Adventure or Curiosity? IDK

With all the coffee related posts, I recalled a recent discussion that happened with my brother and his friend during their last visit to my place. For some reason the topic of Bali, Indonesia came up and we were discussing the places and things we did etc. I told them how I finally got around to taste the Kopi Luwak. My brother’s friend was wondering what was so special about that coffee. So my brother explained. After that he saw me all wide eyed and disgusted and asked ‘why would you drink that shit’? (well, his pun wasn’t intended, because he said that in my native language…but that is how it gets translated in English)

I had a good laugh because it is indeed that. For people who don’t want to read the Wikipedia because it is too much, here is the first line from that

‘Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or civet coffee, refers to the coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet‘

Why would I do that? I honestly don’t know. And now that I have done that, I don’t know why I wanted to do that in the first place and what made me drink it when I drank it. I did want to know how does a world’s most expensive coffee tastes like. Now that I have tasted it, I can tell you that I liked the other flavor (Bali Coffee) that they served us as part of the tasting menu. True, that this Kopi Luwak was very strong and very bitter as any other coffee should be and since my olfactory senses have gone on a life long vacation, I can’t tell you about the smell of any of these coffees.

But did I get that as a gift to my mother when I decided to get her some coffee powder from Bali as a souvenir? Nope. I definitely know that she wouldn’t even touch it, so I got her the traditional Bali coffee 🙂 I could have fooled her but I would feel terribly guilty and would eventually blabber something about it. I don’t want my mom’s wrath descend upon me any time in my life. I have had enough of it. Now, I know that my brother wouldn’t also touch it, so wouldn’t his friend. Where is your sense of adventure, bro ? What about you? Would you try Kopi Luwak?

Breaking Point

Watched the movie Point Break (2015) this weekend. I had seen the earlier version of it with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves and I definitely liked it. This new one is no close to that one in terms of story or screenplay. But visually, it gave me goosebumps and that is the only reason I went for this movie. I did not expect any grand story line as such…but in many places where they weren’t doing stunts, it was pretty slow and the chillness in the theater did not help one bit. We were freezing not because of the water waves and the surfing that is part of their stunts but from the regular a/c in the theater. Most of the stunts earned gasps and aah’s from the woman next to me (not my friend, who was seated the other side but a total stranger) and of course from me too 🙂

OK, I might go with some spoilers because trust me you won’t be disappointed by it at all! The two stunts that really gave me the high pressure were the surfing in that big wave (got goosebumps just thinking about it…hey, I love the sea and all, but when Bodhi shouts ‘isn’t she beautiful’ looking at that HUGE wave… I am like ‘yeah, on the screen, she is’) and the one at the end, where they do the rock climbing at Angel Falls in Venezuela. Pretty Wicked, they were. The soundtrack was good. Unless you wanna see those stunts on a big screen I am sure this is not worth the effort of going to the theater.

Here is a video of people doing some awesome stunts. Enjoy!

The Wire

I know I wrote all about the adventure and all just recently when I watched the movie ‘The Everest’, so I ain’t going to be writing more about it. But today, since I was feeling like it, I decide to masturdate (wait…..read that word slowly and carefully…don’t jump to conclusions…this word is different , yeah! ? OK, now let’s go ahead)

The one movie which I wanted to see but haven’t yet was ‘The Walk‘. You all know my fear of heights right. So obviously I wanted to watch this in IMAX 3D. And do it on my own 🙂 Booked the ticket an hour and a half before the movie and just went before I could change my mind and take complete advantage of Sunday Funday. I should say that I enjoyed it very much, even though I did sweat a lot even in that air conditioned theater. Some scenes where they show the heights and the depth, I felt a pain in my legs as if I was the one standing on that edge. The guy Jeff, who has the fear of heights, whenever he is shaking with fear, I can feel myself shaking too. Jeez. Since you can read all about it in Wikipedia (even though I would suggest to watch the movie just for the fun of it) I ain’t going to the story. But technically it was very well done. I don’t appreciate watching movies in 3D because I get headaches mostly after using those glasses and most of the movies don’t usually need a 3D and they do it just for the heck of it. But this one definitely needed to be in IMAX and 3D. It was truly amazing. The visuals were so amazing and stunning. I especially loved the sunrise (duh!)  It might bring back memories for people who have seen the Twin Towers during those times. The art direction was also good. I wonder how much of the jugglery that Joseph Gordon does were graphics. I loved those earlier scenes where the scene is in B & W but one part of it (like the apple or a fruit) is in color. Ben Kingsley! Yay!!! Been a while since I saw him 🙂 Charlotte is as cute as ever. Acting wise, everyone has done their part. I am not good with the physics of how this was done and whether it was possible or anything. But if that was a true story then it is freaking amazing. I bow for Mr Petit’s bravery. The scene where the wire is shown as if it is going into oblivion was so AMAZING. I was so mesmerized.

Glad that I watched it before it was taken off from IMAX. Truly enjoyed it, even though I had to close my eyes and peek through my fingers in some scenes (shhhhh….don’t tell anyone yeah!?)

Spirit of Adventure

I was watching this movie ‘The Everest‘. Ever since I saw the trailer during one of the other movies, I wanted to see this because of the recent Mount Everest disaster related to earthquake and avalanches. Spoiler Alert This is not a movie where you finally see all the people coming out of the disaster successfully. Nope. It is about people who tried and failed. And people who thought they lost and yet finally made it. In short, it is just about life , out there against the most formidable opponent of all , Nature.

That got me thinking. Why do it ? Not just climbing the the biggest mountain on Earth. Anything that involves risk, going against nature and trying to win it. I have done a couple of adventure myself, nothing too risky so far. But a little bit risky none the less. I have tried Parasailing (twice) and Sky diving. As I had already mentioned some time ago, I do it because that is my way of conquering my fear of heights. That doesn’t mean that I don’t get these weird imaginations about how the rope that ties me to the parachute that takes me up to the height during my parasailing might get cut or what happens if a bird decides that the parachute is very cute and decides to peck it. Even in fact, during my recent parasailing with my friend in Bali, there was a small disaster that got averted. My friend and I decided to do it together, the one where max of 3 people can go at a shot. Since there were 6 of us in that ride, they did 2 person each. When they did finish fixing my ropes to the chute, they went and fixed my friend’s and the guy gave the go to pull it up. But then he noticed that it was not tight and it almost came out such that my friend might have fallen if we had taken off. Thankfully, he noticed and called it off and went to fix his and then once he was assured that things were tight and nice, he gave the thumbs up for the lift off.

For a second, it was like, ‘what the heck happened’ and then we went up , I took the photos, made sure to take some of my friend’s (it was his first parasailing adventure) and kept my eyes opened to see the scenery below (because there was nothing much above 😉  and unlike last time, I saw it with both my eyes & got pictures to prove it too) and enjoyed the ride. It was total fun. We survived 😀 Even during my Sky diving, since I did it tandem, it was all good. I let go of my fear and put my whole trust on the guy who was gonna help me with the experience and that, for me is a big thing. Trust doesn’t come easy, especially when you have been through a broken one that had hurt you so bad. My Sky diving adventure was not just about the adventure, it was about trust, it was about letting go and seeing if I could still make it without having a fit. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. I was a lot scared about how I am gonna get down and not break my ankle (again), what if the parachute didn’t work and in a moment of blind scare , I don’t listen to the guy and risk both of our lives. Trust me , those things have happened and that is why they make you sign all those documents with so many clauses, so that you don’t end up suing those who help you get you an experience.

Next on my list is Bungee jumping. This sh*t is scary because there is no one to guide me. I have to take the fall, if I decide to go with it. They would push me if I don’t do it (I think so , at least) but then it is entirely up to me to take my life in my hands and make that fall into the unknown. I am not sure when I will get to do it, but I wish I am strong enough to do it. And I really want to. And there is this another one thing I want to do in my life. Do the trip to Lake Manasarovar. No idea when that place got into my head. But it has been there forever. May be my love for everything related to Shiva made me fall in love with that idea. But now I want to go there. Not quite easy with my breathing issues (which I am fixing slowly) and all the altitude related sickness that can scare you. But with lot of help and modern facilities that are available, I think it is worth the try. And I will.

It is the same thing with these mountaineers , the person who does the walk between the canyon’s or any thing related to adventure , even if it is in a small scale. There is a risk in everything we do. But why go in search of it? What if we fail ? I guess Mallory puts it very clearly when he said

What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.”
― George Mallory, Climbing Everest: The Complete Writings of George Mallory

No simple feat

I did my first parasailing around 2010 or so, if I remember it correctly, during my first visit to USA. I was so petrified at that time, that I hardly enjoyed it while I was up in the sky. I saw the world from above with one half opened eye. So this time, in Bali, when we knew that the resort we were staying had water sports, I decided to do parasailing again and to take pics from up above, with my digital camera. We took the one from the boat (the other option was from the beach), so we went into the sea and from there they take us up. All was well, until our time to go up. I had my camera tied to my right hand , so that it wouldn’t fall off and my hands started to sweat . No matter how much I do these adventures related to heights (just to get over the fear), there is always this time just before the feat where a shred of doubt creeps in. And then I have to give myself an internal pep talk and get going. This time, I did close my eyes just before the take off but then opened it as soon as we started going up. But taking a pic while holding the rope as if your dear life is depended on it (even though it sort of is) and trying to take a pic using a camera tied to your wrists using just that hand wasn’t that easy. But I did manage to take some and also a couple of videos too and was very glad that it came out well too 🙂 Here is my selfie (or legfie is it?)

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Post for this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “-eat.” Use the word “eat” or add letters to it to make a different word. Don’t cheat!

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