We're jumping in Vientiane Laos April 13-17 from Mi-17 30-place turbine helicopters. The event is being put together by American Darel Davenport and Canadian Nick Ascot from their homes in Thailand, and they're calling it the Mekong River Boogie. Prices are reasonable for heli-jumps from 4,000 m (13,500 ft.): $35, plus $30 daily registration (or a boogie package is available from www.north-by-north-east.com/skydive-mekong). The Mi-17s will take off right from the boogie hotel, which is also the DZ. It's on the Mekong, which at that time of year is a nearly endless sandbar. The cool thing about this is that except for two proof-of-concept jumps on January 13, this is the first civilian skydiving in Laos for at least 40 years, maybe ever. Laos is in Southeast Asia between Thailand and Vietnam and has been sort of keeping out of the way of the rest of the world until just a couple of years ago. So, it's very cool, and Vientiane is a rocking city. The hosts include the Laos Military Parachuting Team, all 14 of them, the only active jumpers in the country. They haven't seen anything from skydiving beyond their own borders before.
