Tuesday, June 18, 2019

The day of the Baniya


Bangkok airport 

Today I am at the end of my journey and as I wait at Bangkok airport my flight is at 0500 hours so check in will be at 0200 hours, and I am in Transit, I await and reminicanse the trip that was, I am fondly remember The Banin Experience, It was June  1st




I am  at the town of Irkutsk,  we shall experience “ The Bania” Russian bathing tradition where the steam room is heated up to 75 degrees Centigrate, and one sits there for as long as one can,  then comes out & has a bath in water that’s at normal atmosphere temperature in this day it will be 9 degrees cold water, & one can repeat the process a few times, in between the rounds of hot and cold, one could also beat up ones own back, or if you have a friend along, can beat up the back of the each other with a bush, which is dipped in cold water, all this process to get the pores open in the cold Siberian winter.















I arrive at the house of  Gulnara, a lovely lady from village of Mamony, 

she and her husband were kind enough to have me over and let me experience Bania



There house completely made of wood, and is handmade, work in progress for  eight years and a few rooms is still to be put togather, kitchen and living space on ground floor and bedrooms on top floor,  How amazing is it to make ones house, Evgeny's( husband of Gulnara)  talent just amazing  to craft it by oneself,, How I would love to be skilled enough to do such a project someday.    Anyway I digress, The Bania is a separate chamber a room rather Two rooms that’s  a separate structure, wonderfully made the logs are sealed with Jute( yes the same just that I grow one crop of back in India ) with a steam room , and a cold room, and a room to prepare oneself before the bania. 

In the ante room, getting ready me and Evgeny


So here I am outside the cold-room, and ready to step in and have a cold shower, n then head inside the camber 75 Degrees, and boy was it hot, after a few minutes, maybe 3 – 4, we made a exit and had a cold shower, I had my back beaten by the birch bush

 and it felt good, I was ready for round two, 

 Ready for Bania

once inside on round two, I could be there only a minute and a half, before it got too hot for me, and I made a exit, it was amazing and post the cold shower, I was in a
Warm state, Loved it, the skin texture felt very different for sure, and was a warm feeling, not having experienced one before, the skin sure felt more rough and maybe more porous.



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#riverangara #angara #riverangaraSiberia #transsiberianRailways #thebanya #russianbathbanya

2 comments:

  1. Keep on writing. Enjoyed this piece. - Debangshu Sen

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  2. Very interesting and unique experience i guess

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