1. 4:10 - Cement houses in Nepal is just a recent thing. Not more than 60 years. Manang is one of the last places of the country, less than 10 years, that got access to road. So people in the Manang region got access to transport vehicles, bricks, cement and electricity very late and stones are found locally in abundance. Stones are used because it keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer as well as it is not affected by snow and high winds which is common in Manang region. Moreover, many people, mainly old, are very strict regarding their culture so still build old stone houses and use cement only as a prestige or image of wealth and modernization. 2. 6:15 - The spinning wheel is in Sanskrit but rather than the more common Devanagari script it is in Ranjana script. 3. 7:50 - The guy did not talk about money but rather "mani" . the spinning wheel is called "mani" in local language short of mani-chos-khor which literally means "jewel for fulfilling wish of collecting dharma/ good merit". he said chanting om mane padme hum with maala(prayer beads) is same as doing it with wheels. 4. 8:15 - Rather than good luck, I would define it as wheels to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativities (bad karma). 5. 13:45 -Ganja is culturally and religiously accepted in Nepal and was promoted by government themselves until the Narcotics war started by USA in 70s banned the growth and trade but the reminiscent of past era still remains till today. It is still highly cultivated in cold/hilly/mountainous areas where presence of government is very less. 4.19:10 - They are famous monks of Tibetan Buddhism. 5. 19:40 - They are statues of buddha. 6. 20:05 - That is called half lotus position. One of the form of lotus position mainly used in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions during yoga, meditation or ancient traditional rituals and teachings. 7. 24:05 Buddhists believe the prayers of blessing and mantras of good deed written on the flag will be blown by the wind to spread the good will, compassion and positive energy into all pervading space eventually promoting peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom.
Generally, higher up in the Himalayas, the hotel doesn't charge for their rooms. It's free however you have to eat in their hotel which kinda makes sense for free accommodation.
Because you generally can’t grow everything in the himalayas and you have to transport food from cities using porters because the veichles can’t reach upto there. It also makes some sense.
My wife and I stayed there in THAT EXACT ROOM back in early June this year while on the trek! We even pushed the two beds in front of the bathroom together. You definitely got a better deal than we did! I don’t mind too much because the owner was fantastic every time we met with him for meals. Thank you for bringing back some great memories, and I’ll definitely be saving this video to remember our stay.
Hello from Oregon, USA -- Thanks for the fun video tour of Lower Pisang!! Not to worry about your shoes as they seem quite adequate for this trek; I walked the entire Annapurna Circuit in 26 days wearing only flip flops when it first opened to the outside in 1977. Thanks for the memories and also for a current look at the region-- Best wishes.
4:35 Stone house in himalaan region is normal, basically in everest region. stone house is popular because in such altitude stone can be easily found. Houses constructed with the help of stones are capable enough to resist fire, wind, water as well as various insects including termites. stone homes are comfortable nests and if constructed with passive solar design, they have ability to store heat within its walls.
In higher altitudes the availability of sand, bricks is not practical so stone and timber is the best available resource and when you take into consideration : wind load, earthquake, snow load and so on stone is the best material to use and that's the reason that you see stone houses and regarding the absence of mortar, we use mud and plants mixture as an bonding material for stone. Nepal in it's history is magnificent and the stuff that you hear from other and from internet is only 5% of what's been explored. I always say Nepal isn't only about Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur, it's endless journey of exploration.
6:20 its Prayers wheel which means "Om Mani Padme Hum" that script is called Ranjana Script. It is also the script which is/was used by indigenous people of Kathmandu Valley. Also, Nepal had used these script to register in UN. You might see lots of these script in most of the part in Asia (also in the Great wall of China).
24:06 That's an Tibetan prayer flags with each colour representing the elements. Blue - sky/space, white- wind, Red - fire, Green - water and yellow - Earth...
Im Nepali and all the stuff you’re sharing in your videos are making me feel like I can be tourist in my own country! Theres so much to explore in Nepal and thanks for sharing your experience!
Nepal, my favorite destination always! If you want a secluded vacation, and love trekkking, pack your luggage and head to Nepal. You will definitely love. Thank you Craig for the wonderful vlog!
These stone houses look prettier than concrete houses of Kathmandu. Locals would know what they are doing. Btw Mani (prayers wheel) have Tibetan mantra scrolls inside of them and when you spin it is similar to saying prayers with beads. The script is Tibetan and says Om Mani Padme Hum on the outside, which is for a blessing.
The Green Monk is Milarepa and he is that color because he ate Nettle during his Tapas in the mountains. His tale is a one of retribution, faith, absolute determination and final liberation. The song of Milarepa is a great Buddhist literature, very poetic but carries deeper message from the source. His hands are close to his ears saying to us that we have forgotten to listen, learning listening. The soul communicates to you and your spirit communicatees through as you listen.
Hi bro, your vlogs about Nepal are a source of great inspiration for me. They made me relive my experience in this beautiful country with a vivid vigor. This unique country with hospitable people is a place where I lived for nearly three years, thirty years ago. I was lucky to have lived the experience there to the full depth of it. It was particularly in Kathmandu, and more particularly in Swayambhu, near the iconic Swayambhu temple. You have my love and the best wishes from me. Dr. Imad, Khartoum, Sudan
@@Craig_Black You haven't seen yet how amazing this country is. I was like adopted by two Nepalese families as a member of their families for over two years, you can't imagine how pleasant this experience was, and have got tens of such offers, but I had kindly turned them down because of the impracticality of it. Believe it or not, they expect nothing in return.
Hello Dr. Amad -- I'm the guy from Oregon who commented above. Like you, I understand the unique experience of an extended stay in Nepal. In the mid-1970s, I lived and worked for 2 1/2 years in a remote Gurung village about 5 hours walk NW of Pokhara. I always looked forward to making a trip to Kathmandu once or twice a year. At that time, the population of Kathmandu was just 160,000 people, and Pokhara just 27,000 people!! I have many good memories of that wonderful time in my life, and I know you do, too. Best wishes to you.
@@markwiles9100 Hi Mark, I'm pretty sure your experience of living in Nepal the same stretch of time as I did, was rich in it's own right. I can say with full confidence, this country is divine in every sense of the word. I'm absolutely glad Mark that we both have had similar experiences in Nepal, though at different locations.
@@user-pe7sy9oj2l Keep loving & promoting it makes me sad when i search for most beautiful country in the world but my country Nepal's not included there...
Even as a nepali I found really interesting to know these kind of stuff Man you made this vedio even more interesting for us 🇳🇵 really enjoyed it and really appreciate your work🤜 hope you're having Great time here in Nepal ❤️
Craig I just want to say how happy I am to see what you’ve achieved through RU-vid. I was around when you had 300 subscribers back in Laos, I joined your livestreams and even donated a tenner. I’m travelling the world myself now, so have stopped watching a lot of your videos but every now and then I come back to your channel to see how you’re doing. Never change
the poncho is actually extremely practical for somebody on the move and they can also serve as a bed if needed. There is a reason why nearly every army in the world has adapted their use.
@@Craig_Black and besides, they were invented by the people of the South American Andes- I think they would know about practicality so actually it's perfect for a Himalayan trek 🙂. Maybe the weirdo who stopped you was being trendily woke and insinuating cultural appropriation - or maybe he was just a wanker.
At minute 9:22, Those are praying wheels (aka Maa-nya): Originated from Tibetan Buddhism, inside each of those wheels there is a roll of Buddhist scripts kept inside, the concept is once we roll the wheels it spreads the knowledge and blessing to others through the passes of wind. The concept is very similar to Buddhist colorful flags that you would see tied to bridges, trees, buildings, and so on as well. So, if you stumble upon ever buying one, make sure to open the top cover and look if it has the Buddhist script inside. Good luck and enjoy your journey.
The green person in the painting is Milarepa, a famous Tibetan yogi. He has a very interesting story that involves sorcery and magic before he cultivated and became a Buddhist sage. Buddhist prayer flags: Blue represents the sky, white represents the air, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. All five colours together signify balance. Flags are not about good luck but spreading positivity and good wishes to everyone far and wide.
@@Dan-xx5jq The last video i watched was both of you hitching rides to Pokhara - and suddenly you are at this part of the mountains -how did you guys got here - are you like Milarepa, who was known to fly to different mountains in Tibet. Haha just joking!
It really an awesome place. Thank you sharing the journey with us. I am also in love in the architecture. It is sad if these stone houses were not preserved. That was a lot of work to build such stone houses.
U have a bright future in RU-vid I must say u can really captivate people with the narration and the story telling great way to go mate wish u all the best hope u goona make 100k subscribers soon cheers 🥂
People makes such houses because of the temperature. Temperature inside such houses remains warmer during extreme cold season, and also because of the available local construction materials. It costs a lot to import construction material form the city area due bad roadways. watching from Nepal
@@sailorapril sometimes u gotta walk cause the road doesn't support buses cars anything like that but mostly there's vehicles carrying you there. since nepal is a developing country internet is usually not available in rural areas butmobile data works
@@sailorapril I was talking about the hate in the comments. Anyways, I believe you can go upto Manang by hiring a jeep, which is like next village from where he is now. I would recommend you to trek to Lake Tilicho from Manang if you are to take a ride and if you don't wanna trek the whole Annapurna circuit. Wouldn't rely on the internet to get any work done though.
It's because he's not just making a vlog, he is really enthusiastically and genuinely loving discovering the Nepali culture. I think he should have been an anthropologist 🙂
Your content is amazing..you had 8k subscribers when i first saw your Kathmandu video now its almost 40k subscribers..people are loving your work..cheers brother
That nepali shoe is really famous it's Called "gold star" people from far villages and mountain area were wearing that particular desine from grand fathers time .. I am also amaged to see that
They are great shoes; I have a pair; good price, good quality, good style. I love my Gold Stars - (actually. mine are red colour) and every time I wear them it reminds me of all the wonderful times I've had visiting Nepal.
Loved this. You always surprise us with something different. Thankyou for the tour of a very special village. Looking forward to the trekking adventures. Take care.
I’m out in the mountains so I have to upload when I can but I thought I could only do it in advance as a premiere.. I just looked it up and maybe that’s not the case lol
The stone buildings dont use cement because these houses date way back when cement wasn't available up in the mountains. They used materials that were available locally, stone and wood. Theyre vernacular buildings
I just love the view over there. Tourists rarely visit during this season and with you visiting there we are able to see that it's beautiful even in this season.
If the ends of the logs that stick out of the walls were short then the wood would split back to the check out and it would no longer do it's job tying the building together.
True Budget Travelling, when you spin Prayer wheels, we say " Om Mane Peme huein" , it is Tibetan language but the original teachings derived in Sanskrit. You spin the wheels to bring the peace and prosperity. For well being of sentient beings. We do not spin prayer wheels to earn money. Just a tip for you.
That green thing (picture) at 20:23 is Milarepa, a Tibetan singer-poet, mystic, teacher, and saint from the 11th century AD. He is venerated throughout the Himalayas in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet. Milarepa's life story is fascinating, to say the least, and he is believed to have meditated in caves up in the Himalayas in Nepal and Tibet (along the border area), including in Manang. His sermons/songs/poems/tales have been collected and compiled as THE HUNDRED THOUSAND SONGS OF MILAREPA. The badass-looking dude "manspreading" in the picture at 20:00 is Naropa. Both Naropa and Milarepa were lineage holders of the Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. "In the stony fastness of the mountains there is a secret market where one can barter the vortex of life for boundless bliss," is a famous quote by Milarepa.
that green figure is Mila Repa, the most famous yogi who attained complete Enlightenment in one lifetime a feat even Lord Buddha himself didn't achieve (of course circumstances were different). his body literally turned green from the chlorophyll of nettle leaves which was his only source of sustenance around the caves in the high mountains of Himalayas where for years he meditated in extreme diligence upon the spiritual practices given by his beloved root master The Great Marpa The Translator. the hand pose was his usual gesture when he sang his 100,000 spontaneous songs of ultimate realization. This historic moment occurred around the 11th-12th century in Tibet and the border mountains of Nepal.
@@NewZman23 he murdered 35 humans , killed millions of insects , hundreds of birds through the use of black magic! his story is both tragic and beautiful yet ultimately extraordinarily beneficial to all beings of the six realms .
when I was a Little Kid ..I remember we didn't need to pay for rooms if we had dinner at these type of himalayan hotels ...I dont know if they still do that but ...Thats what it was back in Time ..
@@Craig_Black Food price increases as you go to the higher altitude because of the road condition and vegetation( usually most of the lands are not suitable for growing crops and veggies) they have to buy things from the market...no transportations are available so most of the time they have to carry up all those foods .and baverages by themselves..its their hardship that costs food a little expensive...😇😇
Phwoar what a great find. How people choose to live back in UK I will never understand. Could literally stay there for the year instead of a week's rent in London 😂
@@NewZman23 I am en route! But just hitchhiking no planes, hit a bit of a barrier with Azerbijan and Russia so now heading south through Iraq and Saudi. Hoping to find a boat to Pakistan 🤞
@@FreddieWanders Wow, happy travels bro; I envy you. You'll get the best life education travelling across the world, better than any university can teach. sounds like you are following the old hippie overland trail of the 1960s and 70s. Something I always wanted to do. I finally got to Nepal in 1982 and have returned many times since then,. Hoping to get back there again in September for 3 months.
@@NewZman23 yep that's the one! Would love to hear what it was like making the voyage back then. Whole different world with GPS, facetime and strict borders. Is a digital game, do feel a longing for paper and disconnection 💔
The things the old man was spinning were Tibetan prayer wheels. Typically they have the prayer Om Mane Padme Om written inside. It is a beautiful ritual imho. Happy Travels!
Myan try to give them back too. Thats too cheap talking about this price raise going on now on everything and in the mountains 🏔 too , hard to get there supplies.
those different colour clothes are prayer clothes. When the wind blows them and the wind touches you, you are blessed by the preayer that is writing on the prayer cloth,
wow ! great question...and I'd be really interested to hear Craig's reply 🙂I'm sure in all countries and all societies there are improvements that can be made, however for me as someone who has visited Nepal many times over the past 40 years, I would say the number one improvement that could be made in Nepali society would be to wipe out corruption and the privileges of wealthy citizens. I know it's a huge ask in a country that for years and years has had to endure endemic and blatant corruption. After accomplishing that massive task (which could take many many years, even generations) I would hope that this would pave the way for a more equal society where no citizen suffers from the evil of caste and/or poverty and no citizen is able to use their wealth to influence politics for their own personal advantage. On a more mundane level I would hope for a big improvement in levels of air pollution especially in the Kathmandu valley and in the quality and condition of the road system and public transport. 🙏😊
these prayer wheel are called Mane ( माने : ), in which awalokiteshwor matra Om Mani Padme Hun ( ओं मणि पद्दमे हूँ ) is written in Ranjana Lipi in Sanskrit. By rotating it you chant awalokiteshwor mantra protect negative energy bad karma.