All happening...

Yesterday our objective was to fly to Dharamsala and if we got there quick enough, fly back before it switched off.
We were all up early and got our paperwork ready as the ban in Bir / Billing is officially over.

Sorting local licences and disclaimer before flying

There were already a queue of pilots when we got to the road to take off but Eddy soon got everything done and we were on our way to take off. This was the first time that we flew from here and the launch is a pretty committed one as it drops of very steep. The wind was light and as usual, I was one of the first to forward launch. I managed to use the house thermal to take me high enough to start making the transitions.

Dharamsala is nearly 50km away and the day proved to be very difficult once again with low cloudbase all the way. The HGV's were soon playing with us in the sky as usual and we were using a combination of soaring and thermaling to get us to our destination. It was a great site to go over the last ridge and see Dharamsala come into view.

I was leading the way but much lower than the others so I set my sights on landing in one of the football grounds that I could see. From above I could here someone speaking over a tannoy system and could also see that there was some kind of fair going on and quite a few people there. I could also see a few flagpoles around the pitch so aimed and landed in the centre so me or the wing did not get hooked.

The kids in Dharamsals were a pushy bunch 

My track from Billing to Bir can be found here.

Unfortunately, on landing I heard that one of our guys had an incident near the take off whilst trying to avoid a guy from another group. He hit the ground quite hard and seems to somehow avoided serious injury. I have not spoken to him myself as yet but understand that he is better today and walking around.

When we landed, the speaker of the football match made an announcement and welcomed 'the foreign paraglider pilots' and we were made guests of honour.
You wouldn't have thought it the way the kids were coming at us. I made a mistake by picking one of them up. The next thing there are loads of kids wanting me to pick them up and hanging off my arms and legs as I walked towards the exit...

We then had a chai and jumped in a couple of minibuses to take us to the Sky Hotel in Bhagsu which is a bit higher than Mcleodganj where I stayed on my second night in India. We were greeted by the owner who is a paraglider himself and he gave us complimentary beer and whisky.
We were also informed that the night would be a party night as there was a pre-wedding celebration that would go on all night.
We all sat in line whilst some people gave us plates made with leaves and served us food for a while before the band started.

Eagerly awaiting dinner after a hard flight

The calm before the storm

   The night was crazy with people dressed as animals, kids with strange masks on and local women appearing somewhat possessed and having to be escorted from the dance floor. The music finally stopped as it got light which was not so great for some of the group who could not sleep. A big walk to the local take off site was planned for the day.

Once again we dived in a couple of minibuses and took a somewhat exciting journey though the streets of McLeodganj and up a small dirt track with BIG drops to the side of the road that would certainly cause us damage if we were to go over the side. We would meet the occasional car and hoped for the best as we squeezed by.  We got as close to takeoff as transport / access permitted and some hired a porter to take the gliders up to launch - me included.

Fantastic views on the way to launch

The launch was again quite tricky as the wind seemed to change direction often and increase and decrease in strength. I took off and had to recover the wing as I ran towards a small cafe at the 2500m area we launched from, flying over the top and heading to the next ridge.
It was a late start and we did not get off much before to be a difficult day again. Climbs were averaging 2-3m/s  and even though base was higher, an inversion meant t was difficult to gain real height.

The second part of the flight needed a change of game plan as the lift was becoming rarer and weaker so instead of the racing, we need to fly at a much slower pace.
As I neared the landing zone in Bir, I realised that it would not be possible today and landed in a field where I was greeted by the locals and even proposed to!

They love have their picture taken

The tracklog for the day can be found here.

I think tomorrow could be a day off. We have 2 out of 4 official guided days left for the trip. Freeflying amongst ourselves can continue.... But now, need sleep...