JOURNAL 6 - Book - The Himalaya Bound

Chapter 1, 2 & 3... 

Nice Matt, 80 pages, as I don't have other things to do. 

Nice, about 18 words in the first two paragraphs I don't understand already, this book is gonna be awesome. I. am. so. confused. Do they live in the Himalayas or something? How do they know this trip is gonna be different or harder than the other. This gives me a headache :). Wait so now the author is talking so this isn't really gonna be a story...? Okay so reading the whole chapter, it all kinda makes sense. The author met the family in 2009 and went with them on their trip, right?

It is fascinating how the tribe still lives in their traditional way, even with the world and the society nowadays. I'm just not sure what you want me to write down right now Matt, it's just a story (certainly more pleasant to read than the Alps tho) about a tribe that never settles down but rather migrates throughout India and I don't wanna summarize the story. They have some issues like no water sources nearby and its very fascinating how they still are able and want to live this way, however that is all the comments I have. I couldn't do something like, I would love to try for a couple of months (with a horse), but I wouldn't wanna do this forever in this evolving world, I love my life and everything I have too much to do something like that forever. I am truly happy the way they treat women, feel like they have more respect for women then similar cultures, yes the men make the decisions but they always consult the women about it. 

I was really surprised when I found out they were vegetarian. How do they survive?? They even have names for all there buffalo's. I found some pictures in the back of the book where they are carrying a goat who broke his paw and the small girl drinking the buffalo milk straight from the udder. 

The voice of the narrator or author is very interesting since he talks about it if he is an outsider. This really gives me, the reader, a good inside of these peoples world. I was surprised how the tribe let him so easy in though just to do research on them. 

Chapter 4 

The more I read the more I would wanna be with them and travel with them for a few weeks or months. I wanna see how there camps, how they set everything up, how they get all there food, especially since they are vegetarian. I wouldn't know what all to eat, especially living the way they live. 

I don't really follow the story about Yellowstone too well, however, I can't believe they banned native Americans from it. How could you ban someone from their own grounds... I understand that they hunted on a to of wildlife, but still, it's theirs and not from tourists. "Banning them from the park, therefore, was for their own good" (91). Excuse me?? How can someone else determine what someone should do. If they want to be Indians in today's society, let them be, just like the mountain people. Nobody can tell you what to do, if you don't want to live in today's society, I definitely understand and nobody should force you, if you don't bother them with anything and just do your thing, to be part of that 'great' society we have nowadays. I know that if today's society wouldn't have existed, and only tribes like native Americans and mountains people, the world would look much better than it does right now. It is all about the money tourists bring in. 

Village of Dana? Dana Biosphere Reserve??? :)))) 

Chapter 5 & 6

And whole chapter 5 got deleted again.. great. I don't know why this is happening all the time, I save it and my Dutch vlogs have never unsaved something. Maybe it is just a sign I should just drop out of college Matt, all because I took your class. 

When they were talking about those camps, I was really wondering what they look like. I kinda know. I have seen pictures and learned about cultures like theirs before, however, I truly want to see them with my own eyes. Seeing the pictures, it is so amazing to see how close they are with their animals. A lot of people could take an example from them how to take care of animals. 

I know arranging marriage is a very common thing in their cultures. Your parents pick who you will marry and you can't say what you think. A lot of people from the outside think it is a horrible think to do, however, (most of the times) they have the right to give consent and if they don't, their family will find someone else. They are so used to arranged marriages they don't really care, it is in pride of their family. I don't really agree with the author. I have even met people that have been in arranged marriages and they were totally fine with it. Of course there are some cases where it doesn't work out at all, but there are also 'normal' marriages (not arranged) where it doesn't work out. Research even says (Yes Google is my best friend) that people in arranged marriages feel more in love over time rather than people in regular marriages. 

A lot of people (just like the author) are surprised about the adaptability these people have. They know about other cultures and believe that everybody can believe and do whatever they want. 

Chapter 7, 8, 9 & 10 

Just 4 more chapters and I won't have to read againnnn. No, this book isn't bad at all, I just don't like it when I am obligated to read.

I am surprised that the Van Guijars use a cell phone. I guess in today's society it is almost impossible not to use one in order to survive. Whattt... the boy dies of cancer... I wonder if they had the resources the modern society has if the same outcome had happened. I am not even surprised that they carry the buffalo with the broken leg. They are really one with nature and almost put nature above themselves. But they are right to do that, nature is so much greater than human beings, without nature we couldn't survive. A lot of people can take examples from that, I don't know what we are gonna do if we wear out nature and don't have any resources anymore.

I think it is interesting the author wants to be part of their tribe now. I would love to be with them for a week or so, maybe a month, but I couldn't do that for the rest of my life. "They would lose virtually everything in their lives, including there buffalo herds, their intimate connection to the natural world, their sense of themselves as individuals and as a culture" (205). I think this perfectly describes the Van Guijars and the reason why they couldn't live in a village in modern world.

I liked reading this book the best out of the three books we had to read. It was a great story and made me realize how much people (including me) in today's world actually take for granted. Douglas kinda tries to do the same thing, however, he himself has to listen to his own advice.