LAST RESORT, Nepal -- Many Westerners think this small Asian country is home only to the eternal Himalayas including Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Little is known about its other attractions.

Bungee jumping on the Nepal-Tibet border is one of them.

On a nippy November morning, I was among a small group of Nepali journalists who embarked on a three-hour bus journey from Kathmandu to the Bhotekoshi River, near the Nepal-Tibet border.

This is the location of the popular Last Resort and Ultimate Bungy, which at 500 feet, provides one of the highest bungee jumps in the world.

		Last Resort in Nepal You can read more about Last Resort at www.tlrnepal.com. It offers several packages: • Free-Fall Nepal Day Trip: $80. A day trip from Kathmandu to Bhotekoshi with Ultimate Bungy. • Go and See Day Trip: $15. If you want to watch your friends jump or want to check out the jump before deciding to take the plunge. • The Ultimate Challenge Day Trip: $105. The Ultimate Bungy Jump and The Ultimate Swing. • Jump/Swing Only: $75. You can take your own transportation to The Last Resort for Bungy or Swing. This package includes lunch. • Jump/Swing and Stay: $90. The Ultimate Bungy Jump or The Ultimate Swing.

This is the location of the popular Last Resort and Ultimate Bungy, which at 500 feet, provides one of the highest bungee jumps in the world.

One of the best things about leaving Kathmandu is the breath of a fresh air. With a population of about 1 million, the capital is crowded and polluted. Residents often long for the idyllic countryside that offers both beauty and freshness.

Driving north from the capital Kathmandu, we passed through the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Autumn's mellowness was in the air. Along the way, we passed dramatic waterfalls and rivers. The winding road from Dhulikhel, a small town in Kavre district, to Last Resort is threaded between emerald hills and Bhotekoshi, a river noted for its excellent whitewater rafting. Buddhist flags flutter everywhere, and we are enchanted by the serenity of the environment.

As we walked across the 545-foot-wide steel suspension bridge over the Bhotekoshi River to the resort, several of us were anxious to take the plunge. We were exhausted from our journey but knew we had to get prepared.

Other participants visiting Last Resort seemed to be mostly backpackers and adventurers looking for new ways to satiate their hunger for risk-taking.

Before heading for the jump site on the rickety nearby suspension bridge, bungee master Prakash Pradhan gave us a brief orientation, explaining what to expect, what to do and what not to do. Every jumper is first weighed. To either bungee or take a long swing, a person must weigh at least 110 pounds, and one of our party was underweight. Also, participants should not have undergone surgery in the past six months, nor have heart disease, epilepsy, high blood pressure and other ailments.

Participants must also fill out a form, which sadly doesn't include life insurance. Why? According to Mr. Pradhan, insurance companies do not consider bungee jumping as risk-free.

"This is a game of fear and courage," he explained.

At the middle of the swaying bridge, there's a platform from which you take the plunge. A thick rubber cord is attached to the bridge, and the jumper's feet are fastened with the rope. When the person jumps, the cord stretches to absorb the energy of the fall, then the jumper flies upward as the cord snaps back. The jumper oscillates up and down until all the energy is used. The free fall lasts for about four seconds, the jumper's scream echoing in the gorge.

Terror was obvious on the face of each jumper just before the plunge. Mr. Pradhan instructed jumpers to move toward the edge of the platform. But some people didn't even budge. My friends and I were standing just below the edge of the bridge and watched as each of the jumper's smiling faces turned into a portrait of horror. From our group, no one withdrew, but some of their jumps seemed awkward: Instead of taking off smoothly, they got a shove from the master.

We had three young women in our group, and all of them jumped awkwardly, with their head up and legs down. That position is normal for a swing, but not for a bungee jump, which should be headfirst. Jumping the wrong way might put you in the wrong position when you reach the point where the cord starts pulling you back up and the body gets a sudden jerk.

Two helpers stationed on the bank of the river extended a bamboo pole that jumpers must grab to reach land. They're pulled toward a lounge-like chair to lie down and helpers unfasten their legs from the bungee cord.

In addition to bungee jumping, the Last Resort also offers swinging, which is a bit different. The master harnesses the cord to the swinger's waist. The person swings down straight forward in a long arc, reaching a speed of up to 590 mph. After eight seconds -- which the resort claims to be the world's longest swing -- a rope draped above the river helps participants reach safety at the bank of the river.

Every year, 1,500 people do the jump from Ultimate Bungy. According to Mr. Pradhan, only 15 percent are Nepalis. Some of the jumpers even choose to jump at night during the full moon or half moon. So far, 60 is the most people to jump in a single day.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not jump. Call me a chicken heart, but I had the flu. I also do not consider myself an adventure seeker. So, the flu became a handy excuse. However, my colleagues who did jump described the experience in various ways. Some called it celestial, while others described it as a supremely gratifying experience.

After the jump, you can buy a video recording of your feat for about $15, but it was not a memory everyone wanted to savor. "I'll never jump again," said Dinesh Wagle, a Nepali journalist and blogger. "The whole experience was so scary that I'm still afraid to even think about it."

Later, as the evening surrendered to night, we all sat around an open ground in the compound of the resort, sipping whiskey and beer. It was a bit chilly in the open air, but as we emptied the glasses, we grew warm. In the resort, you can chill out in the hut and sleep in the posh tents. Last Resort offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, and local artists perform in the evening.