Day 29

So today was a day of firsts. We woke early and got ready because my family was sending me paragliding for my birthday present. How awesome is that?! We first walked down to the bike rental shop to rent bikes for the day. Free of course because this town is awesomely eco-friendly. Jen and I got to use electric bikes for the first time. They were pretty fantastic. It sure made going up hills easy and downhills even faster. We then biked up the road to the base of the mountain where the tandem paragliding company was located.

I bought a ticket for the ski lift gondola and took the stunning ride up to the top of the mountain to meet the person who would be giving

my my ride. The view at the top was a 360 degree panoramic of stellar mountains. I met the instructor and was suited up in my harness. Soon after that we were running of the edge of the mountain into paragliding bliss. What a fantastic feeling it was just to soar around. Now I know what a bird feels like gliding through the air. It was hard not just to stare at the stunning scenery while we caught a few thermals that pushed us higher into the air. The ride lasted about 25 minutes. I think I had a grin the whole time we were in the air. I was even allowed to control the flight for a little bit, making a few turns and a couple of 360s. On the way down, my pilot gave us interesting ride by taking us on the 'rollercoaster'. Tight turns, ups and downs, and a corkscrew...so fun! What an experience...I want to go again.

After landing, we biked home for lunch, then set off to find a trail for

hiking. We found a trailhead, parked our bikes, and set off on a pretty miserable hike. It was pretty hot and Abby was very grouchy. Which made the rest of us kind of down. We pushed on and hiked for about an hour, then Abby decided she wasn't going any further. Josiah graciously waited with her while Jen and I walked a little further ahead until we found a great lookout. We called the kids up to come see it and by the time they reached that point Abby was in a better mood. The hike down went quickly along with a fun downhill bike fom the trailhead to our apartment.

After some rest time and a shower, we rode into town to play at the park and try out some of the free electric toys. Jen and I had a blast riding around on a Segway for the first time. Weird to get used to at first but it was pretty intuitive and easy to get the hang of. We rode around for half an hour, then returned our bike rentals, got groceries,

and ate supper. After dinner, the kids and I went to the park where I said hello to an Arabic family from Sharjah. Then we headed to the village square to snag some time with the free wi-fi.