The Himalayan Gold Rush: Seeking Yarsagumbu - Full Easy Documentary

displayed like diamonds in Hong Kong's Pharmacy Windows this product is worth more than gold a medicinal mushroom an elixir of Youth an Afrodisiac prized by the Chinese its trade involves hundreds of thousands of men women and children and every year it represents billions of Euros this is its story harvested on the Tibetan plateau and in the Himalayas at an altitude of 5,000 m the ceps yasak kumu in tibetan is a strange creature half plant half insect every year thousands of villagers risk their lives braving the cold wind and snow for months on end for a hidden treasure that's as rare as it is unusual and which nurtures incredible dreams in order to survive sugga Lao has to mix dung with soil he's a farmer he's done this all his life helped by his wife Mo and their two sons Raj and Surendra sual lives in uot a village of the doo region in Western neple these communities have always relied on barter but with the arrival of new consumer goods from the outside their way of life has changed they now want more than just the bare necessities and for that they need more money speech for speech for speech IGN speech for [ speech for forch speech foreign speech ] speech speech forch fore speech after several days of preparation sugal and his family leave in May for two whole months to collect yasak kumu in the pool a DOT of butter on the forehead and a white scarf are traditional blessings for their dangerous Journey Into the Heart of the mountains foree spee for Fore speech forch speech fore for the streets gradually empty sugal isn't the only one to be going the whole village is starting out on a strange migration the mountains are dangerous not all of them will make it back sugal knows it so before facing two months far from home he prays one last time for protection accept this life and spare our family it's the same scene throughout all the doo Villages and the surrounding valleys the mules are loaded houses are shut up ready for the hunt for yasak kumu it's a NeverEnding session from every village a true Gold Rush some will walk for 8 to 10 days before reaching their destination the whole mountain is in motion every Springtime the doo mountains become a real El Dorado schools and public services close down monasteries are deserted it's said that in some Villages there aren't even enough able-bodied people left behind to burn the dead until the pickers come back sugala like the others hopes to earn a Year's wage in just two months Dan Chandra isn't leaving his village yet he's not a picker he's a Trader he's also extremely busy preparing for the yasak kumbu season he gives money to his men so they can travel the mountains and buy the precious producte speech ] spech fore spech IGN speeech speech ] [ foreign D Chandra doesn't work alone he has to pay large sums of money in advance tens of thousands of Euros to buy the yasak kumu he works for danu a rich exporter Liv speech speech spech ] speech ] foreign speech ] forign speech ] speech ] foreign speech IGN speech IGN speech ] speech spech ] forch ] fore for speech ] forign speech ] foree ] forch ] speech ] for speech ] forign speech in Katmandu danu is reassured the yasak kumu season is underway in May and June Doo's population increases sixfold with the arrival of over 60,000 yasak kumu Pickers camps Sprout up all over the valleys after a 2-day walk sugal and his family arrive at the banga camp at an altitude of 3,800 m Provisions are either carried on men's backs or loaded onto mules today the Banger Camp wakes up in sorrow death is on the pr Raj becomes conscious of the danger foreign speech for speech for speech ] foreign spech speech ] foreign speech IGN speech speech ] speech ] spech spe foreign speech ] fore speech for speech speeech for speech ] fore speech IGN speech speech fore spech speee speech IGN speech ] foreign speech ] forign speech ] for speech for speech ] fore speech foreign speech ] for speech ] foreign spech ] foreign speech ] foreign speech spech fore spech for speech for Dan Chandra the trader it's time to leave like his men he's off to buy the best yasak kumu he can find this year D Chandra is taking his camera with he wants to photograph the Gold Rush that has drastically changed the region in the past 10 years foreign spech for for speech speech fore speech ] fore speech ] fore for speech ] for speech ] forign spe ] IGN speech ] IGN speech ] speech ] for while Dan Chandra moves into the mountains the men at The Banger Camp meet to discuss their secret hunting grounds yasak kumu is a victim of its own success and is increasingly hard to find IGN speech [ fore speech ] fore speech ] speech IGN speech speech spech ] forign speech IGN fore speech ] [ fore speech ] foreign speech ] fore speech speee initiation season he's going to learn everything from his father but now his little brother Surendra is bombarding him with questions ] fore forign speech ] foreign speech IGN IGN speech ] speech IGN speech ] speech foreign speech ] for speech ] fore underground at an altitude of around 4,500 M lives a vulnerable little caterpillar melting snow and rain soaked down into the ground carrying the spores of a formidable killer mushroom ofio Corps sinensis it invades the caterpillar's body gradually devouring it but the fungus soon feels cramped in this small cavity and bursts out through the insect's forehead into the open air the yasak kumu is born even after all these years Dan Chandra is still fascinated by the winterworm yasa and the summer herb kumbu it's one of Nature's Mysteries a caterpillar that becomes a herb with the coming of Summer Legend has it that it all began when the owner of a yak Caravan returning home from an exhausting Journey noticed that the animals who fed on this strange herb recovered better that was 1500 years ago from then on yasa gumu was reserved for Chinese emperors back at the Banger Camp the early risers are off to try their luck but sugga Lao has decided to take his family up to a higher spot hoping to find more yasak kumu they climb up to 4,200 M and the ti camp where vegetation is sparse foreign spee speech ] forign speech ] forign speech ] foreign foreign speech ] [ foreign speech ] fore speech ] foreign speech [ fore foreign speech ] forign spech ] foreign speech ] this is how yasak kumbu is picked bent over double from dawn to dusk with only a few corn cakes for sustenance every inch of ground is searched if the yeti exists it's sure that yasak kumu Pickers would have founded a long time ago Raj's initiation is about to begin fore speech for speech spe foreign speech foreign spe speech IGN speech forch foreign spee [ forign speeech fore speech ] fore speech ] forch parents bring their children along because their eyesight's better they hope that way they'll find more yasak kumu but at 4,500 M it's not an easy job for a 12-year-old Raj knows he's got a lot to learn you need an expert eye and a gut instinct for yasa kumu to find it amongst this tangle of twigs and shrub in a neighboring Valley Dan Chandra makes a break in his endless Journey he got bad news done [ speech ] for speech ] forign speech for speech ] fore forign speech fore speech ] forign foreign spe speech ] fore speech ] forign spee speech ] [ fore speech ] forign speech ] for foreign foreign speech ] spe foreign speech ] foreign speech foreign fore speech ] fore ] for speech ] fore speech ] [ for speech spech [ foreign speech ] foreign spech speech for spech Fore y provokes greed and Envy in some Doo ins tents pitched at the intersections of Mountain Trails you can have some rather unpleasant encounters spech ] forch ] spe speech ] speech ] fore speech [ fore speech IGN speech ] [ forch [ fore speech [ foreign foreign speech ] [ speech speech ] forign speech ] forch for speech foreign spech for spe it's been a month since sugal and his family left OT at the Tita Camp Raj continues his apprenticeship forign speech fore speech fore speech speech fore speech ] spech fore speech ] speech IGN speech speech speech ] forch speech napole accounts for less than 2% of yasak kumu production most of it comes from the Tibetan Plateau it used to be common for a picker to collect a 100 pieces a day but since China's economic boom demand has steadily risen just like the number of Pickers it's now quite an achievement to find 10 foreign speech forign speech see they he for Fore foreign speech speech for speech speech fore forch speech su's demons have caught up with him given in to the temptation of gambling spech for speech ] foreign speech for forign speech fore forign speech ] forign speech ] for speech [ forign speech ] foreign speech ] for speech [ fore speech ] foree speech ] fore speech ] fore speech foreign speech ] foree spee 500 me on the other side of the pass Dan Chandra finds refuge in an in in Bali spee forch ] ech for speech ] forch for speech for spech fore speech ] [ foreign speech ] for speech ] forign speech ] [ for speech ] [ foreign speech IGN speech ] foreign speech ] foreign speech ] forign speech as Dan Chandra sets off again sugal and his family are crossing the thieves pass 5,500 m above sea level they'll have to pick higher up and further away to earn back what their father lost at dice at the Pilgrim's Lake they make offerings to the gods oh please make sure we have a good harvest [ for speech for it's full moon and the hunters have organized a gathering in the middle of the valley 4,100 m above sea level they've come to relax and play for a few days in memory of one of their colleagues who died 3 years ago of exhaustion d d sh sugal and his family have arrived at the overhang Camp we're well into June but at 4,600 M it's still freezing at night as the snow melts it reveals new hunting ground sugal leads his son towards the Peaks although Raj is getting a good eye for yasak kumu he still lacks experience in the mountain it's it's getting late the weather's changing they take cover in a cave life's fragile up here in order to survive people help one another out the last person to stay in a cave always leaves wood for the next visitor your eyes huh it's the beginning of Summer but snow has covered the Harvest areas and stops work for several days 7 weeks after leaving home Dan Chandra has crossed half a dozen 5,000 m mountain passes and arrives at the overhang Camp it's [ for ] Fore speech ] speech ] [ foreign speech ] [ foreign [ speech spe [ [ forch foree ] speech speech ] speeech ] [ fore spech speech fore if the weather's bad there's always the movies it costs one y a kumu to get in Raj and the other children are happy they get to play for a change it's business as usual for Dan Chandra for ] [ speech foreign speech ] fore spech foree speech ] fore speech ] [ fore speech speech spe speech for speech ] foreign speech ] ] [ speech IGN speech ] forign speech ] fore speech come ch for speee Fore speech foreign speech forign speech foreign speech ] speech for forign speech forign speech for speech thanks to his sharp eyesight Raj is now better than his father children here helped to support the family from the age of 12 paying for the school books pens rice oil and salt bought in from outside next year his little brother Surendra will be lending a hand too n in the meantime Raj still has to tend and clean his harvest in order to get the best price speech forign speech speech speech forign speech ] fore speech ] fore speech ] speech ] [ foreign spee speech ] spee spe [ speech ] forign spech spech after 2 months away Dan Chandra is back in his village with his father he's preparing the yasak kumbu for its next Journey the yasak kumbu is stored in the dark to dry but not too long for it can turn brittle and break its value would plummet and two months of hard work would go down the drain kilos its estimated value in medson shops in China €300,000 300 years pay for the average nepales such a valuable load requires certain precautions Catman do the capital of Nepal the yasak Kumo's first urban destination danu the exporter who financed the Harvest is there to greet Dan Chandra spe speech [ fore speech [ foreign speech ] speech ] for speech for foreign [ fore forign speech for speech forign speech ] IGN speech ] for speech ] foreign speech ] fore speech [ fore speech ] speech ] forign speech ] foreign speech ] foreign speech speech spech spech foree forch forch in Hong Kong the Shang district is home to shops specializing in Chinese medicine where you can find some very strange things danu and Dan Chandra have come to sell their Harvest to Mr Fu a yasak kumu specialist the yasak kumu goes through a metal detector to ensure that it hasn't been tampered with spee spech for okay okay very good okay no problem okay thank you thank you almost 200 tons will be sold this year that's a turnover of5 billion e yasak kumu boosts the immune syst system acts as a tonic and even a doping substance but in China it's known mostly as an aphrodiziac whether myth or reality yasak kumu continues to enthe for speee forch for speech forch nowadays it's the new Emperors Rich Chinese and politicians who buy yasak kumu along with their power they naturally want a long life and the concubines to accompany it yasa kumbu has replaced champagne at parties according to Mr Fu it's popular not only because it's an aphrodiziac but because it's an elixir of Youth in fact it's good for everything when everything's good sex is good and when sex is good everything's good The Season's coming to an end at The Banger Camp the Shaman's got no one to treat fore spech fore [ foreign speech ] fore speech ] [ foreign speech ] forign speech ] forign speech [ foreign speech ] fore speech ] foreign speech ] foreign speech ] [ speech forch speech ] foreign speech ] speech speech ] forign spee [ fore speech for foreign speech ] for speech ] fore for speech ] fore although money from yasak kumu is currently making life easier for some Villages the future is uncertain how long will this Eldorado last how will Raj and his brother earn their living in tomorrow's worlde spech for speeech speech ] forign speech ] [ spech ] foreign foreign spee foreign speech speech foree ho oh

Channel: Easy Documentary

Views: 232,478

Keywords: documentary, full documentary, free documentary, easy documentary, adventure, Himalaya, Yarsagumbu, Gold Rush, Himalayan Gold Rush, Dangerous, Trek, Gold Rush Exploration, High-Altitude Journey, Dangerous Quest, Mountains, discovery, Fungus, Precious quest, Money, Unique story, Adventure Story, Hidden Treasure, Natural Treasure, Documentary Discovery, Documentary Expedition, Expedition, Dangerous Expedition, Valuable Find, Gold Rush Story, Expensive Treasure, Poor Populations, Hope, Fyp

Id: 2Cwk19gCzEA

Length: 53min 0sec (3180 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 09 2024