Stone Wall

As I was walking through the Shaolin Monastery (aka Shaolin Temple), I came across a stone wall that had a narrow rock shoved into a crevice. Everything I saw at the Shaolin Monastery seemed to have some sort of significance. Therefore, I thought there might be a story behind this as well... and I started taking some photos of it. As I was doing this, a tour guide walked past (that spoke English) and I asked for an explanation of this specific wall. She just giggled at me and said something in Chinese that sounded like "silly white person"... so I don't think there is anything special about this wall. Nonetheless, the picture came out pretty well and I can pretend that kung fu masters use this wall to practice throwing rocks and swords. 

Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple

The Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple refers to the 228 stone or brick pagodas built from 791 AD during the Tang Dynasty through the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. The levels, or storeys, on the pagodas must be odd numbers (from 1 to 7) and are based on the achievements of the Buddhist masters they were built for. The higher the pagoda, the more "badass" the monk. The era the pagodas were built, affects the shape (round or square) and the number of sides (4 or 6). The pagoda forest in Shaolin stands at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain and is one of the largest pagoda forests in China. It was named a national scenic spot in 1996 (and is now a UNESCO world heritage site).

Most of the Pagoda Forest is stone and brick structures, ranging from one to seven storeys, less than fifteen meters high -- much smaller than pagodas for Buddhist relics -- and all carry the exact year of their construction and many carvings and inscriptions. They are in a variety of styles, but are mainly multi-eaved and of pavilion-style. Their shapes are varied, including polygonal, cylindrical, vase, conical and monolithic, making the pagoda forest an exhibition of ancient pagodas, carvings and calligraphy of various dynasties. Besides the pagoda forest there are many invaluable tomb pagodas scattered around the Shaolin Temple, including the Faro Pagoda built in 689 in the Tang Dynasty, the Tongguang Pagoda constructed in 926 in the Five Dynasties, the Yugong Pagoda erected in 1324 in the Yuan Dynasty, and the Zhaogong Pagoda built in the Ming Dynasty.

Reference: Wikipedia

Kung Fu Masters in Training at Shaolin Monastery

This was a pretty impressive site to see as I was departing the Shaolin Monastery... 1000s of students were quietly sitting at attention and listening as their masters gave instruction. I was surprised that not a single student looked distracted by the tourists (such as me) walking by. It was like we did not exist. 

Finger Punching Tree at Shaolin Monastery

The little "divots" you see in this tree are caused by monks that are practicing "finger punching". I didn't quite believe it at first (sounded like something out of a Kill Bill movie)... however, when you get up close, the divots are definitely the size of a finger. I'm not quite sure what else could have caused it (wikipedia also confirmed this information). In this photo, one of my work colleagues decided that he needed some practice. 

So You Want to Learn Kung Fu... Statues at the Shaolin Monastery

During a work trip to Northern China, I was lucky enough to take a detour to the Shaolin Monastery (aka Shaolin Temple) in Henan province. The Shaolin Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for Shaolin Kung Fu! It was a pretty awesome place to visit (apparently, it's every Chinese kid's fantasy to learn kung fu here). These are a couple photos I took of the various statues on the property.

Neon Nights in Lan Kwai Fong

Hong Kong is a very interesting city... densely populated, modern, efficient transportation system, delicious food (except Mexican), fun bars, great shopping, and some of the most incredible urban views you will ever see. People that live here seem to move a mile a second... however, if you take the time to get to know the locals, you will find that they are extremely friendly and genuine.

On this particular night, I had finished eating dinner at Lily & Bloom... and decided to walk around the streets of Lan Kwai Fong. These are a few photographs I took as I tried to document the urban scene.

A Walk Through Golden Gate Park

After eating brunch at the Cliff House in Ocean Beach (highly recommended), I had a few hours to kill before heading back down to Santa Barbara. Since the weather was beautiful, I decided to take a little walk through Golden Gate State Park. I had never been on this trail before. In the past, whenever I had gone to Ocean Beach, all I did was surf. The weather was usually quite foggy and there wasn't much of a view. However, on this particular day, the sun was shining and it was just about as beautiful as it could get... could see for miles. These are a few photos I took along the way.

A Walk Through the Muir Woods

On past trips to San Francisco and Northern California, I had never really thought about going to see the redwoods in Muir Woods... after all, how impressive could a bunch of trees be? Nonetheless, I had several friends (and my mom) recommend the place to me... and as I was on my way to surf a spot in Marin County, I happened to drive past a sign pointing to Muir Woods. I made a mental note of the location and on my way back from surfing, decided to check it out. I was really impressed (wish I had brought my good camera with me... all of these are Galaxy SII images). The trees are so massive that they almost look "cartoon-like" in stature. In many cases, the leaves or branches don't even start until about 100 feet up and many of the trees have been here for over 1000 years. Apparently, the redwoods in this forest are considered to be "coastal redwoods" (which are smaller in size)... the really big redwoods are further north by the Oregon border.

If you have a bit of time while in San Francisco, I recommend taking the short drive over the bridge to see the Muir Woods. There are also a bunch of shuttle buses that will take you from the city.

4 Days in the Portlandia

Documenting my recent trip to the lovely city of Portland.  

Central Coast Beauty II

This image is one of the reasons why I don't mind making the drive up north to San Francisco... the coast line north of Point Conception is spectacular. This is a little cove just north of Pismo Beach. 

Mission San Miguel Arcangel

Remnants of one of the many missions in California... Mission San Miguel Arcangel. I came across this place on my way up to San Francisco (was looking for a place to eat) and really liked the lighting at this particular time of day. I decided to quickly stop and take a picture before continuing my search for food. As I was cruising through the town, I randomly found what looked like an incredible restaurant: Tenth Street Basque Cafe (only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)... however, I didn't have enough time to sit down for a full meal. I will definitely need to make it back up there one day. 

Central Coast Beauty

Another random/beautiful beach in Central California. There was supposed to be a good surf spot somewhere around here... however, the swell was a bit too small and I don't think it was breaking (or I couldn't find it). 

Steamer Lane

Steamer Lane is one of the best surf spots in Southern California. However, since it's located up north in Santa Cruz, the water is a bit chilly (need a 4mm wetsuit year round) and there are "men in grey suits" (aka great white sharks) cruising around the line up. I don't think there's ever been a reported shark attack here... however, with seals chilling on the rocks, you know they are around.

One of the great things about Santa Cruz and Steamer Lane is that it faces south. Therefore, the northwest winds (which are predominant in this area) are offshore at most spots. By facing south, it also helps to groom the giant swells that march down the coast during winter. On this particular day, there was a southwest swell in the water. Some sets were coming in the head high+ range. It looked like a lot of fun... but it was rather inconsistant and bunch of people were sitting at the point. I ended up surfing further south at Pleasure Point instead.

A Windy Afternoon in Santa Cruz

As I was driving back from San Francisco, I decided to stop in Santa Cruz and go for a quick surf. Had I taken the time to think about the logistics, stopping in Santa Cruz was not ideal (since it's just an hour away from where I was staying)... would have made more sense to pick a half way point. Nonetheless, Santa Cruz has some incredible surf spots... and I thought I would check them out. Pictured in this photo is Natural Bridges State Park. This surf spot is great during a big NW swell... but on this particular day (with a dying SW swell), it was not breaking. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful beach and is a great place to watch the sunset.

If you notice in the background, there was a big fog bank just off the coast. It kind of felt like a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. I kept expecting the Black Pearl to emerge from the fog. 

Patience

"Patience"... a surfer patiently waits and watches for the next swell to start showing. 

Malolo Lailai - "The Island"

Being on the island of Malolo Lailai made me feel like I was in an episode of "Lost"... as soon as you left the confines of the resort, you were in the wilderness. The only sounds were the wind blowing and the birds chirping. It felt like "Others" were going to jump out of the bushes and attack me.

Malolo Lailai is a beautiful and mountainous island surrounded by amazing coral reefs. Hiking trails cover the island and there are many hidden coves and beaches that you can journey to. There is also a relatively large local population that lives on the bigger island (which you see in the distance in picture 2). In this case, the "Others" were extremely friendly and helpful. Hope to come back some day!

The Resort at Musket Cove

Looking down at Musket Cove Resort

If I was asked to describe Musket Cove Resort in one statement, it would be "laid back luxury". If you wanted to hang out in the spa, hire a private sailboat, or arrange for a private picnic on the beach, there was someone at the resort that would do that for you (at a cost)... or if you wanted to borrow a kayak for the day and find your own private beach, you could do that as well (for free). I've stayed in many luxury resorts that would charge you for every little extra thing, but Musket Cove wasn't like that at all. In fact, they even encouraged guests to go to a local market for food and hand crafted souvenirs. You definitely got what you paid for... and they made you feel like part of a community.

Welcoming beach party

The watersports area.. free snorkel gear, kayaks, and wind surfing equipment for all (I had some struggles with the wind surfing stuff) 

A true "house boat"

Looking at my beach front villa accomodations