Picture this: You're standing on top of a mountain, over 500 meters above ground. You're at the edge of the cliff and below, you see a beautiful golf course spread over thousands of square meters. Beyond that, a long stretch of white sandy beach and then, it's the ocean. Your heart is pounding, your mind conflicted - jump or not to jump? You literally have a few seconds to decide - whether to run full speed towards the edge of the cliff into nothingness. Sounds a lot like a suicide attempt but when the mountain you're standing on is Pedra Bonita overlooking the city of Rio and you're strapped on to a hang glider, you're about to go on one of the most exhilirating experiences of your live.

After spending a week in Rio with very unstable weather, and calling the hang gliding company every other day to check on the possibility of flying, we were finally given the green light on our last full day in Rio. The day could not be more sunny, although we were told later that actually, the best weather for hang gliding was when it's a little cloudy. Something to do with having more wind and being able to stay in the air for longer.

We met our instructor, Paulo, on the beautiful Sao Conrado beach (like Rio doesn't have enough beautiful beaches). We were quickly made to fill up an indemnity form (where we agree not to hold them responsible should anything happen to us, yada, yada) before being driven up to the top of the mountain. Once up there and we could see just how high we were, the reality of what we were about to do hit us like a slap in the face. The only thing that gave us some comfort was that there were maybe 10 other hang gliders in the queue - if enough people are about to do something seemingly stupid together, it can't be all that stupid.

We rehearsed the run once - literally, just once. When asked whether we need to do it again just in case, the instructor simply said he trusts us. And added: "Just remember - don't stop and don't look down". Ohkay....

Back on the edge of the cliff, my heart pouding. I vaguely remember Paulo counting up to three next to me, and I found myself floating over the city of Rio. Shortly after we took flight, Paulo recited a few words of prayer in Portuguese as he steered the glider in circular motions to ensure I get a 360 degree view of the city. Words and even the photos and videos that we ended up buying won't be able to do justice to the experience we just had - of soaring like a bird and for a brief 5-7 minutes or so, feeling like I could actually fly. Perfect way to end our week-long stay in Rio. Incredible.