This website illuminates my life and adventures, focusing on five areas, Adventure, Love, Art & Music, Economy and Philosophy. To these five areas, I have purposefully dedicated my life. This notion emanated from my belief that the human experience is driven by five innate momentums: physical, sexual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. So, I desired to study, experience and understand these subjects, with the objective to understand not only the world around me, but to understand myself as well. Thus, these five areas of study match my innate momentums: adventure-physical, love-sexual , art & music-emotional, economy-intellectual, and philosophy-spiritual. This quest has led me to over 2450 of the world’s 3978 provinces, to every country on earth and to the summit of the highest peak on each continent (thank heaven for good weather!). In my travels, I learned to respect the intelligence and ingenuity of people of all races and callings both past and present. Come with me to see the world as I see it, if you will be so kind. Join me in re-examining our world and our selves, to contemplate how we can move to make our world a virtual Garden of Eden.
DISTINCTIONS: BBC 2017 Travel Pioneer • Journal Articles • Explorer’s Club Flag Expeditions • World Parks Project • Walk Across South America
Myanmar, Kachin Prov, Street Scene
Nepal, Mani Rimdu, Kantega, 1983 - One of the most exciting festivals I ever attended was Mani Rimdu at Tengboche monastery in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal in 1983. Here, the head Lama presides over a ceremony with other monks in attendance. In the background looms Mt. Kantega at 6685 meters, or 21,930 feet. Kantega was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary. Although Mani Rimdu provided a delightful spectacle for local villagers, the ceremony carried deep meaning within the inner recesses of the monastery. A film was produced by scholar Rick Kohn of Berkeley about Mani Rimdu. The quote of the head Lama on the advertising poster for the movie is one of the most profound I have ever heard: ""When your mind is impure, everyone is ordinary. When your mind is pure, everyone is a Buddha."" In my journal, I wrote the following after meeting Rick Kohn: Rick told us about some of the things he?s done here. He?s working on his PhD. He?s recently translated his oldest ever recently. It is a prayer to the god of Central Tibet, who predates Buddha:
The Cloud of Worship of the god of the Plain
(Translated by Richard Kohn)
To name the body god?s father
He is Ote, gung gyal,*
To name the body god?s mother
She is the One Winged Turquoise Bird.
To name the body god himself ?
He is YA ? SHUD, the god of cruelty.
Take the name of the country in which you dwell
It is Shivering Swamp Bottom
A wild throne of shimmering green turquoise.
Verdant in summer, verdant also in winter.
The country in which you live is called Delightful To Experience.
*Ote, King of the Zenith (of the center of the sky)"
Myanmar, Shan Prov, Buddha Pointing To The New Moon
N Ireland, Moyle Prov, Rocky Shore
Azerbaijan, Qax Prov, Tree
UK, Saint Helena, Tristan Da Cunha, Village, 2002 - This is Tristan Da Cunha, the "capital city" of the island of Tristan Da Cunha. It is a small village.
Taiwan, Ilan County Prov, Cliffs Toroko Gorge
Turkey, Kutahya Prov, Gypsies
Thailand, Chumphon Prov, Truck Down
China, Anhui Province, Yellow Mountain Wall With Trees, 2008, IMG_9568 - A sheer rock wall.