We will start with the more boring and less funny of the two stories.  Para-glidng over Iquique was quite amazing.  I was absolutely terrified to do it but I wanted to conquer my fear.  This outing didn’t require me signing a document which said they were not liable for my death either so it actually must have a low fatality rate.   I wish I had thought of that before I went.  The night before Itossed and turned and could barely sleep because I was so anxious!  Another guy from the hostel had decided to do it as welll as he explained that it was much safer than white water rafting.  He thought rafting was crazy.  Anyway,  at 10 am the little van picked us up from the hostel and it was full.  A few visiting pilots who were going solo including a woman from san diego and the instructors.  I was nearly shaking.  When we got up to the take off spot (500 meters up) I was jumping up and down to try to release nervous energy.  I watched closely as a few people took off ahead of myself and the other guy.  My tandem pilot had been doing it for 14 years and that made me feel better.  I got starpped in and was only held to the pilot by  two straps and some carabiners.  He prepared the parachute and it grabbed the air and we lifted off then went back down then lifted again and one more time we ran towards the edgo of the cliff and took off into the blue morning sky.  We reached heights of over 600 meters.  THere was a strong thermal wind that lifted us to the top of the mountain.  About 8 para-gliders in all in the sky cruising above below and all around us.  We were cruising at the same pace as the birds that were right next to us.  I recaived a miniature history lesson while in the air as we soared over the tall building of the city.  We can down about 25-30 minutes after gliding over the ocean and then a nice soft landing on the beach.  It was quite an experience.  I did feeel  a little woozy after but it cleared up in a couple hours.

Ok, now for how I defied death by a bunk bed today.  ELisa and I were taking some post breakfast naps and I was just waking up and Elisa turned over and her entire bunk bed fell on top of me.  The bracket had given out and I was pinned under the bed.  Quite an alarming way to wake up.  I told her if she wanted to be on the bottom bunk she could have just told me!  There are nicer ways of going about things than dropping a bed and frame on someone.  We were both pretty startled but made a good  lot of jokes about it.  It seems we cannot leave a city without having an encounter with death or serious bodily harm.  I luckily sustained no injuries other than a scratch on my toe.  When one of the handymen came in he asked what we did with the rest of the bed because he didn’t even realize that it had completely fallen!  All is well though.  WE switched rooms and we get free breakfast tomorrow.  Assuming the same thing doesn’t happen in this next bunk bed and I may not be so lucky this time to wake up for breakfast!!!