Biggest bees...

There's lot of info about the biggest bees in the world online..  Not hornet but bee, specifically 'honey bee'..

 Apis dorsata laboriosawas a subspecies of the widespread Apis dorsata, the giant honey bee, can be as big as 3 cm in length.  

Adapted to Highlands, found in Nepal, these biggest honey bees have their hive's up in mountain cliffs.  

But due to some specific reasons, these bees which live high up in altitude, produce a reddish honey, with unique properties.

The red honey's medicinal value which are attributed to the grayanotoxin present in the nectar collected from white rhododendrons.

 Gurung people in Nepal are renowned for their use of this honey.  

About 10 to 15 GMs of this honey, its reported that, highly surreal and paralyzed type of experience for many hours.  

Its supposed to have cleansing properties, but comparatively tougher (tortuous) way to detox than most other methods.  Loss of body control, vomiting, etc can be part of this, and can last up to 5-6 hours long, and an additional day might be required to get back to your own self.  Fruit diet for couple of days, and a day of coconut water fasting, before consuming and within 10 to 30 minutes, loss of body control can occur.  Milk is considered as a way to neutralize, but recovery takes few hours.  Some wrongly consider it as a recreational thrill, but its a tough medicine...  Many youtube videos have helped to create misconceptions.

But as usual, these big bees are in danger, because their sensitive ecological areas are always over exploited by humans.  

Bees and similar creatures are necessary links for plants to reproduce, but few people realize importance of bees...  Don't bee such...

whats Yeti?

The mythical big foot of Himalayas...  there is a unique camp site and cafe called Yeti near Kasol, Himachal Pradesh...

Kasol is generally considered a necessary evil, while travelling through Himachal Pradesh for trekking... but just 15 minutes of walk through a foot path, i reached Yeti camp, and felt like a mile away from any city scape...

fruit orchards all around, silence expect for birds, river and wind... majestic mountains glittering far away wearing snow caps... and some comforts of a cozy cafe...

it doesnt end there..  you can chase wild horses up the hills or play with friendly dogs, or search for a secret cave  down... star gaze or sun bath depending on your orientation..  a shanti culture evolved through closeness to nature..

and the people around, the type you could only imagine, the one's you would want around at night in a camp fire circle... letting you be whoever you are..  and to sing together, paint, or plant fruit trees..  all in a days happenings...  or a lone photographic exploration through own memories... where the weather changes like our emotions..

the tibetan prayer flags at Yeti's entrance had asked me on arrival, "are you ready to explore the Yeti in yourself?"..  i leave that question to you as well...    

Old man..

His shoulders were bit bent, but his legs trek up defying gravity, up mysterious mountain paths..

Nearest cafe is 3 km away, through circuitous stone paths among pine forests, along roaring river carrying millions of liters of water everyday to the plains, crowded with cities..

Firewood aplenty, fruits decaying on tree roots as it should be, wild berries teasing you through thorny mazes, and wild plants and cloudy mountains to stare at..

This place in winter is to be lived, he whispered, while removing wild mint tea from Wood fire of his fireplace, and pouring it steaming to his visitors...

I am living here alone, since last 40 years, don't think I have not seen your cities..

hey this is a wake uo call from reality, get your shit loose!!!!  (the visitors mind whispered back to him... listen)...

your cities spewing with waste and even water comes in a pack (bottle) and you have no idea where its coming from.   here you go to a river, thee plants provide me food and warmth, which you see around.  he cruhed some leaves and proceeded to make his post lunch chillum.  they came from englishstan and say, you cant smoke this... see around, its a wild plant here, how can they say that to me?

this house is made of stone, which i carried from the riverside...  had to chase wild animals away in those days, and here, where you can pick everything from nature in abundance, but its unforgiving as well, and without faith no mountain man survives...

and shiva is what i have faith in...  to know Bhole, bhang is essential, and preparing it and having it is done like a prayer..  

after filling, the holder is in receivers position, and above is the giver of the fire... respectful silence prevails, without greed it rotates, one pull person, without expectations the warmth is accepted, and serenity is explored...

a mountain of silence erupted...  shiva seemed to dance through the haze.  the receiver and giver connected in a shiva circle going right, where 'shivom'...  reverberating after each heavy breath... mesmerizing even the audience...

shakti is nature, shiva consciousness... and for mountain people, its an everyday awareness...  where you are closer to the heavens...  where rivers are created, where change is rapid...  all you have to do is just live here to understand...  he concluded with a crinkle in his eye, as he waved goodbye...

Origami

This blog's not about origami..

A paper bird, made for a child, in a cafe, ends up with a group of 5 ppl, and another person adds on and so on..

A lot of coincides seem to happen through the next couple of weeks, in mountains, where they stay in tents..

Foraging for fruits, trekking to get firewood to cook n keep warm, sharing in circles, laughing with abandon, discovering in secret, tolerating in silence, wondering in amazement...

But knowing they are labels, painting and playing music, jump to hyperspace, stare at the ever changing landscape around..

Stay cryptic..

So many changes...

Exploration of the unknown both internal &  external.. Along with a random group you met on the mountains...

Social experiments, sharing, trekking around, tripping but your group is with you in those climb ups, caring, laughing together..  Yes, I remember a lot of laughter booming..

Social experiments, self n other observation, accepting patterns n spontaneity..  Shedding conditions like bubbles (yes cy)..  Understanding colorless water and brown colored water equally..

J p pears on YouTube to drums, djambe, shaman, systems, shanti, and shanti times..  A hundred stories from cave to cake..

A time to chill...

solo camping in forest (foot notes)

solo travel...
generally human beings like to be in a group.  'social animal' is one of the archaic definition of human beings, but it still does carry some truth.  solitary punishment is considered most severe among prisoners / in jails.  its considered, if a person / human remains alone for a long time, he/she might go insane.

but many people prefer to do things alone, or be solo.  solo travelers/backpackers are one such breed.  of course, they are not forced to remain alone, but prefer to be so, for particular activity or time period.  even though, company is often a preference for many people to travel, do something, especially exploration of unknown.

but, there is something in doing exploration on your own as well.  one reason could be, lack of availability of free time and similar interests and style.  its 2017 and everyone is exceedingly busy with their life and very individualistic preferences, and if you want to do something totally as you want to do, its most humane to go solo.  of course, its just one reason.

anyway, there i was, going to an unknown reserved forest area, alone, with a backpack and a tent. my first solo trip to a forest.  it started a morning, by taking various public transports away from city towards the forest area.

(public transport takes time, but i prefer to travel with lots of time, so that reaching the destination doesnt distract me from enjoying the process / travel). public transport is also the cheapest and least carbon footprint consuming, in most cases. it exposes you to new experiences and close to many human beings you were not aware of. ok, enough plugging / advertisement for public transport.

about 3 buses and shared vehicle travels (with lots of questions to strangers, some guide you well, some rude)... reached a road, or mud path, which takes me to the forest.  the distance to one part of the forest, a tribal village was about 6 kilometers.  but walking through wooded areas, away from noise of civilization, without any vehicle or human sightings was pleasurable and calming.  very calming, and like the way dirt get washed away from your body when you pour water on it, the civilized stresses and unhappiness began to be left behind with each step.  it was happening automatically as i moved each step into the forest.

after about few kilometers into the forest, which would have taken me about an hour or 2 hours (time / clock lost its significance in the jungle), i cut across to a flowing stream.  the water was clean enough to drink, and wash off the sweat, as it was mid noon and pretty hot. i spotted elephant dung and foot marks of elephant.  its big round foot had slipped on the stream valley and left deep footprints.  the elephant or elephants as wild elephants generally travel in group, must have been there few days ago, as the ground was firm now.  the ground must have been wet and soft few days ago, as it had rained.
i was not sure, whether the forest had any animals, but, now i was sure, there are wild elephants.

wild elephants are not friendly, they are scary. i had seen some in another forest in the south, and those were aggressive and often broke up human habitats, and i had even seen them breaking small trees etc, which looked like their play activity.  wild elephants often are scarred by humans, who try to chase them away with fire crackers and loud noise etc. they are also fast runners, even though they are huge in size.  "run downhill, if elephants chase you", i told myself, as a reminder - they can run uphill much more faster than humans, thus, running downhill is the best option for humans, i had heard forest people tell me, and it seems like most logical thing to escape.

but, strangely the elephant dung and their presence didnt make me more excited or fearful as such.  i was feeling too calm and peaceful at that moment, to imagine too much into future.

(more to follow).

where is rainbow?

am new to this. i have strong belief i am not a writer. best place, start in anonymity. but i wander, and during such a wandering reached a place called 'no name' hostel. again anonymous. a sign maybe for those who want or need signs.

heard of a quote, pot of gold at the end of rainbow?  its metaphoric, but met not just one, but many who arent looking for gold but just rainbow.  even rainbow is a concept (metaphorical)..  for those who want to be all the colors inside them.. be oneself in a non judgemental way. or i think so.

pure sciences have concrete definition, and a wanderer defines flexible way. or doesnt need any.  and here met a bunch of such beings (both human & other kind). but it wasnt rainbow yet.. or thats what i thought, till i found a literal version.

(more to b added later).. whew i wrote somethin .

Life Changers...

Life Changing experiences, do they ever occur?

well, there can be some major crisis - such as sudden death, or gradual death...  falling in love, getting fired, &/ near death experience of self..  etc.  but, i am writing about, Life Changers which can happen when you are just traveling, through just mundane experiences - where the change is just 'inside' and nothing big to show on outside...

it's not just me, few others have been requested to write about it as well..  and, most of them would be anonymous people... who use this blog as a medium..  don't know what kinda stuff will come out.

for me, yes, there were life changers, definitely, in the last few months..  or last couple of years, which i remember well.  but writing them down is not so easy. but will try.

been traveling aimlessly and then met a bunch of people, and a week of that did create life changers..  will write later.