By Andrew Morgan

Manilla isn't the only mountain to have a Basher.

Bashing our way up this bleak treeless Andean mountain track in the middle of the Atacama Desert, I am already becoming airborne in my seat. Although Pachucamuc Mountain approaches a vertical slope, the pace is relentless. It is already over a 1,000ft drop and I say to Luis, "You know Luis, if we leave the track now we won't stop until we reach the base of the mountain". But Luis reassures, "No, no, last time we roll this [Basher] we only roll three times. Stop on big rock. Lucky big rock, or we all die".

The pace earlier in the day had been quite different, the Peruvian pilots sitting around kicking the dust all morning, looking for positive signs of wind drift. But the moment it is announced 'on', the poor old 'land basher' is put through a WRX trial marathon.

I found South American flying sites on the net. Amongst candidates there was one site which stood out as a must-do on my South American adventure hit list. But it wasn't here; it was meant to be flying above the high-rises in Miraflores, at Lima, Peru. But arriving there I discovered the site was closed just an hour earlier, as the authorities were undertaking some landscape gardening project. I met up with instructors Jose and Luis of Perufly Headquarters. They invited me to Pachucamuc instead, situated in the Andean 'foothills' 50km south of Lima. Now we were bashing our way up it at breakneck speed. Luis Manarriz Gamarra is known as one of South America's best acrobatic pilots. He has a particular daring look in his eye and is the type of guy who would hammer his glider to the nth degree. By the time the Basher had reached the launch site in the searing desert heat, its radiator is truly boiling (just like other Bashers we know). A rock is shoved under its wheels. As a trained biologist I am searching the site for any signs of life in a desert where the rainfall can average 25mm per year (or 1'' in the old money). I find a herbaceous bulb that survives almost exclusively off the fog clouds bought in from the Pacific Ocean.

Luis launches, fangs the glider round and handles it like a dirt bike on rails. He skims along the mountain side and skis along its slopes, then lands wherever he chooses. My flight is timid in comparison!

I fly at Pachucamuc for the next week and decide it's wise to head to Bolivia and the Amazon basin. I am back six weeks later with the sole intention of flying at Miraflores. But Peruvian time is notoriously late. Unbelievably, the site is still closed!

I am incredibly disappointed as my dream is being cut off! I have only one shot at this! I went to the launch site and the guard blew his whistle and kicked me out. I am looking in my Spanish phrase book for nasty words but can't find any bad enough. But at Jose's place I am told they have been granted permission for a site nearby. So I hurry there, but conditions aren't on! I am preparing myself mentally for a big wait and it looks like I will need to either flog the Peruvian archaeological museums to death, or head back to Pachucamuc. I choose Pachucamuc and some more 'land bashing'.

Next day a different story - it was on at Miraflores! I launched into smooth air and was soon at 100m above launch. I was above all the high-rises, and greatly relieved to achieve just that.

People waved from apartments, parks and restaurants. I kicked back and flew in 10km passes. You see people going about their daily lives - school playgrounds, police training rottweilers (do not land there), and so on. Yes, it was a major highlight of my trip to South America. That and Luis' driving style up the slopes of Pachucamuc!


Tips on paragliding/travelling in South America:

- Paragliding gives you the chance to stay in one spot for a while, which is a good break from being on the road all the time.

- I took my own paragliding gear. This meant not taking any camping equipment, sleeping bags, etc. You can hire these for trekking if necessary and all places have linen and blankets. This way I got my total gear weight down to 30kg.

- Plan on leaving your glider at a Lonely Planet recommended hotel for up to a month or so whilst you travel other parts of the continent.

- When transiting with your glider in busses, make sure you get one that tags your bags as they go onto the bus and then checked when unloaded. Always be on the lookout for thieves.

- Don't bother bringing a 40 channel UHF - they don't use these frequencies and they don't have 240 volt for recharging.

- Almost everybody gets a round-the-world ticket to and from Australia to South America. If you travel for over a month return tickets are very expensive from Australia.

- You probably won't knock out your best long distance flight in the Andres - if this is your priority, then go hang out (of the sky) at Manilla.

Jose can be contacted at <jose@perufly.com> or if you have any queries you can contact me at <amorganbeeep@hotmail.com>.