Soar spot

These hills on the outskirts of Hong Kong SAR make the perfect place for this high-flying sport, but most any elevated point that abuts a wide-open expanse will do. Not to be confused with hang gliding, this is paragliding: Strapped to specially modified parachutes that vent air into the canopy to create forward motion, pilots take off by raising their chutes in the air like kites, then running to achieve flying speed until the winds carry them off. The craft is controlled by manipulating lines attached to the pilot's harness. While most paraglider flights last less than an hour and don't soar higher than a few hundred feet, skilled pilots can travel hundreds of miles and climb thousands of feet high.