HGFA Skysailor Magazine

24 SKY SAILOR May | June 2019 I n my first year of flying I had mixed experiences and only clocked up 16.5 hours, so I was always looking out for flying opportunities. I still hadn’t had the chance to top land, or launch in moderate to strong winds. Winter was approaching – the flying season was soon to end. My mate John Nash contacted me and asked whether I’d be interested in joining him on a paragliding tour to Bali with Cloudbase. My first hurdle was to clear this with the ‘boss’. I had many family commitments in the calendar, but the boss, who is actually my dear wife, saw the excitement in my eyes and gave her blessing. I knew I’d left it late, but I contacted Mark from Cloudbase, who was in Austria running the European tour at the time, to see if I could cross the next hurdle. Unfortunately, Mark indicated that the tour John had booked was full. I was absolutely gutted. Mark told me not to worry too much and put my name on the waiting list and I held my breath. Four days later, he called with news that I could take the place of a last minute cancelation, so I booked my tickets that very night. I was so excited! The booking process was effortless. Cloudbase ran an online (and funny) survey to gather all the information needed and had all the modern payment methods which made it simple. Before I knew it, I was sitting on a plane, watching a Jackie Chan movie on my way to Denpasar, followed by a 30-minute cab ride from Denpasar airport to a hotel which had obviously become a second home to Cloudbase and its family of pilots over the years. Upon arrival at the hotel, I couldn’t help but notice a massive ‘Welcome Cloudbase Family’ banner in the front garden area, and staff welcomed me by name. I was met by a bunch of characters in colourful Cloudbase tour shirts who were resting in the lobby bar after a whole day of flying on the hill that afternoon. I could feel the vibe – I was in my happy place. Next morning, I met the Cloudbase crew – Chris, Mark, Geoff and Steve. They were super welcoming while we ate breakfast together. I felt like I’d known them for ages. I was nervous about flying in a new place, but my confidence build rapidly while we chatted over poached eggs and cappuccino. Since it was the first day of the tour, there was an extensive briefing in the conference room. Mark and Chris covered Bali culture, tips, hints and, of course, pilot information about the site, and general flying protocols and particulars. Everyone had an opportunity to provide a personal introduction and the vibe was super comfortable. It was clear that safety was paramount, and this balanced with the relaxed and fun feel of Bali. Not long after the briefing, the crew sent the alert that flying was on, so we all piled into the free hotel bus and headed to the hill. Chris conducted a detailed site briefing and we were able to observe the Balinese tandems and get a better Charming The Cobra In 2018 in Bali, I learnt how to charm the cobra! by Darran Irving Darran Irving with the Cloudbase family Photo: Mark Rossi Mark with a very happy passenger