See Inggrid Fly!

I stayed in Taiwan 4 days longer than my classmates. It was my first time traveling completely alone in a foreign land. Armed with bits and pieces of Mandarin, (words & phrases I picked up from listening to my mom and dad converse while growing up), and plenty of "I'm-sorry-to-trouble-you-but-I-need-your-help" kind of smile I was able to book and go on a paragliding adventure atop a mountain in Green Bay, Taiwan (not Wisconsin).

But this adventure was not without delays and obstacles... I was planning to go paragliding on Friday since my flight leaves next day, Saturday at 5pm. But the winds were not ideal to fly in on Friday. I remember my paragliding instructor, Michael, who said:
"It's better to be on the ground wishing to fly, rather than flying and wishing to be on the ground."

Michael, paragliding instructor & free-spirit

 Lunch-time on the mountain while waiting for the wind to calm down. 

Shirtless kid is the youngest experienced paraglider at 16 y/o. He is Ye-Ma's son

 Got invited to eat a bowl of Taiwanese flat rice noodle while waiting with fellow paragliders

After waiting for over 3 hours for the wind to change, I left the launch site really disappointed. The next morning, I packed my suitcase and was arranging the cab ride to the airport. But something inside of me kept on nagging and saying, "You can't leave without flying! Not after all that you have gone through." So, I called the paragliding club owner, Ye-Ma (a.k.a. Mustang), who said, "We're flying! Come here now!!"

I looked at the time... 10:30 a.m. I have to be at the airport by 3 p.m. at the very latest. Can I make it?

Call me crazy, but the next thing I know, I was in a cab heading back up the mountain. Cab driver didn't know where this place was. Well, neither do I! I took the bus from the city center to get there on Friday based on the instruction the hotel concierge gave me. The driver pulled-over to call his buddy to see if he'd know where the place was... no luck. Then, I asked him to speak to Ye-Ma himself to get the directions. I was nervous because time was running out... I don't want to miss my flight. But I don't want to miss out flying on my own either!

Finally, I got there... 11:45 a.m. Ye-Ma knew about my flight leaving in 5 hours. He put me in front of 40 other people who were waiting in-line to fly, geared me up and within 10 minutes, I was flying high up in the sky!

By 12:30 p.m., I was on my way back down the mountain. I didn't miss any of my flights :) Thanks to Ye-Ma and Michael!

Getting ready for my first flight!

Ye-Ma, Mustang Paragliding Club owner