nice in the shade.
So anyway, I went skydiving today! Yep, I took the plunge, 15,000 feet up in the air, right over the beautiful Lake Taupo. It was amazing. The scenery and the feeling, the whole experience was surreal. My tandem master was Marley, an Aussie, really nice, immediately made me feel comfortable with the jump. They get you suited up, harnessed in, and into the plane. Smallest plane I've ever been in. Up we went, 5,- 10,- 15,000 feet. It took about 20 minutes to go all the way up- which was great, because I just looked out the window at the patchwork below the whole time. Marley pointed out some of the mountains, and Rotorua, and a few places around Taupo.
When we reached the high point, they opened the door, and each of the divers took their turn jumping out. There were about 6 of us going; I was last. Fortunately, they dont give you much time to be nervous, because your tandem master is pushing you toward the door and out of the plane. You stop for a second right before you jump to take a photo, and then you're falling. Fast. The first few seconds were a blur, trying to readjust and let myself just enjoy the fall. I looked up at the plane, saw it flying away, and then Marley tapped me on the shoulder to let me know I could let my arms out to feel like I'm flying. The resistance was crazy. Cold air blasting at you from below. The freefall lasted 60 seconds, but felt like 15. Then the parachute gets pulled, and you're suddenly just coasting. More time to enjoy the scenery and to process what just happened. Marley let me pull the steering cords, so we did spins. That was really fun. And then we drifted a few minutes more to the landing area. It was all so smooth and seamless; it went by much too quickly, but I enjoyed every second. I want to do it again!
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