灵山－Ling Shan

I arrived in Beijing a few weeks ago to work with the Jump! Foundation, an organization that I have heard quite a bit about. Think outdoor industry bubble, and then further simplify that to SE Asia - everyone is connected somehow, sort of like the 7º of Kevin Bacon effect except is only 2º.

Beijing has always brought up distinct imagery in my mind. Having never been there before it was interesting to realize that my imagery was all off. Instead of a faded, stale communist state I found a well off vibrant atmosphere with western influences everywhere. Learning more about the history and layout of the city from Beijingers was extremely helpful, and gave me a lot more perspective. The air quality was a bit of a bummer, but hey you can't have it all.

Our project was a 45 person International Youth Award trekking spanning 4 days. Many logistics, site inspections, pre program events, and meetings later we finally got on trail.

trail head with my co-facilitators

great wall

Our route took us north of Beijing into the mountains that kept imperial China safe for centuries. We started out near Huang Cao Liang and capped the trip off with an ascent of Ling Shan (Soul Mountain). There was even time to do a slight detour to check out part of the great wall en route.The kids were super enthusiastic and more than ready to be on the trail. They had all just finished their last exams and this trek was the last thing standing between them and a few months off. 

planking

testing out some local brew on our site inspection

Along the way we had some highs and some lows. Perhaps the biggest low was the fact that our trip coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, i.e. there were a million people on the trail with us........which was only difficult when they produced massive amounts of trash, blocked the trail, and blasted Miley Cyrus tunes (on repeat of course). But some of the best moments were spent navigating through the alpine fog, and watching the kids work together to find their way. After some wrong turns and long days we all ended up at the summit of Ling Shan (2303m). 

no reception

hard at work

Every time I do this kind of work I learn more about my own facilitation style, but also from everyone I interact with. I also realized that being out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do except teach basic trekking skills and making sure everyone is safe is where I am happiest. Perhaps it's the simplicity, or maybe its just the space, who knows?

A whirlwind of flights, taxis, and bad coffee later I arrived back in Chiang Mai. Tonight Katie and I leave for the states, which will mark the first time we do so together!

27

Another year has passed.


Yesterday marked the 27th year of my life, not much I know, but it took me a good number of those years to figure out what makes me tick. For me that motivation has led me down some dead ends, but when I found climbing I knew it would be for a lifetime.

So I got this idea a few months back, namely after a video entitled "30", that I should climb 27 routes on my birthday. Seemed like a cool idea, a bit daughnting but cool nonetheless. With a bit of pre-planning and tons of encouragement from my partner in crime I was able to finish all 27, no problem. Though the numbers don't matter to me in a bragging sense, I do enjoy the knowledge of how much rock I dealt with : 426m in total vertical climbing! And who said you couldn't find long routes in Thailand?

Well before the whole thing started I just told myself to do it, pictured doing it, and then pictured finishing........and it went exactly like that. Not only was this a great day climbing and pushing my limits, but it also has given me a renewed enthusiasm and confidence in my climbing. Best birthday present ever? #treatyourself

I figure I may as well do this little ritual every year .........until 35 that is.

the last climb of the day "Happy Birthday"- 6b

Mingalaba

Mingalaba translates as hello in Burmese , yet another language I have learned 3 sentences in, not bad right?

After our brief stint in Vietnam we headed to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, though most people know it as Burma. The country opened its borders to foreign tourists only a few years ago after the military junta dissolved after decades of rule. Aung San Suu Kyi, probably the most famous Burmese politician, opposed the military government for years, even earning a Noble Peace Prize. President Obama also visited the country a few years ago, which helped empower many of the politically active. Needless to say the country has a very tumultuous history.

We landed in Yangon and immediately started sweating. Vietnam had been cool and rainy, but Yangon , which sits a little closer to the equator, was hot and humid. The city itself is a collage of that former British colonial style. It seemed like every building the British built was still standing or barely standing, but still housed shops and apartments nonetheless. We would walk around all day and maybe see 3 other foreigners, which was very different from the backpacker infested Chiang Mai we had left. For some reason people kept pulling us aside to take photos with them.......that's cool I guess, maybe we will be hung over someones mantle.

Culturally speaking Burma was much different that we had expected. Geographically speaking the country has always been the cross roads between the Indian Sub-Continent and Asia, and this is very apparent in the wide physical appearances of people. Two other cultural things we experienced were local attire, both men and women where lungis (sarong type garments) all the time. Though I didn't get one I did admire how comfortable and cool they must be. Second thing: betel nut. As with all sensical human populations the Burmese, as well as many other SE Asian groups, have become addicted to natural substances. The betel nut is rolled in a leaf with lime paste (the activator) and then chewed upon, similar to chewing tobacco. However, the difference is in the hue, as betel nut has a deep red color and often stains the users teeth and gums a deep red. Every inch of Yangon has a red tint to it from betel nut users spitting out their depleted wads.

party time

colonial styles

one of the largest Buddhas in the world, supposedly taller than the Statue of Liberty

Shwedagon

monk with a telephoto?

We stayed briefly in Yangon before getting on a bus for Bagan. Before we go further here I do need to point out how local all modes of transport are in Burma. For instance, the bus station was not what us in the west would think of, you know one main building with platforms and ticket offices preferably centrally located in a large urban area. Not in Yangon. The bus station was a good hour drive outside of the city and consisted of small row houses, each a separate company (100+ maybe?), each going somewhere different......now this is traveling! We were the only westerners on the bus which I thought was awesome, there hasn't been enough tourism yet to warrant tourist specific transports.

Anyway, made famous for its 2000+ pagodas (temples) Bagan was the epicenter of a prosperous civilizations almost a millennium ago. We arrived at 4:30 am and then promptly hired a horse and cart to take us to one of the temples for sunrise. It's a bit hard to capture the light, the mood, and the thousands of small pagodas in the distance on camera, but we tried. Most of our time in Bagan involved riding around on bicycles and checking out temples big and small, not to mention eating tons of strange delicious foods that I never learned the name for. 

This place blew my mind. As a former archaeologist and general history / fact junky this is by far the most impressive site I have ever been to. The expanse and density of all the pagodas is mind boggling. Whats more is the such varied sizes, styles, and locations - all to venerate da Buddha. Well worth the trip. 

rolling leaves for betel nut

betel nut dealer, also known as "reds"

lots of gold

the old way

Katie got overzealous with the sauce

pagoda naps

awkward photos

The remainder of our trip we spent jumping around to recommended eateries in Yangon. Our days were dictated not by sites or attractions but rather on what are stomachs told us. I also had the pleasure to run into a young Burmese man at a temple we visited. He sort of looked like what a Burmese male model would look like in a magazine, but I digress. He sat down and asked me where I was from and we small talked for a bit, the whole time he was so amazed and happy for me to be in his country. After decades of closure he wanted to learn as much as he could from me and wanted to tell me all about his country. Long story short he was once a monk that protested the government which led to him being imprisoned and tortured for 3 years. Upon release he become a literature major at university and hopes to write the new classics. I felt privileged to have met him and will always remember the encounter, along with the handful of others that have accumulated over the years.

Phở

One of the most iconic Vietnamese dishes is phở, a splendid mix of rice noodles, vegetables, and meat.
Of course we were too busy eating to stop and take photos, but you'd recognize it. You know that red chili sauce you see everywhere, Sriracha? That was invented for this dish, crazy right? One dude was just like, "damn I need this spiced up,"and next thing you know its an iconic sauce.

We recently returned from a short vacation to both Vietnam and Burma, both were polar opposites in terms of culture history, food, dress, weather, the list goes on. The trip started as we touched down in Hanoi. For some reason every communist or former communist country I have been to has the same urban industrial feel, with gray skies accented by drab weather and faded hues that you know at one time or another must have been very bright. After leaving the dry season of Thailand the cool temperature and ever present precipitation were welcomed. The few days we spent in Hanoi basically consisted of eating tons of food, walking around a bunch, and seeing Uncle Ho's mausoleum. A note here about embalming dead communist leaders: it is really creepy. There were about 15 guards stationed in and around the mausoleum with at least 5 inside next to the corpse......must be a great job.

Our real purpose for this trip was to head down to Cat Ba island on the southern expanse of Ha Long Bay. Though maybe less visited than the famous bay to the north it was a welcomed change of pace. Locals seemed pretty surprised to see us in the off season in full swing, but we rolled with it.

the local club

What trip would be complete without some climbing right? The local climbing shop rented us some very questionable gear and scooter and we were off: Destination Butterfly Valley. A few wrong turns later we ended up at the destination, this isolated valley surrounded by karst formations on every side. The climbing was pretty good, but was even better was the temperature, perfect for climbing hovering in the 20ºC range. Even got some bouldering in down low with some local kids.

butterfly valley

spectators

The best part though was just riding around the island, which is pretty much a no brainer as there are really only two main roads. Not one to be without a bit of a history fix we stopped in to the Hospital Caves and gun installation built on the island during the Vietnam War.

awkward yoga

hospital cave entrance

old military installation

It was nice to see a different part of the country, and I enjoyed the visit thoroughly. One thing that I find very difficult is the lack of freedom I always feel while there. It seems like all westerners are directed to the same locations, and transportation companies really dominate the travel. Maybe more time in country with some better understanding of the language would help. There are just places that click for certain people and there are some that don't.

Season Closer

It has been a bit of a whirlwind the last few months. We have worked with a number of schools from all over the world, doing all sorts of activities. Today marks the last day of the high season here in Chiang Mai and time for some rest and relaxation.....sort of. A few days to rebound then off to Vietnam and Burma for a few weeks!


Below is one of the movie trailers that was made by CMRCA for a student group from Bangkok.



Conquering The Crazy Horse from Thailand Climbing on Vimeo.

The last few months have allowed me to work on my guide skills, both technical and the softer skills needed to control and run high impact programs with young people. It feels like I have finally found my rhythm and style, making it a less stressful season than last. Part of this change has been the need to stay present, concentrating on the now and letting the worry of everything else fade away. Constantly having to remind myself to do this and I think it is paying off in many ways. I often think about the poem in the video below, filmed by a good friend Levi Moch, which talks about the work we create. That is all I really have at the moment, but there will be more to come I am sure.

Kampuchea 1000

Hey everyone, just got back from a great cycling trip through Cambodia.

It sort of all happened as good things do, by complete chance and luck. I have been following this organization called PEPY for the last year or so and have really been interested in their approach to learning service. The company started with a few Americans cycling through Cambodia and realizing there were much deeper issues to deal with, and from then on PEPY was born. As a testament to that initial ride the sister company, PEPY Tours, now offers a 1000 km cycling trip through the country every year, this being the PEPY Ride IX. Another case of small world syndrome allowed me to be part of the ride as guide and facilitator too!

The group was as diverse as could be possible, with a collective 16 languages spoken between us. Everyone brought their own perspectives and life experience to the trip, we all learned a lot about Cambodia and ourselves.

My co-guides on this trip were amazing. "Lucky" the 7 time Cambodian cycling champion was our bicycle guru, a truly inspirational person. Not only was he physically and mentally strong, but he also had a vulnerable side and talked at length about his dreams and ambitions in the coming years, look out for Lucky Champion Bicycles in 2015. I think I saw Lucky not smiling for a grand total of 4 seconds the entire trip, a truly happy individual. Check out the short doc about Lucky below.

Our cultural liaison was Thavry Thul, one of the most passionate and involved people I have ever had the pleasure to work with, truly a shining example of the future of Cambodia. Also along for the ride as a participant was the PEPY team photographer Luis Barreto , again I can't say enough good things about this guy, just a pleasure to get to know.

Ok ok ok, enough about the crew. The trip itself encompassed a multitude of challenges and tons of high points. I will only point out a few of my favorites as to not bore the general populous.

Siem Reap - Battambang

The trip started out in the circus like city of Siem Reap, made even more circus like by the giant hotels, bus loads of tourists, and tons of Christmas lights everywhere (really strange for a Buddhist country?). As per usual there was an orientation and short bike rides around the area, including a sunrise at Angkor Wat and amazing Christmas dinner at Le Touich. We even got off trail for a while at the Baray, where the first of many flat tires and falls happened.

After leaving Siem Reap we encountered the reality of riding with all of our gear, the heat, the wind, and our poor poor butts. We met with a few organizations along the way including Investing in Children in their Societies (ICS) and the Banteay Chhmar community social enterprise. Banteay Chhmar is home to a giant Wat , which was built concurrently with Angkor Wat, but this place is not visited much and is in my opinion much nicer. We even had a great candlelit dinner at the temple itself accompanied by the local musicians and some impromptu dance lessons.

Few kms later we arrived in Battambang. I don't know why but this is by far my  most favorite place I have visited in Cambodia. The town itself is not that large, easily crossed on foot in about 30 mins, but the town has this lackadaisical feel. This is also the artistic center of the country, with lots of handmade crafts for sale, as well as tons of social enterprises, including Kinyei (best coffee I have ever had) and Soksabike. We had a great new years party on top of the hotel and then promptly turned in at 8 pm for our 3:30 am start the next day to Pursat - 111km.....

pre trip bike repairs

Thavry and Vive

Wat Atwea

Khmer cooking class

chef like

Angkor Wat - Christmas day

festive Lucky

first flat tire at Angkor Wat

graffiti at Angkor Wat, the archaeologist in me cringes.....

PEPY's school in Chanleas Dai

sunset fishing with Thavry

getting limbered up

another Lucky moment, eating duck fetus,  yum yum

locals

Banteay Chhmar

the ride

biking on a day off in Battambang

Battambang - Phnom Penh

The ride to Phnom Penh was a bit uneventful, basically early starts and long hours in the saddle. There isn't much to see in this part of the country except Tonle Sap Lake and Oudong Mountain, both of which are actually extremely important fixtures in Khmer culture. Tonle Sap almost quadruples in size during the rainy season and actually reverses the flow of many of the rivers that feed it. More than that it is home to a large number of nomadic fishing villages and an important source of food. Oudong Mt. was the site of the previous capital of Kampuchea and is now the religious center of the country, home to a lot of monks monking about.

Phnom Penh was a nice return to modern life, the main one being hot showers and some time off of the bikes. Lucky also works as a tuk tuk driver in the city when he is not cycling, so it was cool to have him drive us around and see him in his element.

We visited S-21, the Khmer Rouge prison notorious for its crimes against humanity, only 12 of the 20,000 prisoners that entered survived. It was a bit of a somber affair but we ended up talking at length about why it happened and what it will take to rebuild from it in the coming years. It also tied in well with the current instability in the area, as Hun Sen the current prime minister was himself a member of the Khmer Rouge. The riots and violence near the Killing Fields persuaded us to avoid the area completely, but we still managed to take a nice boat ride and eat at Friends (get the fish!). One thing that struck me as strange was the fact that these two sites where numerous crimes against humanity had taken place are the top tourist attractions besides Angkor Wat. Why is that? And does this leave a negative image of the country to visitors? Lots of visitors have a hard time seeing the grass roots development that is happening in the country because it is overshadowed by the atrocities of the past.

Another pit stop was to SmallWorld, a social enterprise focused on entrepreneurship. Thavry's brother Rithy Thul started it a few years ago as a co-working space and it has produced a number of successful businesses. One thing that I really admired about all the organizations we visited was how transparent they were about their failures and successes, as well as the general "unknown" about the future of the project outcomes. The faith these people have in social development is infectious and extremely exciting.

getting close

Oudong

Phnom Penh - Rabbit Island

The last stretch to the coast was a nice bonus. Some of the crew had to leave early in Phnom Penh, but a few of us soldiered on. The riding became easier and easier it seemed. By the last day we were putting in 40 km before breakfast. Riding was beautiful and full of off track riding. Besides an exploding tire and an epic wreck by one of the participants it was an uneventful and relaxing ride to The Vine Retreat. Lots of relaxation and lazy time ensued, we even made a joy ride down to Rabbit Island to sample the emerald waters and the outstanding peppered seafood. 

The trip was great! I learned a lot about myself and Cambodia, as well as fine tuned some of my guiding skills. Met a lot of interesting and engaging people, and even learned some Khmer. My butt and legs are still recovering but I keep dreaming of cycling.......

43km before sunrise

the route in total - Siem Reap to Rabbit Island

the finale at rabbit island