Sad News

My grandmother passed away this morning. She was such a tough and fiery woman I guess I never really believed she would let death get the best of her. This is the only picture I have where she is actually smiling. Usually she just can't be bothered to placate the picture taker. This was taken just before she and my grandfather decided to sneak out of their nursing home and move back into their house without telling anyone. I think that is why she was smiling. In case you were wondering, I'm pretty sure she is the source of my subversive streak. I miss her already.

I love you grandma!

Finally!

My old friend and college roommate, Bob, finally started his own blog. As a writer himself, and an instigator of philosophical discussions ranging from the teleological existence of God to the various merits of mac n' cheese, I for one, can't wait to read it.
Here are my off the top five memories of Bob:
1. He told me I looked like a rat, but in a good way;
2. He was the primary reason I got an A in critical thinking, so I'm not sure how he got a B. Oh right, he was reading cowboy poetry at coffee shops;
3. He was the primary reason I got a B in Geology (who cares what gneiss is when your roommate is reading cowboy poetry at coffee shops);
4. He respected the "seat down" rule;
5. He is and always has been an outstanding human being.

Anyway, here is a link to Bob's blog for all who are interested.
http://viciousbichir.blogspot.com/

TMI (or too much information)

The second we walked into the courtyard of the Xidang Hot Springs Guest House, the traditional starting point on the Inner Circle pilgrimage trail, Percy took my arm and said, "remember kid, what happens on the rope stays on the rope." This is a phrase Percy uses on all her climbing trips as a Seattle Mountaineers climb leader. It usually means that if someone has a minor meltdown on a climb you help them through it and don't discuss it later. At the Hot Springs however, I took it to mean, "you go ahead and pee in a bottle if you need to. The outhouse is beyond gross."

The Guest House at Xidang Hot Springs was our first taste of hostels yet to come. Communal rooms without lights, heat, or running water, hard cots with well used bedding, drafty windows, floors, and doors, but it was definitely better than sleeping in a tent at a climbers parking lot (Blue Lake Trail Head anyone?). In fact, I had one of the best nights sleep of my life at the Xidang Hot Springs. The next morning we were going to start our hike into Yubeng Village. While I might have been totally out of my element in big cities like Beijing and Lijiang, hiking to a small village felt as natural to me as breathing.

Yak Butter Tea

"Do you know what's going on?" I whispered to Mike as we piled out of our little van in the middle of no and where. Speaking rapidly in Chinese, Spring and one of our distinguished drivers took off down a barely discernible foot path. "I think we're following" Mike said with a little laugh. Up and down we hiked over billy goat trails while Spring and our driver showed pictures to passersby. Eventually we came upon a farm house with a child laying in the middle of the lane. "Well this is it!" Spring exclaimed. I smiled and nodded, hoping to hide my confusion. "This is the family that took me in when I started my pilgrimage last year!"

The family waved us in and graciously starting preparing food while we toured the house. By rural standards it was quite large, with a separate room for sleeping and a large living area with a central hearth and a wooden floor. On the roof was an area for threshing soy beans, a task that requires a great deal of skill. A few of us took a shot, but I think we only managed to squish, not separate, the soy beans. When we returned to the living room, the lady of house set out a pile of apples, steamed buns, and poured our first round of yak butter tea. Like hoppy beer, yak butter tea is definitely an acquired taste. Basically, it is a big churn of green tea mixed with butter made from tangy yak's milk and a whole lot of salt.

While we were sharing our meal, Spring asked the family where their oldest son, who had taken Spring through the necessary rites to begin her pilgrimage, happened to be. They told her he was studying at the Puli School! All of our jaws dropped and we pulled out our cameras to share pictures of the students with them.

Little Black

"Did you just say real hot chocolate?" I asked incredulously, "with cows milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and without a Swiss Miss on the label?" Roy smiled mischievously, "and they have banana pancakes too" he said. "I think you've been drinking too much pijiu" I retorted. "Come on. You and Percy really need to see this place! The Migratory Bird is great!" Roy exclaimed before leaving Percy and I to decide if we really wanted to leave the warmth of our heated bed pads. Ultimately curiosity got the better of us and we popped out of our rooms bundled in down to find the much lauded Migratory Bird Bar. We rounded a corner and entered an unassuming hole in the wall only to be greeted by "Little Black" the cutest puppy on the planet. With his kitten sisters, Little Black is the ambassador of the Migratory Bird Bar. The place, despite it's initial humble appearance, is less bar and more Swiss chalet. Diana Krall and Lyle Lovett croon over the stereo system, the views are more stellar than even the North Cascades (a bold statement I know), there are comfortable chairs, artwork covering the walls, and yes, really outstanding hot chocolate and banana pancakes. The Migratory Bird Bar might just be my favorite place on earth. And as an added bonus, the proprietor, Chiaoyang, has been a tireless advocate for the Puli School. A website for the Migratory Bird Bar is below. It's all in Chinese but the pictures are pretty.
http://www.jhnsky.com/

Sookie Stackhouse

The agonizing wait is finally over. Sookie Stackhouse, the beautiful and telepathic redneck waitress from rural Bon Temps Louisiana, is once again ready to fight, flee, or fall in love with the werewolves, vampires, and shape-shifters that inhabit the southern United States. Will she and Vampire Bill, her first love and former confederate solider, reunite? Will the dashing werewolf Alcide Heveraux ever forgive her for the death of his father? What will become of her brother now that he has been bitten by an inbred clan of were people? Inquiring minds want to know.

Common Courtesy

Watch out.... A "Danalike" rant follows:

A co-worker who just moved in next door has an adorable three year old who is too sick to go to daycare today. Rather than hire a babysitter, my co-worker brought the child into the office. As cute and quiet as the child is, it doesn't negate the fact that the kid is coughing in the hall, touching doorknob with snotty hands, and generally being a plague bearer. No one else in the office seems to be bothered by this. They are giving the child cough drops, toys, and videos to watch while I'm clinging to my bottle of Purel like I was back in Yubeng Village eating lunch above a pig sty. Is it just me, or is bringing a sick child to work a blatant violation of common courtesy?

I had better go. The kid is blowing me kisses and it's time for my hourly dose of Emergen-C.

Shakespeare is Everywhere

The Puli School is a miracle. If you would like to know more about it's history, Spring has done an outstanding job detailing it's story. You can read more about it on her website at http://www.mystictrails.com/CommunityProjects_Puli_Story.htm

For my part, I want to outline the small details that struck me. First of all, the children look young. When they were performing their dances and singing their songs, I thought they were between 6 and 15. They were actually between 9 and 20. Due to a lack of financial resources, servings of protein are often scarce and the students are undernourished. They are lucky to receive eggs once a week. There are inadequate sources of heat and bedding at the school, which is in an area that is below freezing for most of the winter. In October, when we were all coated in down, the children were wearing light jackets. That being said, it is absolutely clear that students at Puli School know they are a part of something larger than themselves. Everyone there sacrifices for the benefit of their Tibetan education. The headmaster literally sold all he owned to create the school and his example lives on in the students and the volunteers. I have never seen anything like it.

I would also like to point out that there was a drawing of Shakespeare hanging on the wall near Confucius. I could almost hear them conversing;
"Lord, what fools these mortals be."
"Exactly. To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge."
"Yes, or you could say, to be or not to be, that is the question."
"Ah, very metaphysical my friend, very metaphysical."

Beware the Ides of March

"The following story, too, is told by many. A certain seer warned Caesar to be on his guard against a great peril on the day of the month of March which the Romans call the Ides; and when the day had come and Caesar was on his way to the senate-house, he greeted the seer with a jest and said: "Well, the Ides of March are come," and the seer said to him softly: "Ay, they are come, but they are not gone."

Did anyone else just feel a chill? Just be careful out there today.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Robert Pirsig said in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance that, "Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself. This leaf has jagged edges. This rock looks loose. From this place the snow is less visible, even though closer. These are the things you should notice anyway. To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain which sustain life, not the top. Here's where things grow." Oddly, this, my favorite quote, didn't pop to mind when I was cresting any peak, it came to me when I met the children of Puli school. Each step with them was a unique event. When our minivan pulled into their rural schoolyard I was expecting nothing more than a five minute stop to drop off some school supplies. Instead I received an education more valuable than any I could imagine. If you would like to catch a glimpse of our experience at Puli School please watch this short video that Spring and Roy put together. Please excuse our singing. Our hearts were in the right place.

http://www.mystictrails.com/movie_Puli2006.htm

The Legends of Kawa Karpo

The mighty Kawa Karpo was a wrathful demon with nine heads and eighteen bodies who plagued, terrorized, and destroyed those in his realm. One day, a brave Buddhist lama engaged Kawa Karpo in battle. The lama defeted Kawa Karpo by cutting off all but one of his heads and bodies. Humiliated and humbled, Kawa Karpo vowed to change his wicked ways. When the Buddha Sakyamuni heard of Kawa Karpo's desire to abandon evil, he was filled with compassion and took Kawa Karpo as his disciple. After studying Buddhism for many years, Kawa Karpo was given an army and told him to search the land for an area in need of protection. Kawa Karpo chose Deqin and rested there as a mountain.

That is one story.

Another is that the wrathful demon Kawa Karpo was approached by a buddha and challenged to a battle of wits. On the basis of his wisdom alone, the buddha Padmasambhava overcame Kawa Karpo, who was so persuaded by Padmasambhava, that he converted to Buddhism and brought his wife, his general, his crown, and his entire army to settle with him at the site of his defeat. Kawa Karpo thus became a mountain god and a defender of Buddhism in the region.

Whether you choose to believe either tale, Mt. Kawa Karpo is nevertheless a phenomenal and powerful peak.

Despite many efforts, no human being has ever successfully summited Mt. Kawa Karpo. The people of Deqin county are very proud of that fact. One local guide explained to me that though Mt. Everest was shrinking because men were stepping on the mountain god, Kawa Karpo was too proud and strong to be conquered. I believe it.

Goat Boy

The Beatles sang of a long and winding road that left them full of tears. Well, that is nothing compared to the long and winding road from Shangri-la to Deqin that leaves you full of spew, either from the altitude, motion sickness, or nearly fatal car crashes. Unless of course, like me, you have a lucky Dana charm that makes you temporarily immune to illness and injury. For me, the drive was a blast! The road, truly a roller coaster, was a marvel of engineering. Deqin is in the middle of nowhere and it would have taken some spectacular feats build the road in the first place. It is also a profoundly treacherous path with precipitous drop offs, pot holes, and meandering yaks around nearly every corner. Luckily, the scenery and the company were enough to make me forget the danger. "Goat boy, this is Snow Lion. Watch out for the yak. Over." "10/4 Snow Lion. We see it. Beginning evasive maneuvers. Goat boy over and out." Good times, man. Good times.

I Blame Steph Davis

My dream to become the next Steph Davis is seriously cutting into my blogging time. Climbing after work is really taking a tole on my writing. I promise to be better.

Top Five Guilty Pleasures

Tonight, while I was dutifully working on my resume, I had a profound revelation. I found the one thing in this world (outside of vodka) that makes me ridiculously giddy. Neil Diamond. It's inexplicable but true. "Sweet Caroline" will do me in every time. It was this revelation that prompted me to post my top five guilty pleasures:

1. Neil Diamond (see above).
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have seen every episode that Jeremy Brett ever stared in. Basil Rathbone can't hold a candle to Jeremy Brett. The Speckled Band? Come on. Genius.
3. Watching others play video games. I have been doing it my entire life. I used to beg my best friend Victoria's older brothers to play Super Mario for hours. Someone had to be watching out for Princess Toadstool.
4. Cold, cheap, greasy hawaiian pizza with garlic dipping sauce. OMG. For my money, it doesn't get any better.
5. Ugly Betty. I have been watching it nonstop since I downloaded it to my I-Pod. Please God don't let it jump the shark in it's first season.