Parasailing @ Ferringhi Beach, Penang

next to giving birth to three boys, this is definitely the craziest thing i've ever done : parasailing.

yes, i was strapped to a parachute with mr. khairul behind me, high up in the air and pulled by a boat. oh, and i was screaming my head off.

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yeap. that's me and mr. khairul

oh, i still couldn't believe i did it!

parasailing, also known as parascending, is a recreational activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a specially designed parachute, known as a parasail. the boat then drives off, carrying the parascender into the air. the parascender has little or no control over the parachute.

~ wikipedia

paragliding is often confused with parasailing but here are the differences : though both involve a parachute-like canopy, the parasailer is pulled by a boat, whereas the paraglider takes off from hills or mountains and relies on air currents and winds to maintain or gain height.

did i mention i still can't believe i did it?

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it was mr. khairul who was interested to try, and he managed to dragged me into it. man, this is what i get marrying an adventurous freak! he has done bungee jumping before while in the states, so this is so kacang la to him!

these are the steps we took before actually taking off into the blue sky :

1. wear life jackets
2. wear harness that must be properly strapped tight, because this harness is the one connecting us to the parachute, and the tow rope of the boat that will be pulling us

before flying off, the beach guy gave a 'briefing' - which i wasn't listening to, (but trying hard to look like i did! - complete with head-nod and frown!) because i was busy being scared crazy! what was i thinking getting into this! was it too late to escape? haha.

he gave the instructions clear, brief and very fast - well, having done this a million times, i was sure.

1. the boat would take a few turns at sea
2. once he gives signal to land, he'll shout 'tarik!' (pull!) and mr. khairul must immediately pull a yellow rope on his left side - this navigates the parachute to the left
3. once near land, he will then shout 'lepas!' (let go!) and mr. khairul must let go of the yellow rope, or else we would end up smacking a tree!
4. once inches above land, he will shout 'lari!' (run!) so that we would run, and avoid falling down flat on our bums!

i was already very nervous listening to the instructions - as i was imagining the flight, and the fall - and we haven't even went off the ground yet!

and then it became real to me - we're really doing this!

the boat slowly moved outwards to sea, and i watched in horror as the very long tow rope connecting us to the boat slowly unravel.

...which meant we'd be pulled UP by the boat any seconds now!

credit to mr. khairul's sister tina for this all the awesome shots, especially this one - where the parachute blew up big and flew us up in the sky!

...and there we were - to infinity, and beyond!

how would i describe it? scary. exhilarating. unbelievable. happy. crazy.

scary:

• i couldn't look down. well, actually i did, and i decided i couldn't.
• gile jauh dari laut. laut dalam. dalam sangat. ada jaws tak? takut!
• when the boat swerved, the parachute swerved, and we swerved. aaaaghhhhh!

exhilarating:

• i was doing something adventurous in the great outdoor. this was NOT me!
• the feel of flying is indescribable
• to be one with the wind around me, with the sky above me, with the sea below me

happy

• i was up there with mr. khairul. he's strong, and he can swim. he's my man - nuff said!

bulan madu di awan biru

tiada yang menggangu

bulan madu di atas pelangi

hanya kita berdua!

...tiba-tibe gedebuk!

here's what i saw as we went down :

tiny people. or people looking tiny.

people waving.

people jumping up and down (and here, by people, i mean khaleef. haha)

people shouting, "tarik!", "lepas!" "lari!"

it was weird. i felt as if we were really gonna crash upon this island where there were already people who shipwrecked as well, calling and waving at us to come save them.

i felt like one of the casts in the tv series 'lost'.

sigh.

it was a fantastic experience, when i sat quietly and thought about it. and then i decided, hey - i would do it again!

thanks to brader man panjang, whose friendly smiles and attention to detail had provided us this unforgetable adventure upon the blue skies.

if you chance upon ferringhi beach, penang, do look for him for great price to parasail. believe me, whatever he quotes - it's cheap. to do parasailing in dubai marina, you have to pay triple of what he's charging!

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mak ngan bapak bercinta di awan biru, budak-budak buat pe?

one swims. one plays with sand. one sleeps. yes, in that order.

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khaleef with his aunty ya, and sisters tina and diyana

thanks again to mr. khairul's sis tina, for the pictures of us parasailing. yes! an unforgetable adventure indeed!