The Land of Funshine

Part 3- by: Jacob Glass

By KAVU

April 12^th, 2022

For those that have been following along, you probably have detected certain themes to the previous two sections of my trip in Colombia. While in Apia, I reveled in learning about this country’s spectacular biodiversity. Then while in Roldanillo, we focused more on airtime and team flying. In the third and final installment, the emphasis will be on enjoying more friendships from home, helping others access the fun, and flying for the pure love of the game!!

Our setting is located in the southern portion of the Valle de Cauca, in the pastoral town of Santa Elena. This relaxed hamlet of roughly 5000 acts as the weekend getaway for the residents of the nearby sprawling metropolis Cali. Here, the urbanites enjoy family time with diversions such as cycling, swimming in the Pomo river, wine tasting, and visiting the museum estate of celebrated Colombian author Jorge Issacs.

This area is also revered by pilots the world over because it offers a more friendly flying experience than the more XC oriented venue of Roldanillo to the north. Newer pilots here can develop & hone their thermalling skills, boat around enjoying the scenery, and make their first stabs at distance flying in a less stressful environment.

Joining this portion of the goodness is another squadron of flying friends from Missoula. The majority of this group is newer to the sport of paragliding, and this would be their first international flying trip. The great thing about this dynamic is that so much good learning occurs and almost any amount of airtime leads to WIDE SMILES!

We stayed at a hotel called Siga La Vaca. With pools, a ping pong table, and several places to play card games late into the evenings, this was a great “base camp” for the group. We ate breakfast communally and would discuss, with bubbling enthusiasm, our hopes and strategies for the day of flying to come.

We connected with a local PG "fixer" named James. He was an upbeat and genuine guy, always willing to help answer questions. He would pick us up evermore in his truck and whisk us up to the launch.

Up on launch, we would set reasonable plans for the day based upon the specific pilot’s experience level and the forecast conditions. Unfortunately, there was a lot of precipitation for the duration of our stay. However, the tropics still allow for a few hours of flying possibility even if there was a heavy downpour that same morning. Unwilling to let the foulweather rain on our parade, we maintained a high level of stoke and appreciation for being in such a beautiful setting with an awesome gaggle of friends!

During the course of our time there, we merrily added a few new friends to our numbers. We met Brix, a 50 something year old from Salt Lake City, John, a 30 year old from the Bay Area, and Eric, the magnificently incorrigible 25 year old from Colorado.

These three added a lot to the scene with their varying backgrounds and welcoming personalities. We flew with them, walked around the town center with them, and talked late into the night with them. Eric and I bonded quite memorably over some inane shenanigans together. ;)

One of my highlights of the week was flying with Dwayne during his first XC flight!! He completed his introductory paragliding training this past summer in Missoula, and boy was the stoke high with this one! Though he had some difficulties with the weak lift resulting from the frequent rainfall, the man was undeterred. After a few days getting used to the area, Dwayne put together some puzzle pieces and linked several thermals together! He picked a fallow agriculture field for his LZ and landed excellently! The permagrin on this guy's face was fantastic! We celebrated his important milestone and then made our way back to the road to get back to the launch for more.

Dwayne, who is 6’4”, hiked us out through some pretty raw countryside.

I, who is definitively not 6’4”, was swallowed up in the tall grass trying to keep up with him. We kept track of one another by the sound of our laughter! No complaints... in the name of good fun!!

Fortunately, everyone experienced similar successes during our stay. Whether it was longest time aloft, highest elevation gain over launch, or not vomiting in the air as often (I will spare you the Gopro video), each member of the crew left with cherished memories.

Best of all, we all became a lot closer :)

A big shout out to my fellow Missoulians Stephen, Dwayne, Kelsey, Jenn, Aaron, and Patrick!! You guys made this portion of the trip an absolute blast for me. Thank you!!

Am I going to return to Colombia, a country of incomparable natural wonders, friendly souls, and open skies? The answer is a resounding YES!!

Postscript: The weekend after returning to Missoula, I celebrated my 29th birthday with the same friends with whom I had created so many fantastic memories in Colombia. As much as I love paragliding, I cherish even more the great people I have been able to meet and befriend while searching for airtime. Simply put, these relationships are what add the most value to life.