Deadliest Roads | Nepal: The Way of the Wise | Free Documentary

[Applause] [Music] maybe [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] it's a never-ending story every year during the rainy season indra the god of rain and thunder sends clouds towards the region of gurkha in nepal [Music] the monsoon is a symbol of prosperity and indra the god of all gods never does things by halves [Music] torrential rain crashes down on the country [Music] far from the tourist traps the roads and trails of the mountain region become impassable and many villages are cut off from the world for several months at a time [Applause] [Music] krishna is perhaps the most important man in this region he's the only shopkeeper within a 50 kilometer radius when he doesn't supply the goods everyone in the area suffers as a result [Music] by the time the driver gets back 2 000 liters of fuel will have been sold over the course of the day it must be said that the generators are running at top speed here in arquette even though the village has electricity there are often power cuts the three thousand inhabitants of arquette are counting on rama whilst rama counts on his luck [Music] from archaic to gurkha is just a tiny speck on the map just 40 small kilometers that rama will have to endure through his sweat and exhaustion [Music] [Applause] [Music] never complaining the nepalese head-on they have a completely different view of life buddha their karma and the invisible world around them guide them today on these nepalese roads most of the time mechanical horsepower is not much help four hooves are much better than four tyres but there's always a catch in the face of danger the animal can be a little temperamental [Music] actually the monsoon devastates the country but at the same time is a source of life and without it a large part of nepal would die of starvation [Music] [Music] [Music] according to the nepalese nothing is important in this world suffering or not all that counts is wisdom rama who is heading out to get petrol in gurkha prefers to wait an hour or two before hitting the road just a few hours could make all the difference during monsoon season this man carries the same name as the god ganesh and he's not far off from a god in the eyes of his passengers he's one of the only bus drivers who's willing to travel during this time of the year [Music] and he even makes a point of respecting the timetable they now know their eta however is another matter altogether [Music] but it's equally as possible to never get there at all the road leading to gurkha is one of the poorest maintained in the country [Music] far away from any of the nature reserves that attract thousands of tourists the nepalese government forgot about this road a long time ago the locals have always maintained the roads however this year the state has taken action it is still unclear as to when it will be finished after passing the first few kilometers the old trail starts up again aside from the shovels and pickaxes that ganesh brings along with him he's missing one crucial element to get out of these traps so when he finds it he must bid farewell to morality foreign this petty theft is not good for their karma for buddhists who believe in reincarnation good and bad actions will affect their next life [Music] rama the driver who is buying fuel in gurkha finds himself a few kilometers behind the bus and he's keen on keeping his good karma [Music] he therefore transports these passengers for free as they can't afford a ticket on ganesha's bus good for his karma perhaps but not for the passengers [Music] foreign foreign [Applause] hello [Applause] [Music] um [Applause] further down the road ganesha's bus is slowly pushing on despite the beautiful weather the earth is hardly drying out [Applause] [Music] every time he takes the wheel ganesh repeats the same phrase by buddha over and over again wise is the one who faces adversity with patience equal to his strength and on this journey buddha's words take on their full meaning [Music] me [Music] rama and his passengers end up catching up with ganesha's bus [Music] foreign [Music] this emergency stop is neither to offend the passengers on the truck nor rama who has his own ideas when it comes to driver camaraderie not so good for his camera quite it's not looking good but ganesh and his assistant congratulate one another for having stolen the sandbags from the side of the road brother but even in nepal underhanded gains never prosper foreign la la [Music] me foreign the puncture made this restaurant happy as all of the passengers rushed to it the passengers are greeted with drinks and tasty meals for a small sum ganesh and his assistant wolf down a dalbat rice lentils and a few pieces of chicken in a very spicy sauce as a bus driver ganesh earns 600 euros per month and suresh makes half of that they barely have enough to live on but according to them there's no reason to complain [Music] foreign making do with what one has for buddhists one must accept that bad deeds of a former life are paid for in the next [Music] jetty and her mother break up rocks all day an unrewarding yet necessary job their work is used for repairing the roads foreign [Music] what's up [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] but it allows jetty to live comfortably with her three children and her disabled husband [Applause] [Applause] foreign jetty and her family's life becomes even more complicated during monsoon season [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good [Applause] foreign [Applause] the showers never last long but long enough to ruin everything ganesha's bus may no longer be new but it's still sturdy [Music] unlike this new 4x4 which finds itself immobilized in the middle of the road the driver just can't seem to get out ganesh suggests taking the wheel foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] nothing is happening the two-ton vehicle stays where it is no matter who's driving [Applause] [Music] [Music] the sun is beating down it's 40 degrees two hours later they've marked out a plan of action no vehicle on this road drives over four kilometers an hour on average [Music] some even leave their trucks behind because the tractor that's supposed to save them also gets into trouble [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] after 40 kilometers of effort and 12 tiring hours ganesha's bus arrives in the symbolic town of gurkha its maharaja unites all the different regions to give birth to modern nepal however for ganesh and his passengers modernity is still a myth 15 minutes after the bus rama arrives at the entrance of the town everyone congratulates one another for making it in one piece [Laughter] unlike ganesh rama barely has time to catch his breath the village is counting on him to quickly return with the fuel for the generators foreign 30 euros per journey a measly salary for 24 hours of driving rama arrived back in arquette the next morning [Applause] his passengers also continued their journey they all headed to a small village with a great power this annual celebration brings luck and happiness for the rest of the year since the earthquake that destroyed the country in 2015 the nepalese never missed the bracelet ceremony [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] at the same time as the bracelet the tilak is placed in the middle of the forehead it represents the third eye of the goddess shiva and symbolizes the rising sun during the process the priest adds a few grains of rice in order to feed the spirits [Music] to the shamans this protection is crucial as there has been an outbreak of attacks from bad spirits ever since the earthquake that caused 8 000 deaths there are always visitors to shaman santa bahadur's [Music] the villagers pay the shame in whatever way they can [Music] satisfied the bad spirits have flown away [Music] [Laughter] the monsoon grows stronger with each day in a short while it will be at its strongest more than 300 liters of water per metre squared in one month a tidal wave from the sky the villages on top of the mountain will soon be inaccessible a journey is being planned against the rain in order to restock [Music] this solution legendary yeah these sheets of iron for the roof and walls of houses are not very resistant to strong winds and above all they brighten up daily life during these long months cut off from the world [Music] is the youngest driver in the region only five trucks are available to go to 20 kilometers further up a small distance that has nonetheless destroyed many trucks in the past so the villagers have called upon another means of transport which so far has a 100 success rate every day several trailers full of mules like this one unite to take on the mountain [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] 600 kilograms of equipment and food to carry for eight hours up steep paths many of the mules are uncooperative some even escape [Music] for a few rupees this young man brings them back on the right track what is [Music] the race between the mules and the trucks begins the route taken by the driver seems more suited to mules mailer isn't passing 15 kilometers an hour [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] melo travels with schuberth his 14 year old assistant he's learning the trade but he must put his heart and soul into it there's no time for slackers [Music] the foreign [Applause] [Music] i [Music] then [Applause] at the village entrance two truck drivers await mailer like he is the messiah when there's a serious problem the drivers trust his skill alone to solve it [Applause] while mailer is saving his friend on the other side of the mountain suker and his mules are making progress slowly but surely it's the mules setting the pace of this journey not tsuka the mule's endurance is only equal to the reputation of the men of this region the gurkhas fearless and hardworking men since the middle of the 19th century the british army recognized the value of these mountain dwellers they created an elite unit composed only of gurkhas to this day these commandos are being sent on the trickiest missions tsuka is no longer a soldier but is still fighting every day of the garage [Music] [Music] to the gods that one of his mules doesn't have a bad fall [Music] crossing the suspended bridge is always a cause for concern [Music] [Applause] [Music] ever since the earthquake the mountain has been swarming with porters the villagers who can't afford to pay for a lorry or mule the mules carry cargo on their backs cargo that enables the villagers to rebuild their lives [Music] hey [Applause] [Music] back with the truck drivers mailer still hasn't reached his friend who's broken down after five hours he's still trundling along this rain-drenched road painfully slowly [Music] [Applause] [Music] universe [Applause] the broken down truck is just after this slope [Applause] this lady seems to be enjoying all of his trouble the show is far from over for her [Applause] foreign [Applause] foreign [Music] oh [Applause] [Applause] okay uh [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] to abandon his foreign he must deliver his goods before night falls he'll come back to find him later if he himself doesn't end up stuck on the road there's still 10 kilometers left until mongbo village [Music] absuka and his tireless troop of mules have just reached the grocery store after five hours of walking [Music] contrary to the villagers the only misfortune zooka might one day experience is the road being laid with tar [Music] [Applause] miller arrives long after the mule driver the village is now supplied for most of the monsoon seasons amir is the owner of this colorful store the only shop on this side of the mountain [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] mailer kept his word and has come back for his friend ashok but this time he's brought a rope to tow him wow [Music] this latest defeat leaves the men with only one option take out the stones one by one to make the road as smooth as possible [Music] [Applause] [Music] it will take them the whole evening to get the truck back to the village [Music] mailer doesn't really have the time to relax the arrival of the monsoon means heading back to the field or rather the paddy the young driver has traded the steering wheel for the handles of the plow [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] foreign brother cousin nobody gets out of the family chores um [Music] his mother had other hopes for her son but when he was 16 she had to put him to work [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] the dream for mailer and his family is to improve their karma to ensure prosperity in their next life [Music] [Laughter] [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

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Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, most dangerous roads, most dangerous journeys, worlds most dangerous roads, worlds most dangerous journeys, deadliest roads, deadliest roads in the world, dicing with death, deadliest journeys, deadliest journeys Nepal, dicing with death Nepal, dangerous Nepal, most dangerous roads Nepal, dangerous roads Nepal, deadliest roads Nepal, Nepal

Id: w2BuuDHKoKc

Length: 52min 55sec (3175 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 05 2022