This honey hunting work
is very risky. Only people who are strong, brave,
and fit should go up there. Just over that is a huge drop. And they look totally comfortable. Just getting ready there,
like, having a chuckle. The honey at this time [of the year]
is nutritious, yet intoxicating at the same time. Thus, large amounts of this honey
shouldn’t be consumed. Even a couple of drops can have an
intoxicating effect on you. [Mad Honey] People drive like maniacs,
kind of, in Kathmandu. There's a weird order to it. So, everyone sort of, you know, manages not to kill each other
every five seconds, even though it feels like it. We’re heading west and to the
Annapurna mountains, basically the foothills
of the Himalayas. And we’re going to meet up
with the Gurung. It’s a community indigenous
to this region of Nepal. And twice a year, they harvest honey
from these very high cliffs. It’s one of the oldest methods
of harvesting honey in the world. And this time of year in the spring, that honey is rich with
rhododendron pollen, which has a psychedelic effect. We’re not exactly sure what the
effect is, or how they use it, but we’re going to join
them on their honey hunt and try some of the honey
and see what the effects are. We came to Nepal seeking a rare
intoxicant known as ‘mad honey,’ a wild honey infused
with a substance called grayanotoxin that comes
from rhododendron flowers. Mad honey has a range of reputations, from an aphrodisiac,
to a cure-all medicine, a deadly poison,
and a powerful psychedelic drug. To find out what mad honey
is to the Gurung, we embarked on a long journey
through the mountains of Nepal to the tiny Gurung village
of Talo Chipla. That is an incredible view. It’s just so vast. Once you get up here,
you can just see for miles. It's kind of hard to
describe or capture the sheer magnitude of how far
and how deep these mountains go. When the paved roads came to an end, a group of Gurung came to help
us hike three more hours up to their village. This is the man right here, Mingma.
He's our Sherpa. We have 13 guys carrying our stuff. There’s all the camera gear
and everything. And they showed me how to
carry their baskets earlier using their foreheads. I gave it a try. How long did you say you can walk
with this, three or four kilometers? More like ten to fifteen. This is how people tend to roll,
out here. So I’ve got to say,
I kind of feel like a bitch for not carrying my own stuff. But, you know, when in Rome, right? When in Annapurna. It’s, like, a thing too, you know, we got all
this hiking gear, these guys are wearing
flip flops and a short-sleeved button-down. And they’re just doing it. They’re just trudging up,
like they’re taking the subway. Alright, you ready Mingmar? You ready?
Alright let’s do it. So, as we were hiking up just now, Durga, who is one of our porters, said he had a little treat
in his pocket and looks like, can I see? -What’s this right here?
-Ganja. Ganja. So, that’s a ball of hash.
How did you make this? Rub the hashish leaves between your
palms for about 30 minutes. After it turns black,
scrape it off with a knife. That's crazy. I've tried making
finger hash before. It takes a minute, it takes a lot of
rubbing. I mean, this guy did it. We’re about to get to the Gurung
village that we’re visiting. It sounds like there’s going to be
a little welcome party happening. Clap everyone, clap! Welcome them nicely! The Gurung have lived in remote
villages in these mountains for centuries. Their culture is still steeped in
tradition, like honey hunting, which has been passed down for longer
than anyone can remember. They also know how to throw a party. And the local chief was eager to
welcome us with a taste of their way of life. Or three. Three times. There’s a three drink minimum here. This way, three times. With respect,
it’s poured three times. To respect and honor our guest means
drinking three times. So this is a beverage called Raksi,
it’s made with millet. It tastes a little saké. As remote as this place is, everyone’s got their cell phones out,
they’re snapping pictures. A couple of people just
added me on Facebook. So, you know, even though
we’re really far out, things are changing, clearly. So, as long as this village
has been here, your people
have been hunting honey. Why do you guys do it? Our ancestors hunted for honey
and for food because they had to. And now we don’t want to stop
doing what they used to do. This honey can also be used
as medicine. Thus, despite the risks,
we have continued to honey hunt. So what’s special about the honey that we’re going to be
harvesting now? The honey at this time [of the year]
is nutritious yet intoxicating at the same time. When intoxicated, you feel as if
your blood vessels are tightening. Thus, large amounts of this honey
shouldn’t be consumed. You should, at the most, only
consume half a spoon of this honey. Who exactly are the honey hunters
from the Gurung tribe? Just because you are a Gurung
doesn’t mean you are capable of honey hunting. Only people who are strong, brave,
and fit should go up there. Do the Gurung people have
a special connection with the bees who are making this honey? The bees give us this sweet goodness. They give us this nutritious honey but we aren’t able to give anything
similar in return. Yet they stick around with us. We feel like this is a gift to us
from nature. As night fell on Talo Chipla,
the groom sacrificed a chicken and performed a religious
ceremony for the cliff gods, to ensure everyone’s safety
for the hunt the next day. We’re at the top of the hill, the
bees have already started coming out. There’s a bee on your head. Could somebody swat
that off for me? You got that? Thank you. Yeah, where’s the hat?
Where’s my **** hat? Give me my hat! Everyone’s got
a makeshift bee mask on, and a couple of guys are
cooking up some frogs in there. Seems like it’s kind of an
event, everybody’s hanging out. There’s bees everywhere. As soon as we got to the top of
the hill, our camera guy, Billy, got stung in the back. So I know he probably hates
holding that camera right now because these things hurt. Look at the
size of these bees. I was going to catch one to show you. But like, look at these ****. They’re massive. Are you guys expecting
a good harvest this year? I’m guessing it’s going to be
very strong. The bees have already
stung me twice. If the bees attack you, it means the
honey is very potent. We should put a spoonful of it
in our teas twice daily. This will make you very healthy. It sounds like you guys
use it medicinally, but this stuff **** you up,
you know, it gets you high. So, do you guys use it recreationally
as well? People become healthy
after eating this. They don’t consume this to party. -We’re pretty much ready to go.
-OK, we’re ready then. -Ready? Alright, let’s go,
-Yeah, ready. So, now they’re making the ladder. We’ve got these two super thick ropes
that are made of braided strips of bamboo. And they basically have
shards of wood with arrowheads carved into
either end, that they’re jamming in. So, they’re making pretty quick
work of it, from bottom to top. They’ve already got
a bunch of the rungs in and they’re going to hang
this thing down, over the edge. And some lunatic’s
going to go harvest honey. Durga is showing me
how to chop down leaves. So basically, we’re going to gather
these up and this is what they use to burn, to create that smoke
down at the bottom of the cliff and at the top of the cliff
to ward off the bees. Cut all these together. -So, do I cut here?
-No, no. All together. Nice. You see how swole up
his hands are right now? It’s because he’s been stung by bees
relentlessly on his hands. A lot of the guys at the camp have
kind of puffed-up hands right now. It seems like
it’s almost like a sport. Like everyone has their own
role, their own position. And they all have this common goal
of harvesting the honey. And everyone sort of rallies
around it, more like it’s a game. But of course, there's definitely
a very spiritual aspect to it. And they've been doing it
for a long, long time. So it's somewhere in between
those two things. My name is Ashdhan, and I have been doing this for ten years. So, how much did you practice before the first time
you attempted this? I didn’t practice
before the first time. I went directly in. Have you ever made a mistake? No, of course not. The one who goes down
needs to be quite able. You shouldn’t be scared either... maybe a little nervous
while at the very top... maybe a little hesitation while stepping down in the beginning... but the nervousness disappears
as you lower down. You don’t work here because someone
is forcing you to or even because you really
enjoy it. You work here because society
respects you for your work. As time went by, I started really
enjoying this work. It’s very relaxing once we have
returned home from honey hunting. Our friends become very happy
knowing of what we’ve done. To get to the hives underneath
the overhangs of the cliffs, the hunters work in teams. One cuts down the honey
while another holds a basket that catches the combs
when they fall. It used to be a job for one, but younger hunters are still
learning the ropes. They’re dumping all the broken-up
honeycomb onto this tarp here, and then separating it
because some of the honey has already been consumed
by the baby bees. But some of it’s good to go,
so they’re scooping that up and they’re putting it in this little
strainer made up of a straw basket and that’s dripping down. So, what’s in that bucket is
going to be the final product, minus all the wax and the bees. Just the good ****. My name is Ash Bahadur. I’ve known about [honey hunting]
since I was 15 to 20 years old. I am old and can’t climb anymore,
but I pass on the techniques. While some [of the hunters] are
clearing the grasses and others are preparing the baskets, I tell everyone what to do
even if I can’t do anything. Since they are young hunters, they were not able to come up
with as much honey. With persistence, I keep teaching
and showing the youths. I made this. What do you think
it’s used for? -To cut the hives.
-Oh. Who taught you this skill? You see, we’re still kids. -You’re still young.
-Yes, young. Older people like them and our
grandparents have taught us. But the younger Gurung kids go to
school [in the city]. Who do they learn from? Those kids come back home
for the holidays. So it’s not like the Gurung kids
go to the city and forget about this work? No, it’s not like that. If they
forget this, then they’re forgetting our culture. Our culture and traditions
will disappear. It seems like a lot of fun as well.
It’s something traditional and fun. We have fun because we are all
a group of friends. Alright, are we going to
try some of this? Alright, so we’re eating
the wax here. Wow, that’s really sweet and tasty. Should I eat more,
or is that too much? Not too much. Not too much? Alright,
I’m going to eat a little more. I don’t want to go over
the recommended dosage because that’s the difference
between just getting high and getting sick. I’m just going to eat another
little wet corner, and that’s it. For now. And I’ll wait a little bit
and maybe have a little more. One more? Alright. Cool, let’s do it.
Drip it into my mouth It tastes like strong
store-bought honey. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t
have that deep, kind of a smoky flavor to it, almost. And it burns your throat
a little bit on the way down. But it feels good. Feels like medicine. I’m starting to feel
a little bit of something. It feels like I just took
a couple of hits of a joint. It’s not super strong.
It’s not knocking me out. I just feel, like, a little buzz,
you know? And it’s funny, as I’m talking it’s actually getting
a little bit stronger. Durga is definitely
kind of stoned as well. You can tell,
he’s just giggling and stuff. It’s really a unique thing
to this place and to these people, and they’re loving it. And it’s just honey
that you get from a cliff. It’s just honey
that you get from a cliff, and you eat it
and you get stoned. It’s crazy. You guys have got to try
some of this ****. Too much honey? Yeah, too much honey. Light it up, brother. Hail to Shambhu.
Let Shambhu be great. -You call Shambhu?
-Yes, Shambhu the great. What does Shambhu mean? Shambhu... it’s another
name for Lord Shiva. Ah, OK. So, is the high you get
from the honey the same as the high from hashish? I feel both give you
the same type of high. You feel high slowly on hashish, the
honey makes you high on your feet. To first time users, the high
lifts you up and throws you down. [Honey hunting] is an old tradition
in your village, right? Don’t you feel like telling people
around the world what is happening here? I feel this is a beautiful place
and in a place like this... where the bees come
and live in the cliffs... people have never seen what
a precious thing we have here. They don’t know. We should allow this
place be known for [honey hunting] so that it continues and people will
come knowing what we have here. Thanks a lot, and I had a lot
of fun being with you. I am also very happy that I met you.
Very, very happy. Will you come back again? Absolutely, I’ll come back. I’ll come
back and eat honey with you. I’ll absolutely come back, brother. Definitely. When the hunt was over for the day, we packed up camp
and headed back down to Talo Chipla. Let’s make a big effort. Looks like it’s done now. Seeing their reverence for the hunt, it became clear what
this honey means to the Gurung. It’s so ingrained
in their way of life that it transcends
its mere medicinal value, psychoactive properties,
and sanctity. This is for you.
This is your bee suit, alright? You won’t get bit. Thanks for everything,
it was super fun. I feel pretty **** up, honestly,
and it’s a really good feeling. It’s like icy hot. It’s like a
cold... cold and warm feeling. It’s kind of like being stoned, but it’s kind of like being
on mushrooms as well. Like when you eat just
a gram and a half, two grams of mushrooms
and you get a little bit of that almost lockjaw feeling, like your
muscles are tensing up a little bit, and you feel loose
and tight at the same time. A guy just walked by,
it threw me off a little bit. There goes another one. But that’s about as articulate
as I can do right now. But yes. Honey, good. Honey, good. That’s it.
