Round-Eye Scotty, Asian Scotty, and Your Drunken Hero were zooming down the Hume Highway in an overloaded VW Beetle, gazing in awe at the passing scenery and stopping at every scone and crumpet shop we passed. Our destination was Melbourne's glorious Mornington Peninsula, but we couldn't imagine what this paradisical scrap of coastline had in … Continue reading Mornington Glory
You know you've had a good time when you wake up in a shopping trolley with an empty VB carton on your head and dried vomit on your shirt. It was Boxing Day, I was in the main street of Gosford with no idea how I got there, and from the looks on the faces … Continue reading Yackandandah Smackdown
There have been three perfect moments in my life; watching Paul Osborne's around-the-corner offload to Dave Furner during the 1994 grand final, seeing my girlfriend for the first time, and soaring above the unreal azure waters of Interlaken. But they say the darkest night is before the dawn, and that was certainly the case during … Continue reading Interlaken: A paraglider’s paradise
Switzerland is best known for reliable watches, multi-purpose knives, successful tennis players and its lively gangsta rap scene, but all I was really interested in during my visit was climbing a really big mountain and then paragliding into wild. So after bidding adieu to Hamster I headed straight for Interlaken, an adventure playground high up … Continue reading Intensely interesting interactions in Interlaken
Our time in Annecy flowed along like water down the majestic Thiou River. Hamster and I flew our paragliders over the Alps all day and drank all night with Marque, Gaz and the other legends, soaking in their knowledge of the sport and the surrounds. Our skills and confidence improved as we pushed our limits … Continue reading The Rise and Fall of Ricardo Q. Hamster, Esq.
"Put your clothes on and get the fuck out of my house! And please remove my turnip strainer from your anus!" Just another day in the home on paragliding, Annecy, France. I opened my eyes to see a very bashful, very naked Hamster hurriedly throwing his clothes into his bag. His arms and legs were … Continue reading The Tour of Annecy
Wild horses couldn't have dragged me away from Brazil's welcoming bosom, but there was one thing that could lure me away - the promise of a few weeks of sublime paragliding above the Alps with Hamster. So I packed my G-string away, skolled my last bottle of Brahma, and hopped on a plane to France. … Continue reading Anarchy in Annecy
The winds carried me and my bright orange paraglider across the oceans. Over Samoa, where the volcanoes are angry and the people are wonderful. Past Fiji, with its golden beaches and endless reefs. I even swung past Easter Island, which is full of heads bigger and uglier than your ex-girlfriend's. When the breeze finally dropped … Continue reading Santiago Shenanigans
Ask most people about Manilla and they'll mention streets overflowing with sewage, drug-crazed violence and X-rated ping pong shows. But that's the Filipino version, and when you mention the name to a paragliding pilot, they're more likely to talk about epic thermals, heart-stopping collapses and vast distances covered while strapped to a glorified Coles shopping … Continue reading Miles High in Manilla
With a sunny name like Bright, it's obvious that this tiny Victorian village is a pretty happy place. And why wouldn't it be? It's a Mecca for cyclists, hikers, skiiers and paragliders from around the world. I can barely keep a bike upright, walking uphill makes my legs hurt, and snow makes my pee-pee shrink, … Continue reading Bright ‘n’ Beautiful!
The Drunk and Jobless World Tour 