“yeeeep!” “hiYA bedi!” “tip!”
There are men here in Nepal and in Japan who wander the streets making repetitive sounds. I don’t know why they do this, perhaps it is to ward off evil spirits, or perhaps they are just lonely men announcing that they exist.
Here in Nepal they are men in rags, walking down side alleys and busy main streets loudly saying “yeeeeeeeep” in a high pitched voice or “hiYA bedi!” They say it in the same way every time and in a slow rythm, with long beats between each utterance. From my hotel room I hear it both late at night when most are asleep or in the middle of the day when most are escaping the heat.
In Japan, the old men bang wooden dowels together making a high pitched “tip!” I first heard it on a foggy night in Makino while riding a bike with Hofer to the vending machine. The streets were empty. I couldn’t place it’s location, but I could tell that each “tip!” was getting closer to us. Eventually an older man in khakis and a button down shirt turned the corner. He ignored us and kept up with his duty, whatever it may have been.
