The Global Rambler

#77 - Sunday Mornings

2020-11-21T04:00:00.001-08:00

George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, said "that which Friends speak, they must live in." Quakers believe that they should be led by the spirit, allow oneself to be guided. Some Quakers are non-theists with a variety of understandings, including atheists, humanists, agnostics, theological non-realists, Buddhists and those who experience God not as a supernatural power but as 'the ground of our being,' or life itself, or nature, or the supreme symbol and imagined embodiment of our highest human values. With William Blake, we can say that God is 'mercy, pity, peace and love' in action and that 'all deities reside in the human breast.'

In order to allow oneself to be guided, one must take time to listen to that quiet voice of the spirit (the rhythms of life, nature, divinity, a totem, or - you choose). On Sunday mornings, I take time to hike the 4 miles loop departing from home, down the winding trail along a small creek, up paved walkways between houses, across open spaces and circling back through the woods. This is a time to become "centered," to listen for the spirit and to the rhythms of life - the chirping of birds, the rustle of deer in the brush, the cheerful "good morning" from walkers and, as much as possible, any silence that 25 years of tinnitus will allow.

#76 - Oregon Coast: Nehalem Bay State Park (16 - 19 October 2020)

2020-10-20T04:00:00.185-07:00

Nehalem Bay State Park is a state park in the United States located on the Oregon Coast, near the communities of Nehalem and Manzanita on the Nehalem Spit, a sand spit west of Nehalem Bay.

Tillamook County transferred the land to the State of Oregon for a park in the 1930's. During the 1940's and 1950's, workers planted European beach grass, shore pine, and Scotch broom to stabilize the dunes - a process that took an additional twenty years. The park opened in 1972.

This park has day-use areas, and a campground for tents, recreational vehicles, horse riders, hikers and bicyclists.

Its wildlife include a variety of birds, deer, elk, mountain lions, black bears and coyotes.

There is an air strip for small planes, the Nehalem Bay State Airport, and an amphitheater that has programs throughout the summer months.

The park is south of nearby Neahkahnie Mountain, the highest coastal land mass north of San Francisco and south of Canada. The trail to the summit of the mountain was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1930's. Nehalem Beach is within the park (Wikipedia)

I don't think that nice log archway exists now (this is not my photo)

I have a difficulty with the idea equating camping and RV vehicles. Camping is trekking in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet or Patagonia as well as backpacking. In backpacking, I am sleeping in a tent, potty in the woods, water from streams or lakes, heating water on my Jetboil for freeze dried meals, powdered coffee, soup and energy drinks. If I can't carry it on my back comfortably, it isn't coming along. Okay..... the Asia treks had porters, horses or yaks, but the idea is the same. Alright.....there was a cook and staff on the treks. But backpacking.......

We have a 5th wheel trailer and when we are at a "campground," we aren't camping. It is a mobile cabin pulled by a truck with all the supplies needed for comfortable living and providing space for backpacks, kayaks and bicycles.

I didn't grab my camera for the hike, so these are phone images, but will give you an idea of the area, which look better on film than in person. Hikers were respectful regarding masks and distance from other hikers, but there were more folks on the trail than this one may have preferred. Despite the rave reviews, I would rate this a 2-3 hike on a 1 - 10 scale.

Winter is coming and no country will admit travelers from the USA, which means I should have time to scan, edit, write and post more of the Global Rambler's adventures abroad. I may post future trailer outings that are interesting as well as a few more posts from flight school, but won't bore you with a post from each flight.

Stay safe, be well, keep 6 foot distance, wear a mask (I can't when hiking) and vote your choice on election day.

#75 - Flight 4: Slow Flight, Power-off Stalls, Steep Turns (O6 October 2020)

2020-10-10T04:00:00.298-07:00

TRIM

Transitive Verb: to remove by cutting

to make trim and neat

to free of excess or extraneous matter

to embellish with ribbons, lace, or ornaments

to administer a beating (thrash)

to cause (a ship) to assume a desirable position in the water

to adjust (such as an airplane) for horizontal movement

Intransitive Verb: to maintain neutrality between two opposing parties

to change one's view for reasons of expediency

Adjective: exhibiting neatness, good order, or compactness of line or structure

slim and physically fit

ready for service

Noun: material used for ornament

the material in the finish of a building

the interior furnishings of an automobile

one's clothing or appearance

the attitude with respect to wind axes at which an airplane will continue

in level flight with free controls

There had to be a means to relieve some of this pilot's tension after we are in the air and the instructor says, "you have the controls." Of course, I must confirm, "I have the controls" and not "I have the controls?"

I started this Blog yesterday, expecting to spend time on the concept of Trim, but after today's 1.5 hour flying lesson I discovered a couple concepts that seem more important and should be mentioned beforehand.

1) What is the function of each instrument and what information is it providing me about the airplane's flight that specific time and place? i.e. What is happening - NOW!

2) When the airplane is not flying in a manner that I thought I was guiding it to do (according to the instrument information and what I am seeing on the horizon and below), how do I make proper adjustments (corrections) so that it does fly in a manner that I want it to?

3) When not flying in a manner that I thought I was guiding it to do, how much time do I have to remember (or figure out) the proper adjustments (corrections) to make so I can begin flying in the manner that I want?

4) Does the airplane need more or less throttle - gas (a: Do I push in for more gas or pull back? b: What will happen to the airplane when I push or pull the throttle)? Do I push forward or pull back on the yoke (wheel) to change the pitch -up or down (what will happen to the airplane when I do this)? Is that little black ball between the lines or do I push the right peddle or the left peddle (controlling rudder) to center it? Am I gaining altitude or loosing altitude? Am I at level flight, am I starting to turn? How do I make the proper adjustments to maintain altitude, level flight and the correct direction? How much time do I have to remember (or figure out) the proper adjustments before I am in deep dodo?

But wait, I can always turn to Chris (my instructor) in my state of panic and say "you have the controls....you have the controls." but, what happens when I am flying solo with no Chris to take the controls? .... deep dodo?

Ah yes, the learning curve. Remember those early downhill or x-country ski lessons, or beginning on roller or ice skates, perhaps that wobbly handlebar when you first rode that bike. Well, you weren't thousands of feet off the ground, but it seemed a long way down anyway.

The point: quit or master the skill. Actually, this applies to many life lessons - quit or master. One choice is limiting and the other empowering.

Trim? Think about it - "neatness", "good order", "fit", "ready for service", "nice appearance" and "continue in level flight free of controls" with regard to flying the airplane. Trimming the plane - adjusting the trim wheel - relieves the push or pull on the yoke (wheel) and allows the pilot to relax a little and enjoy the ride.

Just like life: if you are neat, fit and ready for service, you might be able to relax a little and enjoy the ride.

#74 - FLIGHT 3: The Checklist (September 29 2020)

2020-10-03T04:00:00.005-07:00

"We must leave our mark on life while we have it in our power." Karen Blixen

"Flying demanded more courage and faith than I actually possessed, and it wanted my best, my whole self. I would have to work very hard to be any good at it at all..." Beryl Markham

Sporty's Flight School - Learn to Fly is an online Ground School course. It is divided into six sections: 1) Your First Few Hours; 2) Practice Landings; 3) Your First Solo; 4) Your Dual Cross Countries; 5) Your Solo Cross Countries; 6) Your Private Pilot Test. Topics include Introduction to the Airplane, Cockpit, Engines, Instruments (26 sessions in 1); Aerodynamics, Stalls, Normal Landings, Takeoff & Landing Variations (15 sessions in 2) and so forth throughout the course. The goal is the learn about flying and, eventually, pass the written private pilot test and after that, the flying test.

I thought about quitting during the lesson on Stalls. Part of the lesson includes the following:

Practicing stalls will also help you learn the low airspeed flight characteristics of the airplane, and how to control it at low air speeds.
Part of your practice will include recognizing the first indications of a stall – these are called imminent stalls.
When practicing imminent stalls, the recovery is made at the first indication of a stall. The airplane is not allowed to become fully stalled. The object of this maneuver is to avoid a full stall.
When doing full stalls, the stall is allowed to progress until full up elevator, buffeting, and nose down pitching are reached.
During recovery from a fully stalled condition, you need to recover with a minimum loss of altitude and without entering a secondary stall.
A secondary stall occurs when the pitch attitude is raised too soon or too high during the first stall recovery. Recover in the normal way.
Stalls are especially dangerous when they occur close to the ground or if the pilot tries to recover in the wrong way.

Imminent Stalls - "Stalls are especially dangerous ...if the pilot tries to recover the wrong way." I am sure there must be an airline joke about the pilot pulling off to the side and getting out when a situation appears dangerous. The apparent lack of humor comes when looking down to the ground at 6000 feet. Actually, even 500 feet... or less. I was in a mental stall and needed to recover the "right way."

"The parameter you are asking about is called glide ratio and it is directly related to another parameter called lift-to drag ratio or L/D Ratio. This is a fundamental characteristic of the aerodynamics of a particular aircraft. L/D ratio various with airspeed, for determining best engine-out glide performance, the L/D ratio at "best glide airspeed" is used. "Best glide airspeed" is the speed that maximizes the L/D ratio, and this maximum value is knows as L/Dmax.

The maximum L/D ratio (L/Dmax) of a Cessna 172 is about 9, so its glide ratio is about 9:1 --for every 9 units traveled forward it will lose 1 unit of altitude. So, it will glide about 9,000 feet for every 1000 feet of altitude available." Aviation Stack Exchange

I feel much better with this new knowledge about "engine-out glide performance." Actually.......not really.

My flight school airplane is a Cessna 172.

When approaching the airplane on the ground as well as during and after the flight, I have a Checklist in-hand. In order for you to gain an appreciate of the Checklist, I will conclude with photos of each list.

That's right....you need to know what each item on the list is talking about. It doesn't help that they have several Cessna 172 and the instrument panel is arranged differently in each. I hope to get the same airplane on the next flight.


Cessna 172 Instrument Panel

I was very busy last flight and didn't have time to take any photos, except this one before starting. I will try to get some on the next flight.

Perhaps, during one of those practice stalls.

#73 - CHOICE

2020-09-26T04:00:00.004-07:00

ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE

Louise Penny

Stephen put his hand on the boy's arm and said, "Patience. Patience. With patience comes choice, and with choice comes power."

His godfather [Stephen] nodded. .... Life can be cruel, as you know. But it can also be kind. Filled with wonders. You need to remember that. You have your own choice to make, Armand. What're you going to focus on? What's unfair, or all the wonderful things that happen? Both are true, both are real. Both need to be accepted. But which carries more weight with you?" Stephen tapped the boy's chest. "The terrible or the wonderful? The goodness or the cruelty? Your life will be decided by that choice."

Trashiyangtse Thangka - Bhutan

#72 - FLIGHT 2 (September 4 2020)

2020-09-19T04:00:00.045-07:00

Her fuel tank had no gauge;

she was flying only with its written assurance:

This tank is good for four hours.

Account of Beryl Markham's East to West Flight Across the Atlantic

First, preflight checklist in hand, slowly walking around the airplane looking at tires, brakes, bolts, screws, windows, propeller, wings, ailerons, rudder and tail, but the list continues after entering the cockpit to observe instruments, fuses, steering, radio and weather. Oh yes, that fuel tank. We don't trust the gauge, so each tank is check by hand for capacity with an old fashioned stick then the tanks are "bleed" to make sure that they have the correct fuel and no water is mixed with the fuel.

Are we ready to fly now? No, not quite. Another checklist to work through in the cockpit, then another one before getting the clearance to take-off and another one after getting that clearance. Each airplane type has it's own checklist tied to instrument and flight considerations.

It is overwhelming, but necessary for safe flying. The learning curve is very steep, but a good, knowledgeable, encouraging instructor does not make it easier, but keeps the frustration at a lower level and provides a needed "safety net." Solo flying is a long way down the horizon.


*Cessna 172 Skyhawk*

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the most popular General Aviation airplane in history, and for a good reason - with room for four, it's an accommodating aircraft that is great to fly with your friends, your family, or just your golf clubs. This is an ideal airplane for pilots seeking an Instrument Rating, while student pilots who prefer a larger aircraft often put the 172 at the top of the list. Extras in this airplane include a Garmin 750 and an autopilot.


*Cessna 172 Cockpit*


Cessna 172 Instrument Panel (actually only 1 side)

Waiting For takeoff (Look at that Citation jet)

Instructor (relaxed) and Overwhelmed Student (not relaxed)


Flight over Farm Fields


Fields and Horizon

Stay Tuned for Flight 3

#71 - FLIGHT 1: First Flight (August 23 2020)

2020-09-12T04:00:00.004-07:00

A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us.

To live is to be slowly born.

Saint-Exuprey


Willamette Aviation - Aurora Oregon


Diamond DA 20-C1 Eclipse

The Diamond DA20-C1 Eclipse always turns heads when it's on the ramp, thanks to its composite air-frame, low profile and smooth 180-degree canopy that offers unobstructed views. In fact, the cockpit feels more like a modern sports car than the typical Cessna or Piper, but don't be fooled - the DA20 is a training aircraft that's perfect for VFR flying. Combining elements of gliders, taildraggers, and modern tri-gear planes, it features broad winds, a T-tail empennage and a stick-and-rudder layout.


Diamond DA20 Eclipse


Diamond DA 20 Cockpit - Getting Ready to Fly


Flying Over Farmland


Mt. Hood

#70 - Hiking Burma: A Cultural Journey in Myanmar (2013)

2020-06-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Myanmar, or Burma, if you prefer, is beautiful in its subtle ways with a recent history that casts a blemish on an otherwise fascinating history. The Burmese are pleased to see us visiting their country with an interest in learning about their cultural history. Our journey is a tailor-made 28 day trip that, as far as we know, is not offered by any other organization. To help you prepare, I will send you a reading list that offers a wide range of subjects, including some works by Kipling and Orwell (Burmese Days). Our group will be staying in some of the comfortable accommodations available to travelers, as well as the basic at Yaksakyi Monastery. We will explore some seldom visited regions as well as the major cultural and religious sites. When you depart Burma, you can truly exclaim, "I have been to Burma."

"Myanma" was historically known only for the the small central area where the dominant Bamar population lived. It's a name that excludes the huge outlying areas where the Shan, Kachin, Karen, Chin and other people are the majority. In 1989, the government - then a repressive military regime - decreed that the country's official name would change from Burma to Myanmar, since "Burma" was seen as a relic of colonial times. Now that the political climate has relaxed, you hear people using both terms, but for more than two decades, people were punished for saying "Burma" instead of "Myanmar."

The following presentation offers some of the sights from our Hiking Burma: A Cultural Journey in Myanmar 2013. I hope that you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed traveling and hiking the country.

Hiking Burma

A Cultural Journey in Myanmar

Folkways' Image Library

YouTube

https://youtu.be/hJHipYIcE_Y

#69 - My New Posting Schedule

2020-05-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Due to the extensive time required for research, writing, photo editing and slide

presentation development, the Global Rambler will be posting on a less frequent schedule.

If you are a regular subscriber, the posts will automatically arrive in your mailbox.

A partial post was released early - Watching and Listening for the Heartbeat of God: Rambling through Spiritual Terrain. This post is not scheduled to be released until September at the earliest. For anyone interested in doing some reading in advance, I have listed some books below.

Before the Big Bang                                                                 John Gribbin
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry                                       Neil de Grasse Tyson
Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind                             Yula Noah Harari
The Value of Species                                                                 Edward L. McCord
Your Inner Fish                                                                          Neil Shubin
Journey of the Universe Mary Evelyn Tucker
The Sacred Depths of Nature                                                   Ursula Goodenough
A God that Could be Real    Nancy Ellen Abrams
God: A Human History    Resa Asian
Aristotle's Children    Richard E Rubenstein
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus    Resa Asian
Grounded: Finding God in the World Diana Butler Bass
The Mind in the Cave                                                                 David Lewis-Williams
Origin of the Species                                                                   Charles Darwin
Atoms and Eden: Conversations on Religion and Science Steve Paulson

Thank you for subscribing.

Trekking in the Shadows of Mt. Everest, Nepal

#68 - Burma (Myanmar): Balloons over Bagan (2013)

2020-05-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

Folkways' Image Library


Folkways' Image Library

Balloons over Bagan offers a unique opportunity to see the ancient city of Bagan from a magnificent birds-eye view of the thousand year-old pagodas, temples and the mighty Irrawaddy River. The champagne flight at sunrise last just under an hour and is guided by the gentle winds not exceeding 24 km/h. Eight passengers plus a pilot fit into the balloon's basket.

#67 - Botswana: Traditional Tented Wildlife Safari (2016 & 2018)

2020-05-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Botswana is located in the center of Southern Africa and covering an estimated area of 581,730 square kilometers making it the size of France. The country is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and west and South Africa to the south and southeast. At Kazungula, four countries - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia - all meet at a single point mid-stream in the Zambezi River (the shortest border in the world).

The vast Kalahari Desert, the largest continuous stretch of sand in the world, covers 84% of Botswana, extending from the Orange River in South Africa to the equator in Gabon. With the exceptions of the Okavango and Chobe areas in the north, the country has little permanent surface water.

Early travelers to the region referred to it as a "thirstland desert," however, this is a misnomer: Most of the Kalahari is covered with vegetation including acacia woodland and golden grasslands. This empty and pristine terrain is occasionally interrupted by gently descending valleys, sand dunes, large numbers of pans and, int he extreme northwest, isolated hills, such as Aha, Tsodilo, Koanaka and Geqihaba. The clay pans fill with water during the rainy season and their hard surface layer ensures that water remains in the pans and is not immediately absorbed , creating life-giving sustenance to game and bird life.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, extending over 50,000 square kms, was set aside in 1961 as a haven for the Bushmen in which they might continue their traditional lifestyles of hunting and gathering from the desert. The reserve and empty lands around it support tens of thousands of desert antelope - gemsbuck and springbuck, lions, leopard and cheetah.

Bushmen were the first known inhabitants of Botswana. They have lived in the Kalahari for at least 80,000 years, but no one can say why they chose the Kalahari as their home. Estimated at 120,000 members, the Bushmen are not threatened as a race, but their hunter-gatherer way of life is coming to an end due to various political and socioeconomic factors.

In the northwest is the Okavango River Delta - 15,000 square kms. covered with a glistening network of crystal clear water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. This unique freshwater system is the pulsing heart of Northern Botswana's wilderness, growing with the dry season and shrinking as the wet weather returns. The largest permanent inland delta system in the world, only slightly larger than Israel, it sparkles like a previous jewel in the Kalahari Desert sand, an ecosystem of a size and intricacy rivaling any on earth.

Within Botswana's wilds live some of Africa's last great free-roaming herds of Cape Buffalo, zebra, antelope and, above all, elephants. Botswana's elephants have been the beneficiaries of the nation's stability and the national herd provides the largest concentration of elephant in the world.

In complete contrast, the northeastern region of the Kalahari Basin contains the Makgadikgadi Pans - a huge expanse of pristine, sugary white landscape larger than Switzerland. Once a large river-fed lake, the Pans now lie saline and empty. They are littered with stone tools and artifacts dating between 2,000 - 500,000 years old. During the wet season, up to 75,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate into the area with regular sightings of lion, cheetah and other predators following in their wake. Thousands of flamingo appear to feed as long as the water lasts. It is the permanent haven for desert species such as the meerkat and the elusive brown hyena.

Botswana

A Traditional Tented Wildlife Safari

Folkways' Image Library

YouTube

https://youtu.be/laVLuQuQGvw

If you are interested in a Botswana Safari

The.Global.Rambler@gmail.com

Folkways.Travel@gmail.com

#66 - Bhutan: Chorten Kora - Trashiyangtse (2015)

2020-05-09T04:00:00.000-07:00


Chorten Kora - Trashiyangtse, Bhutan (2015)

Long ago, there was a fierce demon that terrorized the Trashi Yangtsi valley. Many locals and travelers were killed and , no matter what magic or prayers the local lamas and people did, they could not appease or destroy the demon. One day, they consulted an astrologer who predicted the birth of a female whose sacrifice would subdue the demon. But at the appointed time and place, the only child that could be found was the daughter of the king of Arunachal Pradesh of India. The locals implored the king for his daughter, but he refused and for years the demon continued to take his toll. When it came time for the daughter to marry, the king held a competition to find the most able suitor, which resulted in a horse race that a Bhutanese man won. He had made a supreme effort to win the race and asked for the princess to appease the demon, but again the king refused. The suitor explained his story to the princess who agreed to sacrifice herself. To prevent further suffering, she begged her father to let her go. Finally, the King relented and she went into a spiritual retreat while the locals of Trashiyangtse built a giant stupa. Artisans came from Nepal with a model of Boudhanath and prepared a special room inside the dome. When the stupa was ready, the princess was bricked into the dome with her possessions, and so the demon was subdued and the people of Trashiyangtse have lived peacefully ever since.

#65 - Tibet Pilgrimage: The Solace of Sacred Terrain (2000)

2020-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Isolated by formidable geographic barriers and guarded by its government, Tibet used to be a truly forbidden place. By avoiding influence from the Western world, this country developed its unique culture and religion independently. Hidden behind the Himalayas and rising nearly five kilometers above sea level, Tibet is a land unlike any other, a magical realm of vast open spaces, clear light and pure color, dominated by an intensely blue sky. Since the 8th century, Tibet has been devoutly Buddhist, merging influences from Indian Buddhism, Tantra, and the indigenous religion called "Bon" into a complex synthesis of beliefs. Tibetan Buddhism has inspired centuries of splendid art and architecture and has served as the cornerstone of Tibet's unique and highly developed culture. Deeply religious, Tibetans are open, spontaneous, admirably good-humored and quick to joke.

The Tibetan Autonomous Region is nestled between India and the Chinese provinces of Xinjiang and Qinghai. In China, 3.9 million Tibetans live as citizens of People's Republic of China, though only 2 million people live in Tibet - at least 150,000 of which are Han Chinese. In India and Nepal, 120,000 Tibetan refugees are currently experiencing a renaissance of Tibetan culture. Tibet is a land of overpowering scenery. Sparsely populated, this high plateau offers unforgettable vistas with a barren, surrealistic quality. The landscape has a sense of high mountain spirit that has earned Tibet the distinctive title "Roof of the World." The traditional cultures of this region have a rich heritage and are struggling to survive in a complex world of global politics and national priorities.
Lhasa, the capital of the sparsely populated autonomous region of Tibet, has a population of roughly 150,000. The city is situated on the river Lhasa, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo which transverses Tibet from west to east before swinging south and flowing into the Gulf of Bengal as the Brahmaputra.

The Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo, who was responsible for unifying the kingdom, ordered a palace to be built on Marpori, the Red Mountain, in the 7th century. He called it the "Palace of Immortality", now known as Potala Palace. The Tibetans were living as they had for centuries, until Tibet was taken over by the Chinese in 1949. The initial welcome of change by the Tibetans was very short lived. The confiscation of monastic lands and the collectivization of traditional ethnic boundaries soon proved that the Chinese concept of governing was very different from the Tibetan concept. The Tibetans are unhappy with the Chinese rule, but the Chinese government chooses to ignore them, believing the transition to socialism has been smooth and successful.

The following presentation will allow you to enjoy some sights and sounds from our Tibet Pilgrimage. It is best viewed if you do not show in full screen, since the camera had a low pixel count.

I believe that I have advanced my presentation sophistication and would appreciate your thoughts and comments - The.Global.Rambler@gmail.com.

Tibet Pilgrimage

The Solace of Sacred Terrain

Folkways' Image Library
Music: Bruno Coulais, Himalaya, L'enfance D'un Chef

You Tube

https://youtu.be/5ApbmGKcs6w

#64 - Botswana: Spotting a Leopard on Safari (2016)

2020-04-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Botswana - Leopard at rest (2016)

Folkways Image Library

#63 - Tibet: In the Footsteps of Alexandra David Neel (1996)

2020-04-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

"Lha gyalo! De thamched pham!" Conquering a treacherous 19,000-foot Himalayan pass in the dead of night, winter 1923, Alexandra David-Neel paused in her final surge toward the forbidden city of Lhasa to echo the ancient Tibetan cry of victory - "the gods have won! The demons are vanquished." But she did so silently. It is the Tibetan custom to shout it loudly from the mountain summits, celebrating the triumph of universal good - but only in daylight. It doesn't do to tempt fate and the darker forces after sundown. David-Neel complied with this custom, and, as she recounts in her compelling narrative, she looked out over the moonlit glaciers and peaks and called to the six directions with the old Sanskrit mantra, "Subham astu sarvajagatam." May all beings find happiness. In Tibetan, it is offered thus: "Ge-o! Ge-o! Ge-o!" My Journey to Lhasa, Alexandra David-Neel, ix

Alexandra David-Neel, a French woman and extremely active explorer was set upon entering Tibet as a beggar-pilgrim and finding her way to Lhasa with her travel companion and adopted son, Aphur Yongden, a Sikkimese monk. She studied Buddhism, learned Tibetan and her travel notes and journals provided material for books on Tibetan Buddhism and culture. In 1914, she was presented by the monks of Sikkim with the consecrated robes of a "lamina," a female lama. She made multiple attempts to enter Tibet and was rebuffed each time by local authorities until reaching Lhasa on her 5th attempt.

Would it be possible to follow in the footsteps of Alexandra David-Neel in her final and successful attempt to reach Lhasa? Could, My Journey to Lhasa, be used as a travel guide? Her 1923 four month journey on foot and horse was beyond reason to replicate, but was an overland highway route by vehicle a possibility?

The problem for this post is that I cannot find any notes or files on our overland journey in Tibet, almost like it didn't exist except in my memory or imagination (after 45 years of traveling and guiding, those two begin to intermix). But, a couple weeks ago I opened a taped cardboard box sitting in an office corner and found stacks of slides, cassettes and photographs. One group of slides was marked "Tibet," another "Sikkim," and another "Nepal." Yes, the 11 boxes of slides marked "Tibet" were taken during our overland journey following In The Footsteps of Alexandra David-Neel from Kum Bum monastery near Lanzhou to Lhasa. (If you are interested in learning more about David-Neel, I have listed several books below.)

The slide presentation is completed. I cannot identify any of the locations for you except the beginning in Lanzhou and the end in Lhasa. If you are able to travel this route, you might send me the location names from your visit. You are able to see some of the landscape and monasteries that Alexandria David-Neel and Aphur Yongden traveled through during their overland journey. I believe that we traveled on China National Highway 109 with the following route: Lanzhou, Xigu, Minhe, Haldong, Xining, Huangyuan, Dulan, Golmud, Amdo, Nagqui, Damxung and Lhasa. The last image is a distant Sky Burial outside Lhasa. Please enjoy these images as you travel across the arid landscape to Lhasa.

Forbidden Journey - The Life of Alexandra David-Neel, Barbara and Michael Foster, 1986

My Journey to Lhasa, Alexandra David-Neel, 1927 & renewed 1955

Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Alexandra David-Neel, 1929, 1932, 1971

In The Footsteps of Alexandra David-Neel

Folkways' Image Library

YouTube
https://youtu.be/NhRTZW6MWwU

#62 - Kathmandu, Nepal: Boudhanath Stupa

2020-04-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Boudhanath Stupa Ceremony - Kathmandu, Nepal (1994)

Folkways Image Library

#61 - Tibet: Some Considerations

2020-04-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

To the north of Bodhgaya, in India, where the Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, there was a land of high mountains rising like pillars to the sky. Below the mountains were beautiful lakes, mandalas of turquoise. The snow and ice were stupas of white crystals. The ocher slopes were of gold. In a kingdom, it was said, where autumn was colored with golden flowers and summer meadows had the scent of incense and the hue of turquoise, there would be found the true spiritual paradise, the home of the protector of the Land of the Snows. Among these mountains, the domain of the Chenrezig (or Avalokitesvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, there stood a rock in the shave of the Tara, the female essence. The prophecy maintained that one day, kings, monks and lamas would reside on this pinnacle, and that it would become a great center for learning and the transmission of the dharma.

In the eighth century, when Padma Sambhava brought Buddhism to Tibet, he came upon such a place, inhabited by demonic mountain goddesses. Padma Sambhava tamed their wild natures, converting them to dharma protectors, with the darkest of all becoming transformed into a transcendent figure whose white body was a shimmering crystal. The mountain itself took her form, becoming the seat of the goddess, queen of the dakinis, or sky dancers. Her body became literally the foundation of the monastery, the first temple of which was constructed over her left breast. A white conch shell was buried beneath her vulva, in a secret place out of which flowed all wisdom and doctrine.

Revered as Guru Rinpoche, Teacher of Teachers, Padma Sambhava, 'Lotus Born," was in time deified by the Tibetan people. His wanderings were as prayers, his very presence a sign of the sacred, imprinted on the landscape for all time. The wonder of his memory and the miracles of his deeds drew an endless stream of pilgrims and mystic saints to T'ing Ri and beyond, to the wild reaches of the mountain streams that drained the glaciers and ice fields of the highest and most rugged know of mountains in the world. He was the hero of heroes, a true Bodhisattva, the wisdom hero, the realized being who had found enlightenment and yet remained in the earthly realm of samsara, of suffering and ignorance, to help all sentient beings achieve their own liberation.

To guide the people in their quest, and to ensure the eternal resonance of the wisdom doctrine, Guru Rinpoche planed along his path spiritual treasures, sacred texts and tantric teachings that might survive times of persecution, remaining magically hidden in the landscape until ready to be unveiled. Some were actual manuscripts sealed away in chortens or cached in caves. Others were instructions passed down in mystic script and concealed within the five elements, earth, water, fire, air and ether. Some were sequestered in meditative space alone. To facilitate the endless flowering of the dharma, Guru Rinpoche through prophecy reached in the future, empowering a tradition of treasure seekers, tertons, spiritual adepts destined to discover over time these dharma treasures, advanced and esoteric techniques that, like flashes of the spirit, allowed the seeker to bypass the mundane liturgies, yogas, and visualizations of orthodox practice and cut through to the very essence of Buddhahood.

Howard-Bury had just covered his mouth with a kerchief when he saw the most arresting of sights: a solitary man, well in the distance, who seemed to be stumbling repeatedly, only to regain his feet with the predictability of a metronome. He would then stand erect for a moment, only to stumble once more. As they came closer Howard-Bury recognized the man as a Mongolian. He wore layers of sodden wool and both his hands and his knees were wrapped in filthy rags. His hair was matted,his face black with grease, and his forehead shone where the grease seemed to have been rubbed away.

The man mas a pilgrim eleven months out of Lhasa, moving 650 miles toward Kathmandu, one body length at a time in ritual prostration. From a sanding position, he would look ahead, lift his hands touched in prayer over his shoulders as high as he could reach, and then, bringing them back to his forehead, throat, and chest he would bend forward to the ground. Touching the earth on all fours, with hands flat and squarely on his knees, he placed his forehead on the ground making five points of contact. Thus he would purify from his being the five poisons of hatred, desire, ignorance, pride and jealousy: that they might be replaced with the five corresponding aspects of wisdom. Standing once more,he drew his hands again in prayer to his chest, a symbolic gesture indicating his willingness as a aspiring bodhisattva to take on the suffering of all sentient beings. With each silent prostration he moved that much closer to his goal, which was not a place but a state of mind, not a destination but a path of salvation and liberation that is the ultimate quest of the pilgrim.

Wade Davis, Into the Silence

Folkways Image Library

Though we do not wholly believe it yet,

the interior life is a real life,
and the intangible dreams of people

have a tangible effect on the world.

James Baldwin

FOLKWAYS LIBRARY

Tibet Section

John F. Avedon, In Exile from the Land of the Snows, New York, 1984

Barbara M. and Michael Foster, Forbidden Journey - The Life of Alexandra David-Neel, Harper & Row, 1987

Alexandra David-Neel, My Journey to Lhasa, (Forward by His Holiness the Dali Lama),
Beacon Press, 1983

Alexandra David-Neel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Dover, 1971

Hugh M. Richardson, Tibet and Its History, Shambhala, 1984

Michael Buckley and Robert Strauss, Tibet: A Travel Survival Kit, Lonely Planet, 1986
(A Good Pocket-Size "Travel Companion")

National Geographic, March, 1984, Vol. 165, No. 3, "Peoples of China's Far Provinces", Page 283.

Lama Anagarika Govinda, The Way of the White Clouds: A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet, Shambala , 1971.

Luree Miller, On Top of the World: Five Women Explorers in Tibet, Mountaineers, 1984.

Heinrich Harrer, Seven Years in Tibet, J. P. Tarcher, Inc., 1982

R. A. Stein, Tibetan Civilization, Stanford University, 1972

Filippo de Filippi, An Account of Tibet**

William Montgomery McGovern, To Lhasa in Disguise, Century Co., 1924**

Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game

Peter Fleming, News from Tartary

Peter Hopkirk, Quest for Kim

Kathleen Hopkirk, Central Asia, A Traveler's Companion

Ian Baker, The Heart of the World, A Journey to the Last Secret Place

Manjursri, The Mission of George Bogle to Tibet and The Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa

Mildred Cable, F. Houghton, etc., The Challenge of Central Asia, World Dominion Press**

W.Y. Evans-Wentz, Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa

Jamang Norbu, The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes

William McGovern, To Lhasa in Disguise, A Secret Expedition Through Mysterious Tibet, The Century Co. **

Giotto Dainelli, Buddhists and Glaciers of Western Tibet, KP London**

John Snelling, The Sacred Mountain, East West Publications

Edmund Chandler, The Unveiling of Lhasa, Edward Arnold Co.**

Graham Coleman, Handbook of Tibetan Culture, Shambhala

David Snellgrove & Hugh Richardson, A Cultural History of Tibet, Shambhala

Robert Byron, First Russia Then Tibet, Macmillan & Co., 1933

Melvyn Goldstein, William Siebenschuh, Tashi Tsering, The Struggle for Modern Tibet - The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering, M.E. Sharpe

Note: Other title suggestions if you are interested.

** Hard To Find

#60 - Lhasa, Tibet: Potala Palace

2020-03-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lhasa, Tibet - Potala Palace (1996)

Folkways Image Library

#59 - Maui & Hawaii: A Retrospect (February 2019 & 2020)

2020-03-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I thought those Discover Hawaii programs from 1975 to about 1978 had been discussed on a previous post. I don't see it, so it seems appropriate to remember them now.

This February, we spent 10 days on the big Island, Hawaii, at a rented house just south of a town named Captain Cook. This was my first return to the island since about 1978. But first, a word about what Discover Hawaii was about.

In Post #11, this program was briefly mentioned. It began in 1975 when I was working at the Western Forestry Center located near Washington Park in Portland Oregon. I was developing forestry related educational programs when approached by a woman, who happened to be a travel agent, with a suggestion to offer a program in Hawaii. It seemed like a good idea and the Western Forestry Center had the connections in the islands with national, state and county forestry offices as well as some private gardens.

The research and planning took about 6 months or more in order to contact the various agencies in Hawaii who would be receptive to visits by a small groups of travelers as well as have the personnel resources to talk with us. Further, this was going to be a camping trip, so I needed to find suitably located state and county campgrounds where we could pitch our tents or, when possible, stay in cabins. The planning came together and an initial group of 8 persons learned of the trip through the Western Forestry Center's Newsletter. If I can recall correctly, the approximately 18 day trip cost about $850.00 per person and included 4-6 nights on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii with all their meals. I purchased six Wilderness Experience 3-person tents which had plenty of space for 2 persons and cooked all our meals over an Optimus 8R camp stove. I drove a Hertz 12 passenger van with gear and luggage in back and shopped on each island for our food, which was kept in a box just inside the passenger's sliding door. Space was tight, but not crowded.

Many of our campsites were located next to the beach. Most of the time, we were the only people camping or staying in the cabins. We attracted some attention from the locals, since everyone, except myself, was 60+. One late night at Anahola Beach, we were awoke by loud talking not far from our tents. I climbed out of my tent in the dark to find out what was happening. Several men had dug a pit and were prepared to spend the night, drinking beer and roasting a pig for a morning wedding and luau. Would I join them? Of course. Come morning, we were all invited to spend some time with wedding families and the luau. These opportunities happened multiple times during the Discover Hawaii years.

I could recall only few of the camping and cultural/historic/natural history stop names, until our 2019 and 2020 Island visits. This last February, while driving through Captain Cook to our house rental, we passed a sign for Hapuna Beach (memorialized at the bottom of Post 11). I had not remembered on which island the beach was located, but noted the location with plans to return to the beach before we flew home.

My young daughter came with me on a couple of the Discover Hawaii trips. Since I was responsible for driving, pitching tents, cooking meals, leading hikes and introducing guests and speakers, I couldn't attend to her during those "tours." One of our visits on Kauai was Alexander's Nursery in Kapaa. It happened that the families young manager's had a daughter the same age as mine. You can imagine my daughter's wonderful experiences staying in a tropical nursery for up to 3 weeks, picking morning breakfast fruit from the trees, enjoying the fragrant smells and spending time down on the beaches. When our travelers flew home from Honolulu, I would fly to Kauai on the small mail plane to pick her up and she would sit behind the pilot and "shotgun" seats, on the day's mail, fly to Honolulu and to board our flight home.

So, in retrospect, what changes did I observe on Maui and Kauai? Traffic, traffic, traffic. Crowds, crowds, crowds. We drove roads that didn't exist in the 70's. Homeless people in the campgrounds and parking lots. Big hotels and condo's with golf courses along the beach front. Costco, Burger King, Subway, Pizza places, etc. located in big or small strip malls stretching along the roadsides. On some beaches, a person must arrive by 830-0900 am to find a blanket space. In the 70's, the beaches were nearly empty except for a few locals who may be surfing. The sun was still shining and the ocean was still blue. Whales, dolphins and turtles could still be seen after long waits in traffic along the road, searching the beach parking lot for an empty space and looking for a good observation place.

The eyes of the beholder. If you hadn't visited the Hawaiian islands in the 70's or earlier; if you hadn't trekked Annapurna or the Khumbu in the 70's or earlier; if you hadn't walked the Venice canals in the 70's or earlier, if you hadn't hike up to Taktsang in the 70's or earlier, you wouldn't know the differences. You would be seeing with fresh eyes, your experience untainted by a purer time.

#58 - New Blog Posting Schedule

2020-03-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

It has become a little too stressful meeting a weekly deadline for my Blog posts. As we head into spring, summer and fall, I don't have the 8 - 10 hours each week for research, transfer slides to digital format, turn slides into a YouTube presentation and write the Blog. The Blog writing needs to share time with garden work, hiking, camping, lawn mowing, sipping wine, etc..

The Global Rambler will be posted every two weeks beginning with this post.

You can look forward to the following Blog Posts:

21 March - Maui and Hawaii: A Retrospect (February 2019 and 2020)

04 April - Tibet: Some Considerations

18 April - Tibet: In the Footsteps of Alexandria David-Neel

02 May - Tibet: The Solace of Sacred Terrain

16 May - Nepal: A Toe in Tibet and A Tiger on the Trail

30 May - Myanmar: Hiking Backcountry Burma

13 June - Sikkim: Walking Beside the Dalai Lama

I appreciate your taking the time to read my Global Rambler Blogs.

#57 - China: Some Brief Recollections (1983 - 2003)

2020-02-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

We returned to China in the following years exploring various aspects of the Chinese culture. I would like to share two special interest tours that we organized for the Northwest China Council: A Culinary Tour of China and Waterways of China. At the end, I have listed other journeys to China that we designed.

Our Culinary program began in Hong Kong where we visited Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Kowloon and Hong Kong Harbor, where we wandered among the quaint floating fishing communities who live aboard the many sampans and junks.

We traveled to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province and Oregon's China's sister state which was founded in the 6th century as an important trading center. A scheduled morning tour of a nearby fishing village is followed by hiking in Drum Mountain, where Buddhist temples and pagodas stand among a forest of red-calligraphic stones and trees. The mountain takes its name from a large drum-shaped rock which lies at the summit. We visited a culinary institute and learned about food preparation. Other places included a stone carving and lacquer-ware factory, Fuzhou provincial museum, the zoo (with its performing pandas), and dinner at the Taste Market Restaurant, to sample typical Fujian fare.

On to Shanghai, China's largest and most modern city. The Shanghai Museum, said to be the best in China, has whole floors devoted to ceramics, painting and bronzes. We took a harbor boat tour and visited Old Shanghai to wander in the shops and try dumplings in a small restaurant. At the culinary institute, we learned about the unique lower Yangtze culinary style, which is a slight infusion of Western techniques and ingredients. Next a walk along the Bund and dinner in the Peace Hotel, overlooking the Huangpu River. The Bund is a great meeting place for local Chinese and foreigners alike - people stroll up and down in search of vicarious excitement, often provided by street performers or peddlers.

Suzhou, which had recently accepted Portland as its sister city, celebrated its 2,500th anniversary in 1986. Suzhou is often admired for its narrow streets, canals and elegant classical Chinese gardens. We visited Tiger Hill, Lingering Garden, Western Garden Temple, the Forest of Lions Garden and dined at the Nan Lin Hotel, where soups in small, covered pots alternate with delectable dishes.

On a day trip to nearby Lake Tai, we toured Dong Shan township, noted for its gardens and surrounded by the lake on all three sides, Tea, tangerines and rice are grown here, fish are bred in huge ponds and the local specialties are served in the village restaurants. We visited the drama museum, where we viewed an outdoor performance of local opera and storytelling, while shipping tea and eating numts. Back in Suzhou, we went to the silk spinning factory, the Silk Embroidery Institute and Guanquian Jie, center of Suzhou and home to the Taoist Temple of Mystery founded in the third century.

Yantai is on the northern Sandong peninsula and is a former treaty port. Yantai had a new culinary institute, where we learned the secrets behind what may be China's most exquisite and technically sophisticated cuisine. We rose early one morning to our a suburban fruit and vegetable farm and follow the fresh vegetables from picking to market to restaurant and then enjoyed a typical Chinese breakfast.

After a flight to Beijing, China's oldest, continuously inhabited city, we walked on the great Tiananmen Square, tour the History Museum and Forbidden City and ate at the Beihai Imperial Cuisine Restaurant, which specializes in dishes favored by the Empress Dowager CiXi. The Great Wall and Ming Tomb were on schedule for those on their first trip to China, while others chose to visit the shopping areas of Wangfujing and Rongbaozhai. We dined at Fengzeyuan,well‑known for its Shandong food. Starting with a visit to a duck and animal farm, we observe the process of cooking Beijing duck at the Beijing Culinary Institute and conclude our stay in Beijing with dinner in a restaurant that specializes in this dish.

Waterways of China began after a flight from Hong Kong to Hangzhou, one of the oldest imperial cities of China and, along with Suzhou, is a city renown for its beauty and the Chinese saying, "Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou and Hangzhou. We discovered the beauty of West Lake, the inspiration for the Song Dynasty's greatest artists, on a cruise. West Lake has two causeways with numerable arched bridges and several islands, the largest of which is Solitary Hill (Gu Shan).

We drove out to Lingyin (Temple of Inspired Seclusion) originally built in 326 AD but restored often. It is a very popular destination for the Chinese from Shanghai, with statues such as the fat Maitreya Buddha and the towering Siddhartha which is sculpted out of camphor wood. Other sites included the provincial museum, the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei and Baoshu Ta (Protect Shu Tower).

After a flight to Wuhan, we boarded the MS Biedou for a five day cruise on the Yangtze River with multiple shore excursions along the way and ended in Chongquing. Venturing on, we arrived in Dali in northwest Yunnan Province, officially opened to foreign visitors in March 1984. With the snow‑capped Cangshan mountains on one side and deep, blue waters on the other, the drive from Xiaguan at the south end of Erhai lake to Shapin at the north is a picture postcard panorama. Off the main road runs a network of cobblestone and dirt paths, beckoning visitors to explore the picturesque villages of the Bai minority that inhabits the region. Adding an enchanting touch to an already enchanting scene are the Bai women in red velvet vests, blue aprons, and flowery headdresses. Nowhere in China does the natural landscape and the human landscape blend more harmoniously.

Less visited than Dali is the town of Lijiang, set in the foreground of Yuangxue Shan (Jade Dragon) rising to 18,500). In this area, one will find the Naxi minority which is a matriarchal society. A couple of the sites on the schedule included Black Dragon Pool and Yufeng Temple. We were able to enjoy an evening of Naxi traditional music.

We departed in the late afternoon for Guilin which is famous throughout China for its fantastic landscape. The karst scenery was created by the erosion of limestone, forming steep peaks, underground channels and mysterious caverns. We boarded the Li River Cruise which floats through a landscape of cliffs, villages, and bamboo groves to the small market town of Yangshou. Along the way we could pick out Elephant Trunk Hill, Old Man Peak, Brocade Hill and Moon Hill. We return from Yangshou to Guilin through the blue‑gray of these rock formations and numerous lakes and rivers and flew home via Hong Kong.

Custom Designed China Travels

China by Train
Early Childhood Education in China
China Gerontology
Chinese Architecture
Chinese Arts & Crafts
Chinese Gardens
Chinese Law
Jade Dragon Mountain Trek
Marco Polo's China to Pakistan
Minority Groups in China
Photography in China
China: Tailor-Made Guided Journeys for Independent Travelers

#56 - China: Along the Ancient Silk Road (1982)

2020-02-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

The Silk Road, a network of trade routes, began in Chang'an (Xian) and ended at the Mediterranean beginning in the second century BC and continued through the fourteenth century AD, which linked China with the Roman Empire in the Middle East and Europe. When traveling the Silk Road, one encounters trading posts, markets and thoroughfares which assisted in the exchange between regional nationalities as well as distribution and storage of goods and services. Because silk was the major trade product coming out of China along this route, the German geographer and historian Ferdinand von Richthofen gave this route the name Silk Road in 1877. The Great Wall was built in the western part of China to help secure the safety of the trade along the route. The Silk Road remained in use until 1453 AD when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with China and it closed.

In 1980, after our Annapurna I trek and while doing research and planning for Finding Friends in China, I began exploring the possibility of traveling along the Silk Road, beginning in Beijing and ending in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. I would have continued on to Kashi (Kashgar), but is was not open to visitors at this time. (Note: if my remembrance is correct, we organized a second Silk Road trip within a couple years, After You Marco Polo, which traveled from Beijing to Urumqi, then flew to Kashi and traveled overland over the Khunjerab Pass down through Hunza to Islamabad. I did not guide this trip and cannot find any files or notations about it, but remember our group and a small group from Lindblad Expeditions waited several hours at the border for it to open)

During a previous Beijing visit, I had discovered a very quint accommodation tucked in behind the Forbidden City. It was like a small, narrow-lane village, both the one-room houses on each side and the passage between built in dark cobblestone.

During all of our China travel, we encountered few Westerners during the first couple days, while walking around Tien An Men Square, the Forbidden City and the Gate of Heavenly Peace. We traveled in an old bus to visit a Peking Duck farm and explore the Ming Tombs, Summer Palace and the Great Wall.

Xian, Chang'an, was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It was the major terminus for caravans traversing the Silk Road. We spent the day wandering the Tomb of Qin Shihuang, the unifier of China, and the monument to his rule, the vast necropolis with its army of terracotta soldiers and horses in battle formation.

We traveled by train to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, to visit the Lanzhou Provincial Museum, known for the famous "Flying Horse of Gansu." Our overnight train to Dunhuang afforded the opportunity to view the Mogao Caves, the great repository of Chinese Buddhist cave art spanning the period from the Northern Wei to the Yuan dynasties (7th to 14th centuries). A monastery was founded at Mogao during Dunhuang's heyday as a stop on the Silk Road and between the 5th and 14th centuries numerous shrines were chiseled into the surrounding cliffs. The caves are filled with terracotta sculpture and wall murals depicting parables and episodes from the life of the Buddha. Whereas we had the freedom to roam the area and enter the caves, I understand that it is no longer possible.

Boarding the train once more, we arrived in Turfan (Turpan) located in one of the lowest and hottest places on earth, yet, because of the runoff from the snows of Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountain), it produces abundant drops of delicious fruits. The first of several very special invitations happened here when we were invited to a wedding celebration. This is unusual for several reasons, among them 1) the strict official travel separation of foreign visitors from the local community and 2) we were in northwestern Islam China, a region filled with strife with the Han government.

Tired and weary from a late night celebration of music, dancing, food and drink, we boarded our morning bus to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The highest peak in the eastern Tien Shan, Mt. Bogda (17,000') is visible from this Uyghur city surrounded by agricultural plains. We visited a local market and a small museum containing items of early Buddhist art. The next day we departed to Tianchi Lake (Celestial Lake), located on the north side of Bogda Shan (Mountain of God) in a valley at 6,375 feet and 68 miles from the capital. In my Silk Road research, I read about a monastery situated near the lake and wanted to visit. Upon our arrival, we didn't find a monastery, only some old stone foundations where it had once stood. We were invited by the local Kazakh herding community camping at the lake to enter their yurts and enjoy tea with them.

Upon our return to Urumqi, we were surprised to receive an invitation to a local music performance followed by dinner in a Uyghur home. This was not just any local home, but the leader of the Uyghur Autonomous Political Party who was seeking independence from or political representation in the Chinese government. (Note 1: When attempting to contact the family after our return home, all my communications received no response. Note 2: It is estimated that over 100,000 Uyghurs are now currently held in political "re-education camps.)

You can imagine that traveling the Silk Road in 1982, devoid of any foreign tourists and organized local infrastructure, was a fantastic and fascinating experience.

China
Along the Ancient Silk Road
Folkways' Image Library

A YouTube Slide Show

https://youtu.be/oxTi4hLYuNc

#55 - Research, Planning and Logistics before Google and the Web

2020-02-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

This post was, originally, going to feature China and Tibet. Then, I realized, it might be interesting for whomever may be reading The Global Rambler's ramblings to learn how those early travels were planned and organized before Google and the Web.

For instance, the next Post, #56, will feature China: Traveling the Silk Route (1982). Research began in 1980, soon after the Men's Annapurna I Expedition - Around Annapurna Fund Raising Trek was completed. (As a side note, we saw no other trekker during the 1979 Around Annapurna Trek until, toward the end, we reached the trail turnoff into the Annapurna Sanctuary).

What do you do, today, when you want to visit a particular country or location. You ask Google to tell you what he/she knows about the place. You can, even, ask Alexa, Siri or one of the other "smart" devices sitting on your desk. You might visit Google Earth to have a look at the area. Next, you might do a search for travel descriptions from Mountain Travel/Sobek, Geographic Expeditions, Wilderness Travel, Wildlands Travel, Lindblad Travel, Overseas Adventure Travel, etc. to read what they have organized in that particular country or location of interest. Further, you can find someone's book that describes their recent travels in that region either at the library or download it to your reader.

But, what did one do before Google - Search, Map and Earth. Before the Web. Before MTS, GeoEx, WT, Lindblad and OAT had been there to develop a travel experience. Yes, there was such a time and it was not that long ago.

Maps

"Before Europeans reached the Pacific the Marshall Islanders were making stick charts. Sticks were lashed together with fibers to depict prevailing winds and wave patterns; shells or coral were inserted at the appropriate places to represent islands."

"The earliest direct evidence of map making comes from the Middle East, where archeologists have discovered several maps inscribed on clay tablets.... One of the earliest of these clay maps was found at Nuzi, in northern Iraq, and dated 2300 B.C., the age of Sargon of Akkad,"

The Mapmakers, John Noble Wilford (The Map Idea)

And Books - Explorer's Books, History Books, Early Traveler's Books

"On a June morning in 1842, in the Central Asian town of Bukhara, two ragged figures could be seen kneeling in the dust in the great square before the Emir's palace. Their arms were tied tightly behind their backs, and they were in pitiful condition. Filthy and half-starved, their bodies were covered with sores, their hair, beards and clothes alive with lice. Not far away were two freshly dug graves. ... Stoddart and Conolly were merely two of the many officers and explorers, both British and Russian, who over the best part of a century took part in the Great Game, and whose adventures and misadventures while so engaged form the narrative of this book. The vast chessboard on which this shadowy struggle for political ascendancy took place stretched from the snow-caped Caucasus in the west, across the great deserts and mountain ranges of Central Asia, to Chinese Turkestan and Tibet in the east."

The Great Game, Peter Hopkirk

"The famous monk Xuanzang (602-664) traveled the Silk Road during this period. He began his trip from Chang'an (today's Xian), passed through the Hexi Corridor (the area west of the Yellow River), Hami (Xinjian Region), and Turpan and continued westward to India."

China Highlights, The History of the Silk Road in China

"Like many Europeans who would eventually follow their wake, they tried, even as they charted the outlines of the major geographical features, to make sense of a place considered holy by millions of people, Buddhist and Hindu alike, a sacred landscape anchored by Kailash, a mountain so revered that to tread on its slopes would condemn the trespasser not only for this like but for a thousand to come. For Hindus, Mount Kailash is the divine seat of the god Shiva and his wife, the goddess Parvati. It is the point where the sacred form of the Ganges, the holiest of all rivers, spills from the heavens and runs invisibly through the silk of Shiva's hair before slipping into the earth to emerge from the mouth of a glacier, found some 140 miles to the west. For Buddhists, Kailash is the site in legend of the Buddha Chakrasamvara, who sweeps up Shiva and his circle into the embrace of a gentle mandala of bliss. It is famed in history as the place of the great victory of the Tibetan yogi Milarepa, a mystic wanderer of the twelfth century who, through the magical powers that accrue to supreme Spiritual purity, flew effortlessly to the summit of the sacred mountain, thus vanquishing his great rival, Naro Bhun Chon, a priest and shaman of the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, and securing forever the Buddhist path in Tibet. It was Milarepa who established homes in the mountains encircling Kailash for the five hundred Buddhist saints who had achieved enlightenment, and whose prayers are still heard by the pilgrims who gain spiritual merit by circumambulating the mountain, through prostrations, one body length at a time.

Into the Silence, The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest, Wade Davis

#54 - Vietnam: Past and Present (1987)

2020-02-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

The war had ended in April 1975 when Marine and Air Force helicopters transported more than 1,000 American civilians and 7,000 South Vietnamese our of Saigon in an 18 hour evacuation. More than 58,000 Americans, 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong, 250,000 South Vietnamese and 2 million civilians lost their lives during the fighting.

Few visitors came to Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City. The Majestic Hotel. Second floor. I slept with my dollar- stuffed money belt under the pillow, wrapped around my hand. Same routine for 15 nights. Payment was in Hanoi. Cash only - US Dollars. We had no diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Our small group of Portland travelers included several Vietnam vets, a couple teachers, a Lewis & Clark College Asia Studies Professor, a television reporter, cameraman and news manager. It was 1987. We were one of the first Western groups to travel the country after the war (the first commercial flights began in 2004). Travel was highly restricted, but we had a reporter and they needed tourist dollars.

Bordering on China in the north, Laos and Cambodia in the west and open to the sea in the east and south, Vietnam is a bridge linking the continental part of Southeast Asia to the archipelagos scattered through the Eastern Sea. Vietnam lies along international sea routes between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and between Indochina and Oceania countries. Its land extends over 2,000 km. from Lung Cu in Ha Tuyen Province to Rach Tau in Minh Hai Province and encompasses thousands of islands off the coast. More than 60 million people from 54 ethnic groups live within the country. The Viet (Kinh) account for 84% of the population.

Vietnam is composed of five geographic regions: The Northern Highlands, a mountainous region in northwest Vietnam covered by forests or jungles which is lightly populated; the Red River Delta, formed by the Red River which flows from Southern China through Northern Vietnam into the Gulf of Tonkin which is a densely populated area and Northern Vietnam's main agricultural area; the Annamite Range, a range of mountains running through Western Vietnam through the northern highlands and which is covered by forests and sparsely populated by the Montagnards; the Coastal Lowlands, an area between the mountains and South China Sea which extends between the Red River and Mekong Deltas and which is densely populated by fishermen and rice farmers; and the Mekong Delta which is formed by the Mekong River and all of the area south of the Annamite Range and the Coastal Lowlands in which over one-half of the population of South Vietnam lives and which is a major agricultural area.

Indochina is a mixture of cultures and religions due to the migrations of its peoples from Southern China, Central Asia and Indonesia. This area has been invaded from all directions, from Thailand on the west, from China on the north and from the sea on the east throughout history. Because of the diversity of cultures, it has been difficult to develop a homogeneous and unified people.

Recollections:

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network consisting of over 200 miles of tunnels connected with one another in an intricate web constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters (Viet Cong) during both the French and American wars. They were dug with rudimentary tools, complete with living and sleeping areas, kitchens, hospitals, ordinance workshops and a printing press. The openings were camouflaged against detection.

Travel by motor launch through the vast expanse of the Mekong Delta Region, an area built up over the centuries by massive quantities of silt from the Mekong River. My Tho, a city in the Mekong Delta, is approached through traditional agriculture and fishing communities.

Da Lat, City of a Thousand Pines or City of the Eternal Spring, is the market garden of Vietnam and provides much of the countries fruit, vegetables, coffee and wine. Founded in 1896 by the French scientist, Dr. Yersin, it has grown into a hill resort town.

Known to early Western merchants, Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the 16^th century (1999 became a World Heritage Site by UNESCO). Hoi An has a mixed Chinese-Vietnamese atmosphere with low, tiled-roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses are constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs.

Near Danang lies the Marble Mountains, a scenic spot with caves, temples, shrines, pagodas and a great view of the surrounding area. The caves can be reached by climbing steep steps or taking the elevator to the top (subject to surcharge). Marble Mountains consist of five hills made of marble. Each of the former islands is named after one of the five elements of the universe: water, wood, fire, metal and earth. Thuy Son (water), the most popular pilgrimage site, is an unusual and beautiful Buddhist grotto. Its central feature is a series of natural grottoes with temples carved into the rock, which are illuminated from above. Huyen Khong Cave, a spectacular chamber studded with Buddhist and Confucian shrines, was used by the Viet Cong as a field hospital, while American soldiers lounged on nearby China Beach, a former U.S. in-country recreational facility. Danang international airport reached an average of 2,595 flights a day during the war, more than any other airport or airbase in the world at that time.

The Hue Imperial Citadel is situated on the Northern bank of the Perfume River and built by Emperor Gia Long it was designed for the exclusive use of the Emperor and his household. The Citadel is a square 2 km wall encompassing 3 walled enclosures; the Citadel, Kinh Thanh Hue, the Yellow Imperial city, Hoang Thanh and in the centre the Forbidden Purple city Tu Cam Thanh where the Emperor lived. The Hue royal complex has been officially recognized by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Imperial Citadel was heavily damaged between 1968 and 1975 during the Vietnam war due to troop occupations of Viet Cong, South Vietnamese and allied forces.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a logistics and military supply route from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam where tons of supplies, weapons, manpower and ammunition were moved on trails, footpaths and roadways through dense jungle and rugged mountain ranges. According to the US National Security Agency's official history of the war, the trail system was "one of the greatest achievements of military engineering of the 20th century." It was, also, one of the single most intensely bombed areas of the war, with bombs dropped on average every seven minutes.

French mercenaries invaded Hanoi in 1883, and it became the seat of the colonial government of French Indochina from 1887 to 1954. When they departed, they left grandiose ministries, an opera house and villas with yellow facades and green shutters. In fact, much of the city looks like a French provincial town of the 1930's, with shady, tree-lined boulevards. In the old commercial section are the 36 streets where the handicrafts or trades were centered from the 15th century. Each trade worked on its own separate street, which was, and still is, named for the business that was conducted there: Tin Street, Jeweler's Street, Broiled Fish Street, Basket Street, etc. The area now houses a variety of small shops. We were hosted by the Sweden Ambassador at the Embassy during our stay in Hanoi. Further, I was able to meet with the organization with whom I organized our special tour and hand them a pile of cash. No more sleeping with my money belt.

The picturesque Halong Bay has more than 3,000 limestone islets rising from the clear emerald water, many of them containing beautiful grottoes - Thien Cung and Dau Go grottoes situated on the south-west side of the bay, 4 km from the wharf outside of Ha Long City. The way to Thien Cung grotto is covered on both sides by thick forest. After entering a narrow gate, the grotto’s 130-meter-long girth opens up. On the east wall of the grotto, there is a grandiose and imposing picture with characters of tales. This grotto is one of the most beautiful ones in Halong Bay. Legend has it, that a beautiful young lady named May (cloud), caught the eye of the Dragon Prince and he fell in love with her. They were betrothed and their wedding lasted seven days and seven nights in the very center of the grotto.

VIETNAM: Past and Present

Folkways' Image Library

A YouTube Slide Show

#53 - Some Reflections on Folkways International Trekking (1976 - 1986)

2020-02-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

"Chaque pays a sa loi, chaque mason sa coutume"

(Each country has its system of laws, each house its customs)

Basque Proverb

For those of you who pause at this page, I would like to suggest the notion that travel is art and the artist's task is to discover the "genius loci," or spirit of place, which is present in every event or journey, then, while respecting its fundamental structure, portray that spirit for others to aid their own journey.

The concept of "spirit of place" was proposed by the English writer Lawrence Durrell in his essay by that name. It is meant to denote those distinctive characteristics of a given region or city. It implies that each place possesses a set of inherent and fundamental attributes that determine a uniqueness of landscape and people.

The artist as traveler explores each place, seeing those characteristics which reveal unique differences at each turn. The picture takes shape at each bustling, cosmopolitan city and quiet, pastoral hamlet; each farmer, hot and sweaty from toiling endlessly under the summer sun; each ivy draped, Gothic cathedral; and each winding country lane shadowed by aged oaks enhances the portrait which depict the experience of the journey.

I would suggest that you, as artist, must become properly equipped with the skills and tools to evoke the mysteries of the spirits for your portrait. Whether you are a mature or inexperienced artist, being properly equipped make the difference between seeing only the shadows or perceiving the richness of color inherent in the structures of the "genius loci." It is our desire at Folkways to provide the conceptual framework and canvas, to equip you for portraying the unique experiences which will characterize your journey.

Introduction to Folkways International Trekking Catalogue - Treks & Outings 1985-1986


Woodcut by Joyce Morgan