The Edge of The World.

Looking out the left window on the plane we realized that we were looking at Mount Everest.

This was the least surreal part of the day.

We touch down at Bagdogra and are greeted by two drivers and two heavy-duty jeeps. I was asked by one of the doctors if I wanted any Gravol for motion sickness. I respectfully decline, wondering why anyone would possibly need anything for motion sickness on a simple car ride.

We split up into teams and board the jeeps. There are no seat belts and an iron bar to hold onto on the passenger's seat. "How long will it take to get there?" I ask. "Five hours" is the reply. I figure that it's a misunderstanding in translation. I relax and take a seat.

We cruise about ten minutes through a very nice town in North Bengal... past a few Indian Army bases and into the wilderness. It suddenly starts getting more hilly. We approach a bridge over a chasm and start to head over. It's a beautiful white bridge, with large ominous statues of white tigers on each side of the canyon. "Look!" There are monkeys lining the edge of the road.

Our driver, who's not speaking a single word, suddenly makes a left turn onto a dirt road. I figure that we're turning into our destination. I ask him, "Are we there?" He doesn't respond.

We are not there.

It's nighttime now and we're now barreling down a dirt path that's going through what seems like a forest. Calling it a "road" would be a complete misnomer. The jeep is shaking violently from side to side. One hour passes by. Two hours. This is no longer a dirt path through a forest. It's a dirt path precariously winding it's way on the jagged edge of a peak in the Himalayas.

This ride isn't slowing down. But we are. I guess that fear leads to exhaustion. The next thing I know, I'm nodding off and falling asleep. How anyone can fall asleep in this situation is beyond me, but right before horrible "Temple of Doom" dreams start to enter my mind... BANG! My head slams against the window of the jeep as we ride over yet another bump in the road.

This gentleman is arguably the greatest driver in the history of the earth. The three of us in the jeep are amazed at every obstacle that's overcome, from winding turns to washed out roads. A wrong move at these heights and at these speeds means an instant death.

The higher we climb in altitude, the greater the view of the stars, which are twinkling overhead and the better perception we get of the size and scope of our surroundings.

Suddenly, without warning... the jeep comes to an anticlimactic stop. The driver still isn't saying anything. We open our eyes, let go of our handles and step outside.

"Namaste. Welcome!"

A silhouetted figure appears out of a doorway on the side of the road.

We've arrived.