Hunting Nepal’s Mad Honey That Makes You Hallucinate - HONEY HUNTERS

There are few stories that keep me up at night and this story is one of them. Years ago I heard about these so-called

honey

hunters

hidden in the eastern mountains of Nepal. This is the main path to get where we're going, but It's amazing, when will I see this again? There is an indigenous group that for 250 years has risked their lives climbing hundreds of meter cliffs on nothing more than a bamboo ladder looking for a

honey

that

makes

people

hallucinate

, but beyond being extremely dangerous once you walk this path. A hunter's life is rumored to be cursed by the mountain spirit forever, although it was initially only used as a form of local medicine, as rumors of honey's unique healing abilities spread throughout Asia, demand of these rare and precious products were shot in Korea, China. and Japan, but consumed in higher doses, can cause vomiting for an entire day, loss of consciousness and, in rare cases, death, as climate change has caused the global bee population to decline sharply and younger generations They are reluctant to expose themselves to the same extreme risks.

Like their ancestors, this tradition is dying, there are no groups that take tourists on hunts sometimes organized for them to witness. However, as I think you already know, we are always on the hunt to find the most real and authentic story to experience and present to the world. So, after months of logistics, we were able to contact a small town that still takes this tradition very seriously at 58 years old. However, there is only one hunter left in the village and no one will replace him if he were to retire. potentially the last of his lineage with so many questions about this tradition and a 10 day trip to go camping deep in the jungle of Nepal, I decided to bring Tommy, my least experienced camping friend, who only camped one night in California before this, on what will turn out to be one of the most brutal trips I've ever been on.

Ideally, you have already put on your shoe before arriving. Thank you for saying it, like the day before our departure. Tommy has never been in a rough place. trip adventure trip like this in your life before actually i have never seen him so nervous i have only kept him once in my life you can't once i'm scared man i'm really nervous actually i mean it's going to be hard it's going to be really hard, but you'll have to be brave basically, oh, with all our gear packed, we started the three day trip to this remote Nepalese village thanks to Nepal.

A little nervous, a little nervous, it will be fun. I keep telling myself that oh yeah it's my first sign yeah hey man how are you nice to meet you? Look, do we have any idea what we're getting into? No, so I don't know anything about this trip. I was trying to calm you down. to tell you I know what's going on but honestly I don't just want to make sure you came with me they worked what's your name again tommy he's never done this he's never done his trick did you know it's not our first stop so soon?

When we landed it was to meet our safety guide who would take us through the rock climbing. We would have to witness the honey harvest up close. We haven't slept much. Yes, I'm also very tired since I came yesterday. Like yesterday. Yes, you from behind. Yesterday from Everest we can't really complain, I had a night flight, let's really put this new sports equipment to the test, eh, breathable sports clothing, this clothing is designed specifically for this type of adventure environment, solving any adventure you decide on. To continue, part of the purpose of our trip is to test and show you our new collection of sportswear products, as many of our garments in the past were made to be worn in everyday environments.

This clothing is designed for exercise and adventures. It's not just another drop, but a whole new product category that we hope to expand into on this trip to Nepal. We're here to test it in the toughest terrain and release it to the world once this short documentary is over, since literally no sponsors wanted to do it. Be a part of this journey, we invite you to scroll down and find that beautiful link in the description and get your own search equipment to use when you are looking for that discomfort, yes you have it now, just imagine tens of thousands of bees, leeches , a suit and a camera in hand, that is our only lesson.

You said some of the walls, not all, but some will be 80 meters, so multiply what you just did by eight, which is pretty high before we can begin to understand the bee

hunting

culture, we had to spend days of intense travel just to get to the village or maybe just chaos after flying to Nepal's capital Kathmandu, we now had to prepare for two full days of driving before beginning a four-hour hike through a rainforest just to get to town this is our jeep this is our spare tire are you ready for about 15 hours in the car it's a little tight for three grown men yes it will definitely be cozy here, cozy is good choice of words another option would be uh crowded only 15 hours more we have room for another in case you want to bring an extra friend we are friends with the strongest men in the world who are about the size of this truck can you come and we were?

We've been on this road for at least six hours. It's starting to get a little challenging. Great visibility. Yes, we have been going up. We are going to climb 2000 meters in the air and right now we are completely on the path. clouds and it's raining as we climbed towards the mountains, the monsoon rainy season was really starting to sneak up on us, but since we still had a long distance to go, our driver couldn't afford to slow down too much despite the poor visibility after driving around some accidents was worrying us a lot at the back of the car, the whole road is full of construction, it started pouring rain on this road, what was the way we could make it more sketchy?

I know, after a full day of driving in dangerous conditions and landslides were reported ahead, we had to stop two hours from where we originally expected to arrive at a small guesthouse, so this is our destination for tonight. This is where we'll start today and tomorrow and then hopefully these guys will clear themselves up. We will have the view of Everest thanks to you, yes, it was a long day. Will we be able to upload things at some point later? Oh, there will be electricity coming back. Yes, yes, oh, just for now. Yes. Okay, was that a good idea?

When I signed us up for this, I didn't think it was going to be as crazy as this trip. I feel like I've seen my life flash before my eyes four times. These trucks almost hit us on the side of this. course 5 30 a.m. I wake up tomorrow for eight more hours in the car and then a two-hour walk that I feel is going to turn into a four-hour walk. You have been? I'm so happy you're here. Makes me laugh. hello future me man and michael it had to be you watching this video you're probably already taking a shower you lucky bastard I feel like a condom yeah you're recording yeah I feel like a condom good night boy , good night, man, good morning, it's 5:30 in the morning. tomorrow, another full day of driving today, what do you think about that not being Everest?

I don't know, wow, holy Himalayas, everything here is perfectly under control, really, because it feels like the road is full of potholes and dirt, and there's a cliff and this region. is prone to landslides, what is that? It's hard to capture, but we're constantly on the edge of a thousand meter drop and he comes this close to the edge, just mud, we made it, wow, 15 hours later, I can't believe we're walking. Right now we have help carrying our suitcases, but there is a lot to carry. She is a beast. Thanks for the trip. Alright. The three-hour walk begins.

We're talking about how remote we are for two days. Now this is the main road to get there. where are we going, we're almost there, yeah, okay, I've got my first leech, just pull it out oh, it's deep, damn, we got blood, yeah, oh god, oh no, oh god, in this, yeah, are there tigers around? here? I don't believe it. I don't think you don't believe it, yes, and here we can find leopards, we can find leopards from time to time, we are actually walking towards the village right now, the young people have set up a volleyball net here in the middle of the past, it's nice . amazing namaste namaste it's so peaceful here we are so far from any passable road really this is right it literally looks like a set from the movie that's a very american thing, but it is, i know it's an american thing to say there's only one guy who's harvesting and who lives in this house right now and we're about to meet him oh wow namaste namaste you know trellis you're the hunter he's the hunter I wonder how many times this guy has been stung thanks for letting us stay here too yeah what's up, move out , yeah, move out, this is our damn boy.

I already love him. Thanks, great, what a view. Okay, we're on this guys, you're speaking like a completely different language. Nepal. It has 128 languages, I think they are spread all over the country and this language is native to this region, so it is Nepali, but you have no idea what they are talking about. On our first day, we were woken up at 7am, a surprise, two hours earlier than we had originally agreed to. At the beginning of the day I found the entire town ready to begin the sacrificial ceremony, although our first day was supposed to be a day of rest in the town, after three days of travel they felt that today was an auspicious day to receive the blessing. of the mountain spirit and ensure the safety of the group for their next search for honey in the right community, they follow the rule in the mundum, so what is the guide, the way to begin harvesting and blessing both the gatherer and the the entire process for the whole. town, so I'm about to head a little deeper into the jungle and start the ceremony.

The right people we are currently with are one of the indigenous groups of Nepal who have unwritten rules, beliefs and traditions passed down from generation to generation. generation, we really had no idea what this ceremony entailed and what we had gotten ourselves into. We are walking deep to witness our first indigenous ceremony. It feels very special to be so far away and be part of such a meaningful experience for this. The village is like nothing I've ever done before, oh my god, look at my shoes, there are leeches attacking us, several of them right there, how many do you have? trail This is supposed to be an easy one hour hike.

I can't imagine what the four-hour hit will be. Does anyone carry chickens here? I feel like yes, I'm going to faint. These people went straight to work. It's like one. unity and everyone moves and it's like a dance like everyone knows what their job is and it's just a constant flow, it's beautiful to see, this is the protagonist, well, those are the chickens, but we're not going to be able to show slaughtering chickens in youtube this is amazing oh I have never felt so far from home in my entire life in the best possible way they simply decapitated three chickens the chickens have been slaughtered and now they are blessing the different members who are going out to look for honey, this is a process and very serious ritual, the shaman almost seems to be in a trance, this is probably the most out of your comfort zone, but it is incredible, when will I see this again?, there is no whole.

There are a lot of indigenous rituals still preserved up to this point, which

makes

being here feel particularly special, so it's a sacrifice, but they eat it afterwards, so it's not like they're killing it for nothing. This is ours, this is yours, are you serious? What can I literally do? How the hell do you swallow this lump? How long has honey hunter culture been a part of your village? If a random person goes, you know it's going to be pretty difficult for them. Yes, this harvest will turn out to be good, but he has already predicted it. that in eight months someone in the town is going to die, someone in the town is going to die in the next eight months, how do you feel? who just felt it right now today yes yes yes yes the harvest is going to be here it really feels like that Well now we spent all morning packing, it's time to go

hunting

, it's time to do it, this is our smart man, this is a good bunch of guys, we're going to die here, probably not, yeah that's a spirit, the journey finally begins.

This is the longest it has taken us to get to the beginning of the real adventure we came for. It took us four days to get here. We have another day of walking. Tomorrow is the day of the actual harvest that we have really been putting our effort into. Look for uncomfortable sportswear to put to the test on this journey and we are so excited to be able to release clothing that I believe is what sick discomfort was created for in the first place, to be a catalyst for action from our card game spark to This new clothing is designed to be worn on hiking adventures, whatever that may be.you're doing and exercising, so we're excited to launch it and use it in the toughest conditions we've ever had.

Wow, I was climbing these rocks looking. up close, it's a lot bigger than I thought, huge, somewhere to do it, makes this look so easy, a slip even with a sprained ankle or worse, a broken bone here could be very unforgiving as we are In the monsoon rainy season, there is no rescue helicopter. could come and take us out or something could happen, which means we have to completely depend on ourselves and each other to make these hikes carefully and unharmed, we have to get there, oh my god, people die from the cows and sharks. for year I'm not trying to mess with these guys oh cool so tomorrow you'll see it there holy cliff up there that's the one tomorrow how do you get to walk through leeches and jungle how do you find out that's so much worse than what I thought, yes, honestly, hanging with your video, your camera, yes, don't you have it?

To remind me up there it gets a lot more intense very quickly it's our camp for the next two nights right under the hives without any insects and there are like huge spiders and leeches around yeah for you guys first take out my first leash Jesus it's one way three welcome to the camp, yes of course, the time finally came, after carrying all their equipment down the mountain for hours, the

hunters

were immediately ready to begin their first ascent in search of honey in the middle of the monsoon, there is a hike to reach the base of this and They're climbing a cliff, they're climbing to the top of the cliff, going down the ladder and then the guy will come down and cut the honey.

We can't even get past this point. It's so treacherous. This was only going to be a small harvest for them and the main harvest was planned to be much larger the next day, which is the climb we would be joining them for because we were now seeing for the first time exactly what we had signed up for, We're about to witness a man do the most dangerous thing we've ever seen anyone do and I feel comfortable saying that it's not entirely an exaggeration if he falls that's death yeah it's not even a question and it's not doing this with a professional rappelling team, he's doing this with a bamboo ladder that's attached from the top, the craziest thing I've ever seen throwing rain hanging off a gigantic cliff right now with the biggest piece of the world trying to eat him alive, wow, this is good, this is amazing, oh, let's go up. on that staircase tomorrow like he looked at this, that's crazy, this honey makes people freak out crazy seeing you all come back and be happy, guys, eyes all swollen, he says, ah, totally fine, you're strong according to the locals, what does this honey do?

The only thing is that these bees fly all over the Himalayas collecting nectar from more than 34 different plants and flowers, creating this special honey with healing abilities. They believe it helps with intestinal problems and injured animals. Some of them even take a small spoon mixed with their tea. It is believed that tea in the morning gives them strength and courage. The hallucinogenic part actually comes from a neurotoxin within a flower called rhododendron that only grows at high altitudes, which led to this honey becoming known as crazy. The most intense and most dangerous thing is yet to come.

We have been preparing for this, coming here for the last five days so that tomorrow we can be part of the most difficult and dangerous harvest you have planned for the year, how are you? I'm talking about what happened, yes, you're ready, he read it out loud and I thought that's exactly what we're doing now eating rice made right here in the fields potato grown here in the fields cabbage growing here in the field now same we're drinking some Nepalese room with our uh with our honey hunter okay yeah they called it they called it rum beer and strong wine uh yeah yeah I keep finding leeches I found one on my wrist here Oh.

OMG, we found one in the lower back of the buggy. Oh, my t-shirt I was wearing today, I just didn't even realize I had one in the store. It's also worth noting that this is Tommy's second time camping, not the second time in total. The second night I camp this is what camping is like because I'm not having a good time, are you kidding me? This is so much blood. Today is the day I woke up. I barely slept for a week. The dangers of our day and my anxiety near heights were slapped in the face. me in the face which part scares you the most uh the part that scares me the most is cory and potentially I'm still on the line yeah, I'm feeling really anxious right now I want to get on the line but I'm also worried about If I feel like this here when We're on the ground, I don't know how I'm going to feel once I'm ready to rappel down that cliff, what would you say is the main risk?

The bee is approaching you somewhere, you know, this is a very slippery slide, like on the hike, yeah, what do you mean by the cliff, you keep doing this, what does that mean, like we're going to walk like next from the cliff some of the very smart ones you know, we don't have any security when you walk well, yes, there are bushes and you know, jungle and cliff and everything ready, okay, okay, it's time, it's time for the base of this, no one is forced to do anything, yes, just do what you feel comfortable and that you feel is within your safety, good luck, thank you all, holy, now you go to the beginning of the fire, the hives are about to Go crazy, the bees are coming, these are the biggest bees. in the world its stinger isn't there it's crazier than I imagined I'm just going to climb that without protection I'm trying to stay here so this is the least zen environment I could imagine there are tens of thousands of bees leeches on the ground smoke in our faces, what are we doing here?

You brought me here buddy, he's barefoot, all he's got is a bamboo rope tied around his waist, that's holy, look at that right now, he's just hanging with his bare hands, he took off his harness, he's just holding on. in his arms and legs, that's it, cory's on the rope, he's coming down, good luck, thanks, it's got to be the scariest thing he's ever done abroad, oh my god, they're attacking him everywhere, All over the chamber, above us, I'm trying to stay calm. but I'll be honest, I'm really afraid of these and they are huge bees.

These guys do it without gloves. What is it that there are snakes here too? Yes, poisonous humidity here. Hey guys, what are we doing here? What dangerous thing? It's not here, you need oh, with the most dangerous cliff of the year achieved in a grueling and continuous six-hour climb, the jungle suddenly became silent, an ambiguous silence mixed with relief, exhaustion and a moment of everyone getting a hold of themselves each other. and what's the harm, how you doin', you're alive, I'm alive, man, and I'm kickin' guys, it's crazy, it's got so many bees on it before it falls to safety, oh, when Cory came down they decided to stop their harvest early, ya They weren't finding as much honey as they expected, which led to me not having time to get up the cliff as if we were training together.

Congratulations guys, we survived. It's the most important part. Yes, the sweatiest. You are drenched in sweat. Bye bye. -bye, I want to make it clear that what we are looking for is not an adrenaline rush, but to explore how deeply we can dive into this world to celebrate how wonderfully rich, complex and diverse our planet really is to meet people who have lived lives in such radical ways . different than ours but still finding common ground together, I think it is one of the most profound human experiences one can have, you are crazy and I hope that by showing you this it can broaden your perspective on how beautifully diverse our planet is.

It really is that way when it comes to this tradition, it's unclear how long it will persist with no one currently training to replace Ashton. We may have witnessed and captured one of the last honey hunts in this town. Young people around the world are moving to cities and climate change is causing problems even this far away in the wild. These traditions are becoming rarer and rarer and I suppose only time will tell if we may have witnessed the last honey hunter. We made a separate video. on our search and discovery channel, in the meantime try the honey, although I don't want to encourage you to do what we just did, I do want to plant a seed in your mind and leave you with this, where will your next adventure be?