Aerial suspense

A professional paragliding pilot can fly for hours and hit dizzying heights. According to Milan, the Nepali national record is more than 7,000 meters above sea level and the pilot had to use an oxygen tank to achieve this.[Photo provided to China Daily]

We were standing at the edge of a steep slope, with two short strips of red carpet laid out in the center as guides, stretching downward for about five meters. Next to us was a sign that read "Site elevation 1,451 meters."

"This is where we're going to take off," Raj continued. "Let's fly."

"You must be kidding me," I thought to myself.

Beyond this rudimentary runway, there was nothing but the mountain itself. Only grass and trees could be seen, but nothing reassuringly man-made was visible.

"It's a good day to fly," Raj said, standing at the far edge of the slope (where I did not dare to go) and looking at the sky. "See those vultures? They fly in circles because they are taking advantage of thermals, produced by sun-warmed air that spirals upward. That's exactly what we will do."

My pilot Milan came to buckle me up.

"Anything I need to know?" I asked.

"When I tell you to run, you just run, run, run!" he said.

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