Friday, July 12, 2013

Parachute jumping at Évora


Parachute jumping at Évora

 

Total Cost: (if going alone by car): 250,6€

Mood: Adventure with friends!

Diesel Costs (round trip of 268km): 21€

Tolls (round trip from Lisboa): 17,60€

Food: buy it on the Supermarket and eat along the way. We’ve spent around 7€ per person

Tandem Jump Price: 115€ (3.000 meters)

Photo and/or film: 60€ (1 service), 90€ (2 services)

 

Last weekend I’ve decided to take good care of me (or not) and went to Évora to do a parachute jump, more accurately a tandem jump! I know that lots of people did it already but for me it was a première!

 

The first task is to get to Évora and that is the easiest task in the journey! Évora is a lovely town and one of the biggest in Alentejo. You take about 2 hours to get there from Lisbon even if you go by secondary roads, which do take longer but are beautifull!

 

I’ve decided to go by the mainroad up to montemor-o-novo where I’ve stoped to buy my breakfast and rest a bit. We’ve arrived Évora at noon and went straight to the Arcada Café, one the most famous coffee shops in town known by their Queijadas – a cake done with cheese and milk.

 

The coffee shop is expensive, probably because it’s so famous... we payed around 7€ for a coke and an orange juice. If you want to lunch there, inside you’ll find Cervejaria Lusitana where you can eat steaks with coffee sauce for 20€ the plate. A small warning, the bathrooms… very scary!

 

We were a bit scary to stay sick if we’ve eaten before the jump so we did skip that part and decided to walk around the small city streets and shops. Évora is a wonderful historical city where you can find a roman temple next to the most beautiful Christian church. It is worth to visit the so called “bones chapel” and the church, as well as all the little streets with small handcraft stores that are not that expensive.

 

Around 2 p.m. we left the magical city of Évora and went to the aerodormo of Évora which is around 10 minutes by car from the center. The way is well indicated on the roads but if you’re like me a GPS is never too much…

 
There’s parking literally at the door rand after that you just have to go to the skydive tent, not far away from the main entrance. I’ve chosen to do the jump with this company since the web reviews are very good!

The first thing that happens when you arrive is hearing the staff telling you how good would be for you if you upgraded the jump from 3.000 meters to 4.000. It costs 40€ plus but the time you’ll be in free-fall is bigger.

 
On the website and on the confirmation e-mail that tell you that filming and photograph is only possible in the higher jumps but they do it on the 3.000 too, so don’t upgrade it just for the service. I kept the 3.000 meter jump and I don’t regret it at all!

 
After you sign in you wait… and wait… and wait. And the waiting is the worst part for many reasons: firstly you’re in a very sunny and hot tent and summer in Portugal can reach 40º degrees. They give you water but it’s not enough!


Secondly because each flight takes 8 to 10 people and don’t you think that you’ll arrive and you’ll find no jumpers! We didn’t lunch because we were scared to jump with food in our stomachs but the truth is we waited 2 hours! Some go to the city after sing in and you came back one hour later…

 

 
Me preparing for the jump!



Finally we do see people jumping and coming back from their jumps and even the one that can’t pull it together and panic on the airplane.

Extra reason for women: for each 5 men jumping you have 1 woman. When you arrive you see families supporting their men but you don’t see much women joining them! You have plains that leave with not a single woman on board….

Finally, after 2 hours they cal your name. They make you dress na full jumper suit and they explain you how the jump will be: you are literally glued to a person that will jump with you from a plane. Tehy leave it clear that no matter what you nothing will put you in danger! They are in complete control 100% of the time! Good to know J

 

 

Everyone from the staff is truly nice and helpful although they take about 50.000 photos because they really want you to buy it and then you enter the plain and start realizing you WILL really jump out of an airplane!

 


How do I breathe?


I admit that until I actual jumped I didn’t think I would be able to, I entered the plain shaking and I shacked even more when they opened the door… that was the only time I though “oh my God I AM 3.000 meters above ground” and that’s high!

The first person jumps, they the second and out of the blue (or maybe not) it’s my turn and I don’t have time to think, and I’m falling… and…. How do you breathe really? Honestly, how do you breathe? That will be you thought for the next 20 seconds!

 

Suddenly the parachutes opens and what a feeling! You automatically start laughing “YES” you are alive and sightseeing from high above the city of Évora.

 

Landing is really easy for those whom are short, you just lift your legs, that it!

 

After 2 hours of waiting you’re done in 2 minutes! In the end I was really happy I didn’t jump higher… 







When the parachutes opens, all gets better...




After landing it’s time to watch the movie and photos. If you buy 2 services you’ll pay 90€, if you only buy one it will cost 60€. I bought both but truth is the pictures are taken form the movie so if you’re patient enough you can freeze the best shots from the movie and only but one service! When you are filming you have the tendency to speak a lot… it’s not worth it because the movie will have music all the time.



Honestly I don’t plan to jump again so I bought both movie and pictures!

 

It was an unforgettable experience and a different weekend!