Thursday, January 20, 2011

Row Machine Instructions

10 days at the Mountain Dragon

Home .
In Ungurtas - a small village in 80 km from Almaty, I could go back in 2008 when he was planning to get to the snowy peaks of the Pamir and Tien Shan, our former (Soviet) Central Asia. Then my Moscow friend, Olesya Bondarev aka Botha ( [info] ulissija ), with whom I met at the International Laboratory of authentic Motion in the same 2008, talked about some of Kazakhstan's grandmother, whom she called "apashka" place of power, beside which she lived and how every stay there changed her life.
In Kazakhstan, "apa" (accent on last "a") - an appeal to an older woman in the home or family. Thus, "Apoyo" may be a grandmother, or maybe mom or sister - if older than her family's nobody there. Russian style, by analogy with the diminutive "grandmother" apa transformed in "apashka. And now, three years later, on the eve of 2011 and about a week before celebrating the New Year, I'm going to a meeting organized for Olesya participants in meetings with Bifatimoy Dauletova (the name of Apu), and for just interested. Over the past three years, Olesya Ungurtase visited several times and made a video and photo project Bifatima - Last dervish of Kazakhstan, "which was successfully demonstrated in Europe, Moscow and Kazakhstan, as well as organized Trip ups in Kiev, St. Petersburg and Moscow. By the time of this meeting, I have already planned how I would celebrate the New Year - New Year's Eve and a few days after her I was going to spend in his native Belarus, then I would first look at the Crimea in the winter - but these plans were not destined to come true: just as the last few months 2010 I have been living with "Want to make God laugh - tell him about his plans, and plans to celebrate the New Year turned out to be nothing more than my local plans that are different from the global plans of the universe. It so happened that at that meeting, participants listened to stories of meetings with Apoyo, as well as those who was already in Ungurtase, I felt sharp and clear desire to fly to Kazakhstan - the truth, provided that the price of tickets will not be exorbitant in the New Year holidays. On the same evening after returning home and checking under the price of airfare my ability, in pleasant anticipation of a quick trip I booked tickets from Moscow to Almaty flight the morning of December 31, 2010.

One Flew Over the infinite and beyond the reach of the Kazakh steppes, I was surprised abundance of lakes - a bird's-eye among the snowy steppes, here and there, slowly floated a small white and dark spots - frozen and have not yet had time to freeze small lakes.
During the flight, he thought - always in the plane behave as a small child - choose a window seat and I love to look down at the floating land. Especially love it when the bottom of the unfamiliar and rare for me to landscape - mountains, deserts, steppes - that is what I have in my life rarely see.

In Almaty, I flew on the eve of 2011 - early evening on December 31. This was my first visit to the former capital of Kazakhstan. The city has descended dusk, and completing all necessary procedures at the airport, the city completely immersed in the night - so I could not even see him that evening. Getting rid of the annoying taxi driver with exorbitant rates, I went outside the airport in search of the bus stop. Time is running out - I had yet to reach the ultimate goal, but time was already about 7 pm and New Year was already if not quite on the nose, the aroma of it was already quite close. So I tried to quickly find a pliant taxi driver who brought me to the bus station for reasonable money. On a deserted train station turned out that all the buses in the direction of Ungurtasa already successfully gone and I had started to implement prearranged plan B - to choose the route to Bishkek to get a stop when he suddenly noticed the waiting passengers minibus with a sign on which was written "Bishkek". Check with the driver that he actually passes a Ungurtasa, I happily got into it and soon I was going in the right direction. In the minibus met a guy who complained that he was the third consecutive year late, and sits on a minibus, without having to come home in Bishkek on time, meets New Year's Eve on the road.
halfway I spent half-asleep, until the driver finally announced that we reached the turn to Ungurtas. I thought, is Ungurtas very close to the highway - but apparently I was wrong examined the map and actually found that to the village to go 6 miles. On the side of the road I met a lone jerboa, proshmygnuv past me in a thicket of dry grass and snow. Turning in the direction of the village, I soon found itself in complete darkness on a moonless night. After about a kilometer, regularly looking, I finally saw the lights in the distance the machine and began to vote. The driver stopped - turned out to be a resident of Ungurtasa, a young guy. Of course, he knew apashku and himself offered to take me straight to her house - which is at the very end of the village. On the road, he asked from whence I came and told me that apashka has recently become popular - even to her came from Europe and Saudi Arabia. Word about the increased popularity of apashki I still hear twice - from local herders and other residents of the village, driving me from the mountains.
It was about 9 pm when I was at the destination - At the entrance to apashkin yard.

Meet .
yard is located below the road, so you'll first need to go down the stairs to get to it. No gates or doors in the fence is not in sight - and a symbolic fence - no more than a collection of rare, tied with sticks, leaving far to the left and right sides along the roads and, as I noted already in the morning - with skulls (apparently, horses) on sticks - apparently guarding the entrance to the space from evil spirits and unwanted.
Caught in a deserted courtyard - very large and spacious, surrounded by outbuildings, I looked around and got ready to go to the door of the house as somewhere a man came out and I went to him, greeted and said that he came to the apa. It was a middle-aged man of European appearance, almost my age, as it turned out - from Kiev. He took me into the house, knocked on the door of one of the rooms and called out - "Apa, to your guests." Grandma came out - short of stature, a shawl, crocked around the head and a dark red robe, and with her man - her son, Berek. Grandma started to say something, but I found it very difficult to understand Russian, broken unfamiliar to me accent. Berek I knew better, but still problematic, it seems that several times asks them almost every phrase. Himself tried speak slowly - thinking that they probably have little understanding of rapid Russian speech. I said that I had come from Moscow for 10 days, spoke about his recent meeting with Botha, ane gave the photos taken in the form of postcards, souvenirs (they gave me the guys with a meeting with a request to transfer their apashke), whom she was very happy and said, "Well, oh well!". Apa told me to undress, pointing to the hanger and said - "Money come, your passport?". I gave him a purse with cash and card as well as a passport. They looked at what I have out of money, apatite immediately gave Bereke 1000 rubles - for registration (registered in Kazakhstan should be, if the term stay more than 5 days). Find out how much money I have - they said that the ritual with the lamb is not enough - I said it was not a problem - I will go to Almaty, and take off with the card. And apologized that I could not buy food - came too late. They assured me that it does not matter, left his wallet, money and passport "Deposited" and carried me down the house - there was room for men (although it happened that upper room, female, was full - then women and slept with us). We descended into the room, something like a basement - which is below ground level, however, from the top, as the ceiling has wooden flooring with a few glass, almost horizontal "window" through which daylight is visible during the day. In the room with the stove was about 10 beds and five men. We met - two men from Moscow, two of Kiev and the guy from Almaty. Apa showed me my bed and called all the kitchen drinking tea - to celebrate the arrival of a new guest. I threw things and went with the guys in the kitchen. Kitchen - a separate building on the street with a stove and a large table inside, behind which can easily fit 20 people. We drank tea with biscuits and sweets and I quietly stared at new people and apashku.

New Year.

I think it was around 11 pm when we got drunk and tea decent sleeping down in our room and lay down in bed. It seems like everyone has wanted to sleep and we used to joke that each of us the first time in his life will be met New Year's Eve in a dream. The boys were chatting, lying in their beds, I was silent and listened to - occasionally taking part in their own words, wrapped in a cozy sleeping bag, which has not slept quite some time. ... But it was not there - somewhere in a quarter to midnight we went down to the girl, and declared - "Apa calls all the streets to celebrate the New Year!". We povstavali out of bed, not without regret that such a rare opportunity to celebrate New Year in a dream, alas, lost.
up the street - there have been women and APA, gave each of us and New Year's fireworks shooters of various configurations. All began their fire and apashkin yard for 10-15 minutes, filled with colorful light, crackling and explosions. Meanwhile, somewhere out there were other people with glasses of champagne and wished each other a happy new year ...
From Ungurtas
Flapper ended and everyone went to the kitchen to eat and drink tea. After some time, Berek brought two liter bottles kumys - ferment horse milk. For the first time I tried such a sharp and vigorous mare and with interest and pleasure to drink two large mugs. Drinking willing (exclusively by men, by the way) koumiss seemed to symbolize the end of New Year's table - which, incidentally, does not look anything like my usual New Year's table - there was no alcohol, any whatsoever Christmas decorations in the form of trees or toys, no TV, no toasts and congratulations. I think that in two hours the night we all slept.

first night.
... Although his dream state, I would not call. The fact that I am because of the frost was too lazy to go to the bathroom before bedtime and somewhere through midnight drowsiness felt a desire to urinate. I was very lazy to go out - I realized that there is a hard frost, the toilets on the street and, as it was tolerated reasonably well, I prefer remain in a warm bed. Somewhere in the middle of the night to our room came apa immediately find me and said, waving his hand - "Go!". Fell out of a sleeping bag and half-asleep, I somehow knew that I needed to get dressed and go out into the street. The very same grandmother lay on the nearest free bed. I got dressed and standing a little undecided (I expected that the APA will go with me - but this has not happened), he decided to walk up the street. The street was dark and frosty night, illuminated only by a few small лампочками во дворе и небольшим количеством звезд в небе. Потоптавшись немного у входа в дом я понял, что апа не выходит за мной и решил, что раз уж меня подняли - You need to take this opportunity to go finally put into the toilet. WC street, wooden and freezing (at night the temperature fell to minus 20-30 degrees) Located 100 meters from the house and, having had podmerznut back I returned to running. Returning to the house and again found no grandmother in the street - down down, she just lay on the same bed. Hearing that I'm back, apa stood up and asked, "Well?" Asleep? ". Poorly understood, what they want from me, answer - "Yeah ...", what she told me, pointing to my bed and said -" Go! ". I went back to bed and my body was ready to make easy to sleep ...
How to explain what happened - I do not know. Skepticheksy my mind denies any possibility that apashka somehow "feel" that prevents me. However, it is on such "feelings" or entering into contact told me the guys and then I have often heard from them that "most of the work apa does at night when we sleep. " Later I noticed that what is happening around a lot of conversations and personal interpretation of each living there and these multiple interpretations only take away from this sense of what is happening. My skepticism accompanied me all the time staying there.
In the morning I'm less able to sleep. Little did I know that for 10 nights, I'll be there, I'm relatively normal good sleep only one night - all other nights I spent tossing and turning and trying to sleep. And not just me. Who of us could sleep there is good, but someone could not sleep, or sleep was very sketchy. Also - almost every night, came to us apa and either telling something or doing something with someone. Basically she was sleeping in a room with women and according to one girl, she (the girl) never slept more two hours. Just could not. One of the reasons - it's part of the conversation ups at night, and then even weeping, and other experiences - said that night, she communicates with spirits.

The first few days.
From Ungurtas
As the day passed in Ungurtase for those who come there for more than a few days? During the day, welcome help with the housework. Apa says: "You come here, you live here - refers to all as to her. Yourself, make sure that it was purely that the water was to were natopleny furnace. That I should not remind you. "Most of the work for men - is pulling the water in buckets from a mountain river, located half a kilometer away from home - his water at the site is not, so for washing, cooking and household needs using river water. I once cleaned the old hay in the feeders for sheep - It is trampled and turned into a thick layer of solid material, which had to break up a crowbar and get a pitchfork and hands. Back in the responsibilities of men is protopka furnaces - as well as trees in the region are practically absent, stove fueled with coal. I have ups barn with tons of coal a stone - that you want to crush hammer and a bucket to carry into the house and kitchen. A total of three household stoves (kitchen, men's and women's room) and protopku each day takes about 10 buckets Coal - total well the whole house needed ooklo 30 buckets! I guess I got a good master class and practice on protopke coal stoves during his stay there. Unfortunately, coal Furnace is a minus - coal dust is harmful to respiratory and during the crushing of coal and especially - when cleaning the oven (about two to three times a day) is formed large amounts of dust that inevitably gets into the lungs. So the next time I'm concerned with a gauze bandage or a respirator for the benefit of their own health.
By the way, on these two major studies have appeared even a joke - "Water is dragged? Gore went? ", We asked each other - so apa usually ask us. Frequent visits to the mountains of the mind, located directly across the street from my grandmother's farm and visit the river is considered an important, well, or at least - Highly desirable for the successful recovery and the opening of the heart. Mount Dragon is full of strong energy and its caves are used to cure various disease, or for the disclosure of special gifts. It is situated very close - just across the road from apashkinogo economy.
From Ungurtas
River, originated in the mountains - too sacred. Goes the view that such a meandering river that looking down from above, you can see it inscribed the name of Allah.
On the second day of his stay there, I went away on the horizon, inviting the snowy mountain peaks. From Ungurtasa to them - about 50 km. I went to their side just to be closer to them, clearly understood that I could not get very close. The weather was sunny and clear (for all 10 days - and, incidentally, during this time never was a snow or rain) day in the sun was very warm and pleasant and I will gladly go in the direction of the sun shining on the mountains across the black asphalt road, contrasting with the white snow and bright blue sky. Sometimes I went off the road and walked along the slopes of nearby hills - high mountains, or rather hills, similar to Gore Mind.
From Ungurtas
I met shepherds, summoned me to flick of the wrist. I walked over, shook hands - they figured out that I was on the ups and asked where I go. I said, head to the mountains and going to go a little more - could be seen ahead traditional Kazakh burial, seemingly from a distance a small stone городом с маленькими домиками без окон. Они посоветовали не ходить слишком далеко - в это время встречаются голодные волки, которые подходят довольно близко to human habitation in search of food. Caution about wolves, I heard on the way back from the other local - I was coming mostly expensive and one the car stopped and offered me to drive. These people also knew about the AAP and landed me right at her gate.
***
A few days later the APA has asked us to go to the neighbors and take two lambs. Four men dragged out of the shed two-wheeled cart, a rope to tie their legs and went to the village. The owner gave us from the pen first first - we tied him for the three legs and put him on a cart, and then just did the same with the second and drove them to the rays of the sun going home.
From Ungurtas
Ritual.
a few days of my stay I was somewhat bothered by frosts, and felt that somehow the reluctance attitude to possible ritual wrapping the skin lamb. Somehow I did not feel physically pleasant to lie in the skin, but still I thought - that's money for lamb not enough, so be it ...
I tried to say his reluctance to apashke - it looked like "Apa, and can I somehow get by without a lamb?" To which got a strange answer, but I'm guessing that unlikely. Nevertheless, about lamb nobody mentioned a few days and I have been gradually relaxed - thinking that the universe I heard my desires and I do not have to spend hours in the cold and clammy skin ... "It's better in the summer - I told myself.
commute each day a variety of guests one-day brought milk, candy and cookies. Once even came two flight attendants with two guys (also a member of the crew, as I understood it) with the Ukrainian airline, flight Kiev-Almaty. Visited a family with malchkom with cerebral palsy. Just when was this family, APA told us that you need to catch a sheep. She chose two right, we them again laid on a cart and drove off to their ritual pit at the end of the yard ... Yama - is dug in the ground a round hole with such a height that squatting could be located man and width to fit 4 people. I guess that now is likely to ritual. Thought that I would participate in it, I did not even arise and I ran home to get the camera to take it off.
From Ungurtas
seized the camera, came back and took a few shots, I heard apa tells me to undress. My doubts and reluctance to like and never have been - I gave the camera to Sasha from Kyiv and quickly began to undress. Stripped to his underpants and climbed into the pit. Cold was not - the sun was shining, and despite the temperature of minus five to ten degrees, the lunchtime sun is not only light but also warmed, and at first I did not feel discomfort. I climbed into the pit - by that time there was already an old woman and Volodya. I squatted down behind them, APA told me to approach them - I understood, to as little as possible of blood fell to the ground.
From Ungurtas
She walked away, I looked down and listened as she prays, turning to the sun. A few minutes later I saw a few red drops fell on their backs in front of me and felt the heat on his back. Very quickly drops replaced by streams and in a minute back of my neighbors turned red, and on my back and head flowed warm and thick liquid. I closed my eyes.
From Ungurtas
After the first lamb slaughtered the second and the amount of blood has increased. When the second lamb gave his blood, we were told sponge oneself down themselves and help wipe each other - so that the entire skin, his whole body was smeared with blood. Then I had to go to the river - to wash off the blood. It was optional - you can was not to go, but then it would be impossible to bathe for three days. Halfway to the river, I realized that freezing and I have no desire to climb into a cold icy water and I took An alternative possibility - he decided to return home to keep warm.
From Ungurtas
came back to the stove, covered in blood, a little shocked and unknowing what to do with falling to the floor with blood. His head was like after a shower - only instead of water flowed down the face red rivulets, but on the floor dripping red drop. I took a towel and began wiping his head. As the drying blood on his chest, abdomen, back, arms, I felt increasingly uncomfortable - shriveled blood under T-shirt "scratching" the skin and the few times I rented it to the nails and a towel to clean off with a dried blood that delivers so much inconvenience to my body. Getting rid of the discomfort, I felt lighter. A few hours later dried hair, become like bonded silicate glue.

Later I found that I enjoy poking around nails into shriveled blood at the base of the hair - the same thing I enjoyed doing as a child, only then in my hair was sand. I remember, I discovered this by accident - after playing in the sandbox, my hair was sand and I was pleased to get busy with her hair it from there. I was completely captivated this action and all my senses concentrated there - on top of your head and it could continue indefinitely. Remember I even specifically sprinkled sand on his head so that you can then scrape it out ...

I slept almost the whole evening. Late at night I was awakened tea. And then I slept all night. Perhaps this was the only night I slept well.

Apashkiny "tricks."
addition to the serious and thorough rituals - like the sacrificial lamb, his grandmother, there are other "tricks" to work with people. Somehow during the tea party I sat next to her on the left hand her. At one point she turned to me and took a fist in my hair, cocked my head to him and gently shook it - though has no adult a child or a puppy, and suddenly I feel in my neck of the strong, sharp and unexpected blow. Apa hit the side of his hand on the bottom of the neck - where it already goes in the back. Was not hurt - just unexpected. At another time it happened, when I shaved apa (ritual "of getting rid of obsolete") - I was sitting, bending head over a basin of water, apa lathered my head and before you shave, hit two hands on the front and back of the head, then on the left and right and concluded this is his crown blow to the neck - this time a blow struck me as even more powerful - my eyes were closed and in darkness, I saw white sparks.
From Ungurtas
Actually, I've noticed similar behavior apashki in relation to their grandchildren, we (the guests, pilgrims) and animals - such as puppies. In all she could get angry, with all the strict and visited with each able to laugh. I remember when you were born and grown up puppies, and we moved them out of the barn (the place where they were born) in the kitchen - their mother, nicknamed Telephone, initially frightened to enter the premises and thus, puppies in the early days were left without my mother's food and a very loud whine. Apa came to them, took one by the scruff and started berating him severely - as if it was her delinquent grandson. Well, for a while it calmed them ...
Another ritual - Is when a man beats apa light recently slain lamb. This is a series of several attacks backhand - someone just getting any of the body - left, right, from behind, and someone in the head and ... Then light was given at the mercy of dogs.
From Ungurtas
Once I asked - whether the rituals, if I do not believe or do not know what should be the result? Someone said that work - and regardless of whether people understand their value or not. Magic ...

Traveling holy and historical places.
last three days have passed on the road - first in the mountain mosque, the sources and Arasan gorge-Korasan, then in Snake Valley and end - in Tamgaly - a historical monument of rock paintings (petroglyphs), listed as world heritage by UNESCO. We went by car guests that came mainly on the Lexus and Jeep. We jammed in the machine packs up to 8 people - including three in the trunk.
gorge near the village of Besmoynak - A wonderful place to get to it - if you do not know the road to find the grandfather of the conductor, who lives on the edge of the village for a small denyuzhku he will take you to the lodge, hot springs, mosques and show the petroglyphs - ancient rock paintings. From the far places, which can be reached by car to the house go less than an hour (about 2 km) down the path leading to the mountain slopes. Descent simple as a path is not steep. At the house flowing mountain stream, there two "baths with warm water sources (about 25C). Whether on the street warm weather - I'd love to stay there for a few nights - in this charming valley, at a height of about two kilometers, surrounded by two and a half kilometer mountains, lush vegetation and fresh water - you just stock up on food and the beautiful days of swimming in mountain rivers and warm baths are provided. And if you raise your head up and if you're lucky - you can see the detachment from the cliffs and soaring in the sky, the largest eagle - the eagle. Do not be surprised if in the summer in this place there are always people - it seems there are all necessary conditions for the rest.
From Ungurtas
to the gorge to get to the mosque, after a slight rise on the opposite side of the mountain, you need to climb almost vertical ladder, a height of about 4 meters, and then still the same - a vertical cliff, but with the help of hanging ropes. Despite the apparent complexity - all our group climbed easily, even adult women. The cave is a hole in the rock depth of about one and a half and a width of about two meters, in the distant past littered with huge boulders. It can easily accommodate seven people sitting and sleeping there would be a convenient two of them. Yes, as soon as I got there and sat down - I immediately felt as if I wanted to sleep there. Cave was very comfortable and protected on all sides by stones. If you look forward and down - before you, as if through a window, a splendid view over the valley. According to legend, this valley hidden the two brothers, a Kazakh who fought in the XVII century with Dzhungars. The very nature of helped them to hide in the gorge - there was a collapse, and huge rocks piled cave, making it invisible to human eyes, leaving only a small space, to be able to get out of it.
From Ungurtas
trip to the tract Tamgaly held on the last day before my departure. Here in the middle XX century it was discovered an ancient shrine with lots of rock carvings - only found about five thousand images. Most impressive - it is images of deities of the sun, resembling a man, but with small circles around the contour of the head. Many images of animals, there are images of ritual dancing, hunting for animals. Approximate time of creation of these drawings - the end of the Bronze Age, ie the first-second millennium BC. In the sanctuary people prayed to the gods and ancestral spirits. In Tamgaly large number of ancient burial mounds and shrines. Place in which the distant and seemingly unreachable past of humanity becomes closer and more real - rock, remembering our ancestors and carry a great power that has accumulated for thousands of years.
From Ungurtas
End (Beginning ?..).
last evening, the last tea party, I say goodbye to apashkoy. She cares about how to find me a machine with who leave - do not want me to get to Almaty alone, with strangers. I had a flight early morning, so it was necessary to go into town for the day - and I initially thought to use this day as an opportunity to visit the famous Almaty bath "Arasan" located in a huge shestikupolnom building, decorated in national style. However, my grandmother insisted I advised against attending any whatsoever institutions, saying just go home - not to "wash" and not "lose" what I have gained here at this site for 10 days. She threw me a big bag of sweets and said that I brought him home and gave a close, focusing for some reason on my mother (although I did not once mentioned, and in general we have not talked about my family and my life).

Ungurtas - a great place and there was very well. The village, mountains, lots of voids and vacancies around - you can fill them, no communication, nothing scatters the mind, as soon as it focuses. In contrast to the city - there's too little distracting, but even that is distracting - full, significant and balanced my inner nature - a nature outside. Simple Life. Apply water from a river. Chop coal in the stove. Meal. Go to the mountain. Watch the sunset. Read. Sleep. I have not read as deeply as there. Have not done anything, plunging into doing this and focusing on it, without being distracted. Physical activity by itself, automatically becomes the object of meditation. Quietness and calm the mind in which images float some ideas, thoughts, fragments of the past, valuable, but subtle awareness ... Life is filled with quiet, smooth and sure content that when you return to the city, alas, is being lost. But thanks to this differential is clearly visible difference in a state of, and it becomes clear which of them is more harmonious inner world.


More photos can be viewed at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/elvistudio/Ungurtas

project site Olesya Bondareva aka Botha ( [info] ulissija ) "Last dervish of Kazakhstan":
http://www.kazakhdervish.com/

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