Day 11: Paragliding

Flying a paraglide over Pokhara and spending the last night with the kids made for an exciting and emotional day.

Awoke with excitement this morning as I quickly finished packing up my stuff. We had bread, jelly, peanut butter, and a special treat of an egg this morning before walking an hour and a half into town. We then met up with a car and were dropped off at the place to go paragliding.

We walked around the town while waiting for our pilots. When they arrived we had a bumpy road up the mountain. We were then put in our harness and took off. I spent 15 minutes flying over Pokhara. I felt so free like a bird and fully embraced the experience. My pilot took lots of photos and videos to remember the fight. The coolest part was waving at my friends as they flew by.

Before we landed my pilot asked me if I wanted to do some acrobatics which consisted of swinging back and forth and doing some spirals. It felt like I was on a roller coaster, but with an incredible view. I was so sad when my time was up and we had to land.

As soon as we got on the ground I wanted to go straight back up the mountain and go paragliding again. It was one of the most relaxing yet exhilarating activities I have ever done and I can't wait to do it again. Next up is skydiving (sorry mom).

We went back to the place and collected our photos from the flight and our belongings. We headed back to the orphanage for a lunch of Dal Bhat and potatoes. Despite eating the same thing every day, I still looked forward to each meal. I then set my stuff down in the guest house and went to play with the kids.

We were taught lots of dances and placed in very specific formations. We had to practice many times and then perform for the kids who would sing the songs for us. Once I got a hang of the different routines I had an awesome time dancing with them.

A few hours of performing later we had a closing ceremony where the lady in charge put Tika on our foreheads, gave the boys traditional Nepalese hats, and the girls handmade bags from their program.

We then had our final dinner at the orphanage. They spoiled us with Dal Bhat, potatoes, chicken curry and french fries. Afterwards we hung out with the kids until they went off to bed. To celebrate we went for ice cream where I had another delicious chocolate shake. We headed back to the guest house and packed up our stuff before going to bed.

I had an amazing time volunteering at the Rainbow Children Home and the farm and definitely want to come back another time. It is bittersweet leaving as I am sad to leave the kids, but excited for the next part of our adventure, Everest Base Camp.