※ This video is a part of <World Theme Travel - Life on the Road, Nepal Parts 1-4> broadcast from July 10 to 13, 2023. Nepal, a land blessed by the Himalayas! A landscape permitted by God, a wondrous story told by the great nature of the Himalayas People who walk, pray, and love on the rugged and barren road Let's go to a place with smiles as dazzling and shining as the snow-capped mountains! Cordyceps sinensis, a mysterious elixir found at 4,600 meters above sea level Nepal's 'Little Everest' Pikey Peak People as tough as the Himalayas, Sherpas Love old things! Culture and tradition intact, Kirtipur ⸱ Braga - The road of death where you earn a month and live a year, in search of Cordyceps sinensis The Himalayas, called the roof of the world. And Nepal, which occupies 8 of the 14 Himalayan peaks over 8,000 meters above sea level! The first journey begins in Ngawal, a picturesque village in the Himalayas. Located at an altitude of about 3,660 meters, Ngawal is a traditional Gurung village. Every step you take, every corner you look at is spectacular. While feeling grateful for being able to see such scenery, I hear that there is a top observatory in the village. It is the temple of Padmasambhava, considered the second Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism. You have to climb a whopping 2,700 steps. As you climb the steep steps, which are like a pilgrimage route, you think about the lives and religions of the people living in the harsh highlands. Even the Himalayas are a post-meal experience! The lodge where we will stay today will make us some special dumplings. The Tibetan dumplings, ‘Momo’, filled with meat and vegetables, are made in slightly different shapes for each ethnic group. The lodge owner, Wang Gil, also acts as a middleman for Cordyceps sinensis. May and June are the season for collecting Cordyceps sinensis (winter worms and summer herbs), so they are very busy these days. Cordyceps sinensis, known as one of the three great oriental medicines, is a rare mushroom that can only be found at altitudes above 4,000 meters. Cordyceps sinensis is difficult to find and even difficult to harvest. I couldn’t come all the way here and not see it! I steeled my resolve and set out to find Cordyceps sinensis with Wang Gil. We had to climb up to the ‘Ice Lake’, an ice lake located at an altitude of about 4,600 meters. The higher I went, the more out of breath I got, and the stronger the wind became, so even birds couldn’t fly properly. As soon as I arrived at the Ice Lake, which is said to be completely frozen even in the middle of summer, a blizzard began to blow in. And there were people crawling around on all fours to find Cordyceps sinensis with their bare hands. They say that there are countless cases where they return empty-handed even after searching all day. A local who couldn't stand seeing the guest Myeong-hwa keep making empty promises tells you a secret tip for collecting Cordyceps sinensis?! Cordyceps sinensis, which can only be collected for a month, costs over 10,000 won per piece, so it's a chance to make a fortune overnight. People who set up tents around the ice lake and collect Cordyceps sinensis for a month. It's a rough life on the road, but they endure with dreams and hope. - Dividing a house by the number of children? Kirtipur, the city of the Newar people of Kathmandu. It means 'city of glory' in Sanskrit. True to its name, it is a place where the culture and traditions of the Newar people remain intact. You can get there by driving only about 5km from the capital city of Kathmandu. The sight of colorful buildings closely packed together is eye-catching. Myeong-hwa, who has lived in Nepal for 12 years, tells you the hidden secrets of the traditional Newar houses?! It's a story of two families and three families living under one roof! The Newar tribe divides their house when their children get married. If they have two sons, they divide the house into two, and if they have three sons, they divide the house into three. “You can tell how many children you have by looking at the house.” They share a yard, dry crops, share each other’s daily lives, and share the joys and sorrows of life. - The highest movie theater in the world! Bhraka Village We go to Bhraka, an old village in the Manang region. It takes over 12 hours by car from Kathmandu. It is a ‘desolate and beautiful’ village built in the Tibetan style under a huge, weathered rock mountain. We meet an old man who raises yaks. Yak butter is an essential food ingredient in the chilly highlands even in midsummer. It replenishes body temperature and protein. We get a cup of tea from the kind old man and start exploring the village. As a village formed by Tibetan Buddhist monks, there is an old temple that is over 600 years old. Reflecting on the meaning of life and religion in the harsh and rugged nature, I offer up a devout prayer. When you come to the Manang area, there is a place you must visit! A movie theater located at 3,518m above sea level! It is a small movie theater, but it has everything you need. Highly recommended! Enjoy the world's highest(?) movie theater while eating popcorn and chia (Nepalese milk tea) - The hottest trekking course in Nepal There is a trekking course that is trending in Nepal these days?! It is the Pikey Peak Trek! It is called the 'Little Everest of Nepal' and you can see the eight highest peaks of the Himalayas at once. Above all, it is said to be cheap. You can see Everest without taking a plane to the Lukla area. However, since it is the beginning of the rainy season, I am worried about whether I will be able to see the proper scenery. However, the beauty of the summer Himalayas is still there. If you thought 'Himalayas = snowy mountains', you are wrong! The lush green waves are full and Nepal's national flower, Laliguras, is in full bloom. Laliguras, which is offered to gods and used as a medicinal herb, is also perfect for women's hair decorations. While continuing the trek while taking in the Himalayan energy, one person catches my eye?! He is carrying a lot of luggage and climbing a difficult path even if you just walk... He is said to be delivering food to the lodge located at a high place where cars cannot go. He climbs the mountain carrying his luggage for half a day at the shortest and 5~6 days at the longest. "I want to bear the weight of my life like this," says Myeonghwa. We gather our strength together and arrive at the lodge in 8 hours. And at this lodge, there is the famous(?) Tungna grandfather of Peekay Peak. He is a cheerful grandfather who plays the Tungna, a traditional string instrument of the northern Himalayas, and sings and dances. The first night of the trek passes by laughing and having fun with people. The second day of trekking to the summit! The weather fairy was on Ms. Myunghwa's side! It's hard to believe that it's the rainy season, the Himalayan landscape unfolds like a panorama. At Peekay Peak, which is about 4,065m above sea level, the great advantage is that you can see the Himalayan peaks in a straight line at eye level instead of looking up! We come down to the lodge and finish the trekking schedule by drinking Raksi, a traditional Nepalese distilled liquor. - Guides of the Himalayas, Lifestyle of Everest The Sherpa, a people known as guides of the Himalayas. As their name in Tibetan means 'people from the east', they live in the eastern part of Nepal, below Everest. To them, Everest is not an object of adventure, but the source of life, the 'Mother of the World'. So why do Sherpas risk their lives to climb Everest? Today's trip begins in Goli Village, Solukhumbu region in the east. They are preparing to hold a puja (a prayer ceremony offered to gods) at the old temple in the village. Tibetan Buddhism is the center of the Sherpa people's life and their way of life itself. Climbing Everest is a spiritual act that brings us closer to enlightenment, and helping trekkers climb safely regardless of one's own safety is practicing altruism in Tibetan Buddhism. I participate in the puja ceremony while thinking about the Sherpas' attitude toward the Himalayas. Usually, Sherpa men work as trekking guides or raise yak (a crossbreed of yak), and women grow potatoes and barley in the garden. The children also do their share of farm work. I try on traditional Sherpa clothes and pick Sisnu, a superfood(?) of Goli village, and get closer to the daily lives of the Sherpa people. Yak, the symbol of the Himalayas. Yaks, which live in high-altitude areas reaching 4,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level, are precious animals that provide the Himalayan people with everything they need for food, clothing, shelter, and more. And the migration of nomads that can be seen around the beginning of summer! They go up to higher pastures to feed the yaks grass. They sometimes sleep for a night in a stone wall without a roof, or they live for a few days in a tent made of yak skin. A life in the mountains where everything is self-sufficient from start to finish. We meet a father who is living a nomadic life with his daughter. We hear their story, which is as tough as the Himalayas. ✔ Program name: World Theme Travel - Life on the Road, Nepal Part 1-4 ✔ Broadcast date: 2023.07. 10~13 00:00:00 The Road of Death where you earn a month's income and live a year, in search of Cordyceps Militaris 00:40:19 Dividing a house according to the number of children? Kathmandu Newar 00:51:48 The world's highest movie theater! Braga Village 01:18:26 The hottest trekking course in Nepal 01:47:20 Sherpa, the guide of the Himalayas, the way of life of Everest