As I climbed down from the bus I was greeted by a mob of touts who are paid by guesthouses to bring tourists from the bus park. I having arranged my accommodations prior to my arrival was looking for someone from the Shanti Guesthouse. As I looked around I was getting hassled on every side, touts were telling me Shanti was booked or the driver won't be coming, anything to lure me into their car to collect the commission on my head. Through the crowd I saw a Nepali shaking his head and looking at me with an expression that communicated, "I'm sorry for the behavior of my countrymen. These guys are clowns"
I glanced back shrugging my shoulders with an expression that communicated,"What can ya do?"
He walked over and introduced himself, "I'm Deep"
"Is that short for Deepak Chopra"
He laughed, "No, Deependra"
"Hey Deep, I'm Chris"
I sat at a table drinking a coke and shooting the shit with Deep as I waited for someone from Shanti Guesthouse. The tout before was right, nobody was coming to get me. I knew Deep was touting for someone and I asked about his guesthouse. From what he explained it was worth checking out so I hopped on the back of his motorbike and we headed for Pushpa Guesthouse.
Interested in continuing our conversation, I invited Deep for a beer on the lake. He accepted and we spent the next hour talking. I asked him questions about his culture and lifestyle. Deep explained that an Australian benefactor he met as a child sent him to school for 8 years where he learned English. But the guy died before Deep could finish his final 4 years. Now at 28 years old, he has a wife, Agina (rhymes with you know what. The smile on my face during our introduction was not due to my pleasure for meeting her) a 6-year old boy, Ashish and a 9-year old daughter, Anu. They are subsistence farmers who grow almost all of their meals. Deep works for Pushpa touting potential guests for about 50 US Dollars a month, his family lives paycheck to paycheck and is unable to save money. He also told me that he is a year and a half behind in tuition payments for his kids' school.
To me his situation sounds dire, I don't know how I would be able to cope. But to Deep it's life and he takes it in stride, with patience and grace and he remains honest. I admire him for it.
That evening we wound up going for dinner and then to his friends' club and continued our discussions. I asked, "So the Desain festival ends on Thursday right? Isn't that the big day, everything in Nepal will be closed?"
Deep went on to explain that Desain is the most important festival of the year where they celebrate the goddess Durga's triumph over evil. On the last day families get together and start the day with a goat sacrifice to Durga, then they prepare the meat for a feast. The whole family comes together and can feed from the goat for 4-5 days. Desain is like Christmas, Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl all in one. I asked how he and his family would be celebrating and he told me that they wouldn't be, they couldn't afford a goat. I felt such sympathy for the guy, I considered buying him a goat. But I decided not to intervene.
Deep offered to show me around town the next day so I took him up on his offer. At 8 o'clock the following morning I hopped on the back of the motorcycle to cruise the streets of Pokhara. We stopped in the center of town where hundreds of locals were congregated, shopping for the festival. In a sectioned off area there were pens of goats where people were negotiating with herders over price. Looking over at Deep I could see the sadness in his face.
"How much is a goat?", I asked.
Deep asked a herder, it was 8,000 rupees.
(My internal dialogue) "8,000 rupees! Back in the day the big shield in The Legend of Zelda only cost 90 rupees, inflation is a bitch." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrule
Then thoughts started percolating:
- OK, it's like $100, I can afford it.
- Deep is a victim of circumstance. If he lived where I live and had my fortune he wouldn't be in this situation. It's not fair.
- It must be terrible to have to tell your children, "Sorry kids, maybe next year."
- What will I really be buying for my $100? What kind of experience will follow?
- Screw it, let's find out.
I can't describe the look on the guy's face, it reminded me of how lottery winners look upon being delivered the news. Deep grabbed me and started hugging me as he went off on nonsequiturs trying to express his happiness, gratitude, relief and disbelief all at the same time. He called his father, yelling in Nepalese into his cellphone.
"My dad is coming, he is so happy, thank you, thank you so much from my heart. You don't understand, thank you."
Five minutes later I met his father, Babaram. The man was weeping as he greeted me. He grabbed my hands and put them together between his then he bowed touching his forehead to my hands. I returned the gesture with a man-hug and the man nearly squeezed the life out of me.
Deep and I sent Babaram to negotiate the purchase of a good goat. Sold! for 7,500 rupees. As I lead my newest acquisition down the street by the horns I thought, "How are we going to get him home?"
Ten minutes later I was riding on the back of Deep's motorcycle with goat ass in my left hand, goat horns in my right and goat torso in my lap.
As we buzzed through the streets all of the locals were looking at me smiling and waving or giving a thumbs up. I arrived at Deep's 10 minutes later with a sore right forearm and a goat piss covered left leg. As we made our way to the front door I asked Deep if the family was aware of our purchase. He said they had no idea we had a goat. So... I decided to get Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes on their ass, toting a goat rather than a giant check. I whipped out my camera and shot this video.
The whole family showed up. Deep's mother, father, son, daughter, his sisters their husbands and their kids. We tied up the goat and as the children teased it I enjoyed a cup of tea with the family. I was invited back for a traditional dinner of dhal bhat (rice and lentils, the stuff is awesome) that night, and to celebrate the last day of Desain with the family the following day.
Deep picked me up at 6 o'clock the following morning and we showed up at Babaram's home in the near by village where I met Deep's grandmothers and some of the local village people (no need for obvious joke here). His sisters made tea and we sat on the clay floor outside sipping it as Baburam brought out the goat.
Fifteen minutes later a man walked up carrying a large curved blade. I knew right away who he was and what he was there to do. I looked over and watched the goat chewing on grass knowing what was about to happen. I felt nervous, nauseous and a bit guilty. But then I thought, "I eat meat, this is where my food comes from." I almost felt as if it were imperative for me to witness the slaughter as a means to teach me a healthy respect for my food, and not to take it for granted. Secondly, this is a centuries old Nepali tradition, isn't experiencing something like this one of the reasons I came in the first place?
They lead the goat to the center of the yard, Deep held the rope connected to the horns and Baburam held the back legs. Knifeman said a prayer and showered the goat with rice and spices and then took his stance on the goat's side. He sized up the neck a few times and then with two hands on the handle he hoisted the blade high over his head and with one swift downward motion, the deed was done.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO IS REALLY GRAPHIC SHOWING THE BEHEADING OF THE GOAT. I DID NOT POST IT FOR SHOCK VALUE OR AS A GROSS OUT. I AM POSTING IT TO ENABLE YOU THE VIEWER TO SEE THE EVENT THROUGH MY EYES. PLEASE PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION. IF YOU PUKE ON YOUR KEYBOARD I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY AND I AM NOT PAYING FOR THERAPY IF YOU ARE HAUNTED BY NIGHTMARES.
Yeah...imagine seeing this live and from 5 feet away.
"HOLY SHIT! I screamed in my head, then they started collecting the goat's blood in a shiney metal bowl.
WARNING THIS VIDEO IS PRETTY GRAPHIC TOO, LOOKS LIKE A SNUFF FILM
It took me all of my restraint to keep my composure and to hold down the rising chunks. The kids on the other hand were laughing and enjoying. Did you notice that at the end of the video you see 6-year old Ashish playing with the severed goat's head? What the F? Any kid I know would be crying in hysterics right now. It goes to show how our upbringing shapes our social mores.
Over the next 2 hours I helped to skin and prepare the goat. Afterward the men butchered it (I've got tons of nasty photos I can show you later) while the women cooked it. That afternoon, we sat on the ground and ate goat the traditional Nepalese way, with our hands. I didn't have much of an appetite, but I wanted to experience Dasain as a participant rather than as an observer.
That night I returned to Deep's home for dhal bhat and more goat. And in the morning I came back to join the extended family to give and receive tika.
Now, I'm sitting writing this draft at a cafe in Kathmandu, biding my time until tomorrow when I'll head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few days before meeting up with my friend Andrea for a few weeks in Borneo.
As my time on the subcontinent comes to a close I'm reflecting on my experiences. It was a challenge at times but I got so much from it, I'm going to miss the places, I've grown comfortable here. I'm sure it will take me years to fully digest what I've experienced in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Well onward ho! To Southeast Asia, get me to the beach!
It may be a few weeks before you hear from me again. If you think backpacking around the world by yourself is a vacation, you are dead wrong, it is hard work. So, as odd as this may sound to you, I am taking a vacation for the next 2 weeks in Borneo and I won't be working on the blog. See you on the other side of Borneo, wherever it is I wind up next.
1 comment:
Have fun with Andrea!! I am jealous and missing you both terribly.
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