As a child, I was always afraid of heights. I remember a tree on the Grandpas farm. It had, what remained of, an old tree house in it. I always wanted to climb that tree but, I never had the nerve to do it. I could make it to the last level of the ladder, but never the top. The only rollercoaster I ever road was the small one in the mall of America, and I had my eyes closed the entire time so I don’t think it counts.
When I decided to come to Argentina, I decided that I would try to experience as much s possible while I was here. So, my first weekend here, I went on a trip to Mendoza, Argentina. The very famous wine capital.
The first day I visited a bodega and tasted the famous Malbec. Heaven.
The second day I trekked 11,800 feet up the Andes Mountains. The view was spectacular. While trekking, I stopped to drink out of stream. It was the purest liquid I’ve ever had. How could there not be a God with tastes, sights and sounds like those that I experienced while trekking? The formations of the mountains demanded respect. The wind was so fuerte that, at times, we had to crouch down and hold on to rocks so that we would be blown away.
The third day…
I jumped into the back of a 4x4 and started praying. It was cold and foggy outside and I hoped that the sun would peak through the clouds before my descent. The sun always makes me happier…gives me hope. The driver drove up the winding and very narrow roads of the mountain. He drove quickly and we were so close to the edge that I was sure we would fall off. As we drove higher, I lost sight of the main road and saw pure beauty. The lush, green mountains looked like giants; tall and strong. At three different times, I was certain we had made it too our stop, but we just kept going up…up…UP! I forced myself to face only the jagged mountain walls instead of the other way because I couldn’t bear to see how high and how close we were to the edge. My heart was beating so loudly that I was certain that the man sitting next to me could hear it. I glanced at him from time to time. He seemed happy and tranquil, like he was meditating with his eyes opened. He was older and I was glad because he was going to be my guide. I hoped his age meant that he had been doing this for a long time. I really didn’t know because no one spoke English. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from vomiting. God, please don’t let me die. I thought. How will they teach me how to take off and land if I don’t understand Spanish? Please…Please…PLEASE keep me safe. I have a bad feeling… Just as I was about to ask the driver to take me back, we stopped. I opened my eyes. God had answered one of my prayers. I could see the sun from up here, and a few rays of light shone through the clouds like holes in the floor of heaven. It was breath-taking; literally, it was very hard to breath. What if I fall…what If I turn out like Marcos? Marcos and his wife were the ones who organized my trip. Marcos was a professional flyer for 10 years and then, two years ago, he crashed into another glider and fell. He mangled his legs and now he needs walking sticks in order to walk. It takes him at least 3…no 4 times as long to walk.
“AHHHH!” I heard a loud scream and turned to see the first person take flight. Once in the air, she began laughing and smiling. “Te…Te…Tengo miedo” I stuttered to my guide as he strapped me in my gear. “No te preocupas.” He said as he handed me my helmet. “Uno…dos…tres.” I felt myself being pulled backward and struggled to stay standing upright as the wind caught my tent. “Camine Daniella!” Before I new it, I walked off the mountain. The girl who was afraid to climb the tree, PARAGLIDED OFF OF a 6,500 FOOT MOUNTAIN!
The view was AMAZING! My guide took me higher and higher. We went higher than anyone else, which sort of freaked me out, but it was too late to worry. I hadn’t felt that much happiness and joy in years. I feel happy daily, but this was like ecstasy.
Twenty amazing minutes later, we descended and walked to a halt. Easy as pie. I’ll never forget that day. Now I know I can ride a rollercoaster!
