The cold mountain air sent fresh chills down my spine as I stepped down from the vehicle and immediately saw the suspension bridge stretched out above a deep gorge where I could hear the river busily rushing by below. The river slid by like a mythical serpent. Its length spread out as far as the eye could see from either side of the bridge. As my eyes took in the warm rays of the rising morning sun peeking over greenish mountains in the horizon, it soon dawned on me that the river simply appeared like a stream of water flowing down a drain only because I was peering down at it from quite an unfathomable height. What appeared to be the molting skin of the serpent was in fact the imposing jagged rocks scattered along its slithering body that seemed to glisten as white foamy patches of water toyed with them as they trickled on by. The bridge gently and steadily rocked as I made my way across. It was barely wide enough for two people. I was told that the bridge was constructed by a team of experts specifically for the purpose of securing a bungee cord to the ankles of crazed, otherwise sane, enthusiasts before they would either fall or jump off the ledge in one brisk death defying moment of pure adrenalin infused insanity. My brain was instantly flooded. The river seemed to pass through me in all its grandeur as an avalanche of thoughts and emotions came gushing into me in one deep breath of much needed air. I had to suddenly remind myself to keep on breathing as I shuddered, shut out my thoughts and proceeded to make my way across the bridge.

Perhaps it was a combination of jetlag and lack of sleep that helped numb my mind to what I was about to do. It all seemed somewhat surreal. Laki had a sheepish grin on his face as he made his way forward to be strapped and secured. His was the canyon swing. The cameraman spared him no chance of hiding his anxious face as he made his way to the ledge. His knees seem to buckle as he stands on the ledge while the jump master whispers 3, 2, 1…Laki plummets to the valley below as his legs start to flail like the tail of a falling kite only to be whisked away from the clutches of death at the last possible instant. In a few heart stopping seconds it is all over. Laki is swinging back and forth like tiny bait being hung out to capture a giant hawk. Just then, I feel alone. The confidence and comfort of having a friend beside me, little Laki, even if it was just the entire 5 feet of him, waned away in those few seconds that I watched him drop like a stone to safely swing across the valley and gently float above the river. In a few minutes I was next.

My teeth began to chatter. It was because of the cold not my fear, or so I would like to believe. It seemed to get colder as I sat on the small stool and watched the cord being fastened around my ankles. I felt like a death row inmate being prepared for the chair. The jumpmaster gestures me forward. The few steps to the ledge were bloodcurdling as my mind desperately tried in vain to comprehend what my body was about to do. I stare into the sharp drop below with crazily dilated eyes. 3,2,1….

The scream of elation that I planned on letting out proudly, the roar of triumph that would resonate across the valley for the world to hear…never comes out. All I can muster, involuntarily, is a long frightened whimper that only I can hear, loud and clear, as I hastily breathe in my last breath. As I accelerate to the earth the air rushes past my ears, deafening me. My unblinking eyes take in what it sees as my last moments before an abrupt death. My dislodged panic stricken heart starts to fall out from my gaping mouth. My insides twist and churn as I wish for the cord to stop my fall. Instead it unravels and drops me even faster. This fall was not supposed to feel this eternal. My body simply does not allow me to exhale as I rapidly inhale all the air that I am falling into. There is not an iota of room left in my quivering ever inflated lungs, yet, my entire being is wildly gasping. Then, just when I feel like my body is about to go into cardiac arrest and convulse frenetically, just when I cannot take it anymore, the most amazingly comforting thing happens. I feel my ankles being tugged as the cord catches me, firmly straightens and slows me down. It playfully catapults me back upwards and drops me again. In that instant I feel the life rush back into me as I can finally breathe. My frozen, silent heart revs up and beats again. I live! Snatched from the jaws of the serpent of death below it is almost as if my soul stepped back and just watched my body as it soared to its doom, only to re-enter it once I stopped falling. Only then, as I am dangling in celestial bliss, do I let out hysterical screams of joy, the pure ridiculous joy of knowing what it feels to be truly alive.

Laki scampers toward me, babbling with indescribable excitement as we celebrate our feats with hugs, high fives and battle cries like victorious warriors after the ultimate standoff. The river, up close, is mesmerizing. We strain our necks to see the bridge high up above us. Like ants on a clothesline we could make out the rest of the group waiting in line to do what we had just done. The whimper that emanated from deep within my soul echoes in my head as we head back on a long steep climb. It is easily the most alien thing that I have ever discovered about myself, second only to my receding hairline.

12th March 2012 was highlighted date for Bungy Jump… Surely this is one of the MOST AWESOME experiences of my life. We planned to go for Bungee Jump in Nepal and were super excited from the day we planned it. J Every single moment I used to think how high would 160m actually be? And, I just couldn’t imagine. We reached Nepal and visited The Last Resort sales office then registered for the jump the very first day. I will not be wrong if I say, from the moment we stepped into their office till the moment we completed the jump and got our videos back here in India, they just kept proving that ‘yes, The Last Resort is the best place and we are in safe hands’.

We were provided with transportation from our hotels to the venue. Throughout the journey all we were doing was looking down in the valley and imagining how much the height would be. Our instructor used to say…”Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon!! :J”. There was a complete mixture of excitement and fear before we reached the bridge…and then it was all EXCITEMENT. Wow what a beautiful place to jump fromJ. We were given proper instructions and all safety measures were taken.

Now, I was the next person to jump. The video guy asked ‘what’s up Pankaj’…and I was all blank. I crossed the bar and stood on the edge of the bridge… Not looking down…Not thinking of anything. Just making me believes that I could have faith in the arrangement and the Bungy master said 3…2…1… Bungyyy….. and of course I JUMPED!! Wow!! I just can’t explain the feeling after that. It was really an experience of a lifetime. Saying the word ‘FREE-FALL’ and actually experiencing it are two completely different things. I would love to do it again… Rather this time I would go for the Canyon Swing, which is world highest. Hey, next jumpers do take the videos they shoot because they are awesomely and shot. Whenever I watch my video, I have goose bumps. Thanks a lot to The Last Resort team. You guys ROCK!!

We were just passing by TLR on our way to the border, and even though we were just considering jumping, one of the staff sat down with us for some time and explained everything we needed to know which made it easier to make the decision to actually jump the day after.

When we showed up the next day we could enjoy a lovely breakfast in beautiful circumstances. The atmosphere in this place is really good. It’s so calm and relaxed yet filled with something nervously -at least just before the jump. Before the jump we were all gathered for information about practical things. It’s obvious that this kind of information is mandatory to mention, but the way they did it was very professional and very reassuring. When we came to the bridge, I felt that I was treated very professional and that made me feel very safe. I want to thank these guys for the good work they do! The jump itself was amazing! I took the canyon swing. Never before have I done something like this, but I really loved the feeling of jumping from the bridge! This is absolutely an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. The jump itself was very good, but to do it in The Last Resort with the help we got there and with these amazing circumstances made it even better”

By: Ida Stevik

Me along with three of my friends took a bus to the Last Resort on a very usual morning to do something unusual. Always wanted to try Bungy jumping and to feel how it really feels like to be airborne. And the day finally came.The travel was very relaxing with nice views. None of us had done Bungy before so we were pretty excited. Once we got there we had to cross the bridge suspended over the Bhote-koshi river to get to the resort. Then we had the weigh in and everyone was divided in three group. Two of my friends were in 2nd and me and one of other my friend were in the last group. After some briefing we went near the Bungy site to look at the first group jumping. It was really nice to see the jumps as well as the swings. It took the whole afternoon and finally it was my turn. I was a little intimidated while waiting on the bridge. Looking around could see some other intimidated faces too. I was finally called and they started harnessing… They also asked me some questions like how are u feeling and all… all i could say was I was pretty excited although was a bit scared. Then I slowly walked to the platform from where i would jump from about 160 m high….. When I got to the platform, reality finally hit me… Standing between a gorge and staring at the river flowing below.. was really intimidating… but I knew I wanted to do that… so I jumped…. the feeling, I really can’t put in words neither can i replicate it now.. but it was amazing and thrilling for sure… and my friend Anil did a back jump… kudos to him…. waiting for second jump now.. hopefully soon… cheers all!

By: Shreeshanta S. Yogacharya (shreeshanta@gmail.com)

By: Jorge

Tags: fernandeztagle@yahoo.es

The wait was then over, we were in the bus and travelling through scenic roads, fog all around and the first rays of sun coming out of them making it all look so dreamy. Stopped for a quick breakfast and started moving again. People sleeping, chatting, lost in music or just staring out of the windows when we finally reached TLR.  There comes a place on the way, I think it’s called Sangha, which has the tallest statue of Lord Shiva and it’s a beautiful sight. A river flows along-side you while you’re driving up to the resort and you wonder to yourself — I’ve seen pics of the bungy, it’s over a river.. is this the one? .. I have planned to do rafting tomorrow from the resort, will it be in this river? .. and the rapids you see in the river excite you even more. There was this one place in the river where the water was really turning upside down, like in a washing machine, and i turned to my friend and said, “man, are u sure we can raft in these water?” , and the driver stopped 10 mtrs. ahead of it, took reverse (maybe cuz of some traffic or something) and we saw those rapids again …. It was like the driver wanted us to see that place again and get more scared or more excited or both.

We finally reached. To reach the resort you need to cross a bridge, it’s a long metal bridge … looks like 140-180 m high and we again began to wonder is this the one we’re gonna jump from. The question is answered as soon as we see platforms emerging from the center of the bridge. We crossed the tumbling bridge, with a feeling of “oooo” in our hears having seen the bridge we are gonna jump from.

We were then assembled in the lounge/bar area at the resort where we were given instructions on how we have to “Walk like a penguin and fly like a bird” for the bungee and how we have to “Walk like a penguin and Jump like a kangaroo” for the Canyon Swing. We listened to them carefully cuz they were for dear life and then, weight-wise we were divided into 3 groups. We signed the disclaimers and group-wise went to jump.

It’s a bridge open to the general public but is closed when the jumps are in progress, so you can say there is a lot of traffic on the bridge. So you assemble in 2 files on the bridge, once the public crosses the bridge and are called weight-wise for the jumps. I was first in my group for the bungee after a swinger. Crossing the bridge to get to the resort is one thing, but when you are actually there for the jump, it’s a completely different thing. You are scared to look down and still you want to look down. I bent down to tie my laces carefully and from the gap in the bridge, while tying my laces, i cud see the river far below, under me and that was the moment I realized that we’re pretty high up.

My weight was called out and I moved from the back of the queue to the front and the safety harness was tied around my legs and waist and I was made to sit and secured to the bridge. A man comes upto me a asks me my name and as soon as I tell him, sticks out a camera on my face and asks me “what’s up” … you’re soo used to answering “nothing much” to “wats up” that it’s the first thing that comes to mind. I’m so glad I didn’t blurt it out right away … I cud just say “Gonna jump off a Bridge, pretty excited” and look the other way. He continued to stick the camera in my face and I had no idea whether I shud smile, look happy, look scared, excited or nothing … I think I looked all …

Then Finally the Rope was tied around me and I came out on the platform … Looking down from there was a dreadful sight. The only hope being the crew member holding me from Behind. The rope is really heavy and pulls you hard .. you need to take small steps. You feel like you’re on the edge and you shudn’t move further, just when the crew member says “one more step ahead”… That’s the hardest to take …. Without giving you space for breath, which if he wud, you’d start having second thots, he says “3 , 2 , 1 … Jump” … and without any hesitation, with the rope pulling you hard knowing that if u’d not jump it wud pull u down, with all your might, you JUMP. As I looked down in my free-fall, the river approaching with infinite speed towards me, I feel sure I’m gonna take a dive in that today and I am not sure if I’m gonna live … The free-fall is of 3 seconds but during the fall you feel like you’ve been falling since a long time and once the jump is over you don’t remember anything about the fall. I remember jumping, I remember hanging upside down from a bridge through a rope, how did I come here? Am I Alive? .. and you know that you’ve done it, and it was fabulous, something out of this world, a GodLike experience. There is this time, when you rebound after one fall, and u go high up again, nearly 1/3rd the height and the second when u are at the top most point of that, you feel weightless… it’s an amazing feeling, you don’t know which way you’re gonna go .. and then the free fall begins again, this time you enjoy it more cuz you know you’ve survived the first one… But all-together the whole experience is something i can never forget … After that when you’re hanging upside down and the guy down there shows u a stick which u need to catch to return to safety on the shore, i felt like my shoes are gonna come up and I’m gonna fall, so i try to push downwards so that I can get to that stick as fast as I can .. i asked people and many others also had the same feeling … and it’s nice

The trek afterwards, from the shore back up to the resort is amazing, a little tiring but a nice lil trek … you don’t feel the tiring-ness of it cuz u’re still lost in the experience you’ve just had

One should definitely stay one night at the resort. It’s beautifully built and the tents are comfortable in an ethnic setting. The Lounge area is a wonderful place to hang out and there are people there from all around the world with whom you can chat and party …

TLR is one place I’d like to go again and again and the memory I have of it, will never fade I encourage everyone to experience Bungy-Jumping. It’s nowhere close to anything else you’ve experienced.

BY: HARSHIT SUREKA

By: Alex