About me...

In some ways I've been on a walk about for years. In 1989, fresh out of grad school, I finally followed my heart's dream of farming. I sold my car, bought a horse, buggy, and plow, and learned to farm. The used set of wheels I happened to get for my buggy, were painted yellow, with bright red hubs. At the time, I was interested in being more "plain". The local Amish began to refer to me as Rob Yellow Wheels... my wheels sticking out from their plain black wheels. I painted my wheels black before taking a 1 1/2 year walk about with my horse Emma and the buggy from Pennsylvania to New York. I ought to have taken Spirit's hint more seriously. After 7 years with my horse, farming a handful of places in PA and NY, I ended up in San Francisco coming out as a gay man. About years there found me evolving into a rather queer shaman, practicing Reiki and shamanic energywork. In 2004, I felt the call to disband my home there and take up the nomadic life once more. In NYC, I met GregO a nomad from HongKong who said, "Most people can't be gypsys because they are too attached to what works for them... and too attached to what doesn't work for them!" I heard the words in my heart and knew it was time to roam the world a bit. The vision was of a wandering mystic. But sometimes I forget my power and lapse into the mundane.

Kathmandu Climbing - Jan 2006

05Jan06 - Climbing with Para-Command

Today was the second day of the climbing class. A routine of a morning commute, walking along the Assan Market to Kantipath, then hopping on the #5 Kathmandu Tuk Tuk - an electric 3-wheeled van that holds maybe 12 people. A stream of them runs along the Kantipath artery and provides cheap (6 rs ... about 0.10 US$), quiet, fumeless transport. I picked up a loaf of "Swiss sesame bread" to go with my yak cheese (actually nak...the female), carrots, daikon, and onion for lunch.

Like yesterday, the Nepali army was at the climbing wall for practice. My cohorts Tasha and Kathy and I climbed the vertical wall again. A Army guy approached me and asked if they could take a photo. I agreed and then found out they wanted me hanging off the wall. I got my camera so I could have a pic too. They gave me an army cap to wear, strapped me in the belay and I did my best to get up the overhanging wall until they yelled to stop for the photo opps.


Back to class afterwards, we practiced the vert wall and bouldering, then a few attempts on the overhanging wall... very hard for me. Cathy was the only one of our threesome to top it and it took her a long time with many stops. The Army guys called me over for buiscuits and tea later, chatted me up, asking what I thought of the Nepali Army. "Great!", I replied, "they give me tea and buiscuits!" They explained they were in Para Command... paratrooper training.

06Jan06 - Climbing on Exhaustion

Last night I awoke at 3 am for a bowel movement. I went to the toilet expecting diarhea, but was pleasantly surprised. I tried to Reiki my stomach as I returned to sleep. Apparently I didn't Reiki enough because I awoke at 6am to a wet spot in my sleeping bag! I'd shit myself! Uggh. Never did that before. A dismaying way to wake up. Fortunately, not so much of a mess, I cleaned up. Returned to sleep a little before going to the Dairy Center on Durbar square for my morning yoghurt. The beneficial bacteria I figured would restore my gut to it preferred microflaura. Some bannanas from the market. This is my 30rs usual breakfast.

I prayed for regular bowels and did my morning commute. Didn't feel much energy for climbing, but did better than I thought and tried route 3, got about 2/3's up the wall, and found it easier than route 1, which is supposed to be the easiest of the overhanging routes.

We learned our third knot: the fisherman's knot for joining two ropes. The first two were the figure 8 and bowline knots for attaching to the belay.

No dhaba today, I stuck with macaroni and cheese at Ganesha where they play HBO on the television. The movies are usually horrid violent action movies... no wonder our country is at war. My stomach settled down, thankfully.

06Jan06 - Climbing on Exhaustion

Last night I awoke at 3 am for a bowel movement. I went to the toilet expecting diarhea, but was pleasantly surprised. I tried to Reiki my stomach as I returned to sleep. Apparently I didn't Reiki enough because I awoke at 6am to a wet spot in my sleeping bag! I'd shit myself! Uggh. Never did that before. A dismaying way to wake up. Fortunately, not so much of a mess, I cleaned up. Returned to sleep a little before going to the Dairy Center on Durbar square for my morning yoghurt. The beneficial bacteria I figured would restore my gut to it preferred microflaura. Some bannanas from the market. This is my 30rs usual breakfast.

I prayed for regular bowels and did my morning commute. Didn't feel much energy for climbing, but did better than I thought and tried route 3, got about 2/3's up the wall, and found it easier than route 1, which is supposed to be the easiest of the overhanging routes.

We learned our third knot: the fisherman's knot for joining two ropes. The first two were the figure 8 and bowline knots for attaching to the belay.

No dhaba today, I stuck with macaroni and cheese at Ganesha where they play HBO on the television. The movies are usually horrid violent action movies... no wonder our country is at war. My stomach settled down, thankfully.

08Jan06 - Climbing Strong!

Finally today, I found some strength developing! Instead of trembling to hold on, my hands and arms are strong enough to relax a bit and work on technique. I was a bit discouraged, but now feel excited. The instructors say climbing is not about arm strength because you should use your legs to push up the wall, rather than pulling yourself up. And you should hug the wall, and balance on your feet. But I feel like a basis of hand and arm strength is needed... and I didn't have that base of strength.

09Jan06 - Climbing Frustration

Still no luck in topping the wall on any of the overhanging routes. And my goal of transversing the lower wall, bouldering style, seems to flee from me. Our instructors attempted to have us "lead climb", placing the rope in runners as we go up the wall. They mistakenly had us try on one of the overhang routes, which was really beyond our strength. Finally, after everyone got a bit frustrated, they had us try the vertical wall. And we were able to accomplish that.

A couple of Nepali med students were climbing and I joined the two fellows to take turns belaying for each other. They were easily tired and finding it challenging too. I felt better in our common weakness... I was really feeling a bit unworthy. They were well versed in Reiki and alternative healing modalities and we enjoyed some great conversation about how Reiki works. I was impressed by their open minds and interest. They will be good doctors with such openness. One walked much of the way home with me and told me of his experience with the village "dhami" or shaman. We agreed that God and Spirit are beyond words and sometimes better left a mystery. Science sometimes robs us of our power and experiences merely because science doesn't have the tools to measure some things.09Jan06 - Climbing Frustration

Still no luck in topping the wall on any of the overhanging routes. And my goal of transversing the lower wall, bouldering style, seems to flee from me. Our instructors attempted to have us "lead climb", placing the rope in runners as we go up the wall. They mistakenly had us try on one of the overhang routes, which was really beyond our strength. Finally, after everyone got a bit frustrated, they had us try the vertical wall. And we were able to accomplish that.

A couple of Nepali med students were climbing and I joined the two fellows to take turns belaying for each other. They were easily tired and finding it challenging too. I felt better in our common weakness... I was really feeling a bit unworthy. They were well versed in Reiki and alternative healing modalities and we enjoyed some great conversation about how Reiki works. I was impressed by their open minds and interest. They will be good doctors with such openness. One walked much of the way home with me and told me of his experience with the village "dhami" or shaman. We agreed that God and Spirit are beyond words and sometimes better left a mystery. Science sometimes robs us of our power and experiences merely because science doesn't have the tools to measure some things.

I walked home--about an hour and a half, enjoying the views and people watching.

10Jan06 - Stoked on Climbing - GLOWING

This morning we met at the climbing wall. Cathy's Mom came along with their driver, Ajay, who took the bulk of us to the King's Royal Forest to climb on natural rock.

We chatted abit about the policital situation... apparently the King was visiting various districts trying to gain support for the upcoming elections. He disappeared for 45 km without any guards on some travel of his own in the country. No one knows who he chatted with. Maoists were speculated. Apparently the King doesn't offer much information, so no one really knows what is going on. He controls the army and police, or vice versa. There are a half dozen political parties, the King, and the Maoists in the lineup. And apparently they can never all come to an agreement. Though the Maoists are considered "terrorists", just as the colonists of the US in the 1700's would be considered today, much of their cause is for basic human rights. As far as the elections, it seems a bit farfetched that they will come to much because most people are too busy working and trying to support their families to risk time and potential conflict and dangers at the polls. Its an interesting situation... in many ways the struggles are transparent... life goes on here, people are busy with their work and families... I mean that I might expect complete turmoil and upheaval, and instead, life goes on. Being bred with democracy, even though the US is primarily a two party system, rather than a real consensus based system, the 7 or 8 groups in Nepal sounds potentially more democratic. And yet if these groups can never agree, what will happen? The philosopher in me wonders what would happen if people ignored the government and just focused on their families and neighborhoods and their "lives"...in some ways that appears to be what happens here... perhaps the government will just atrophy and people will create systems to live from the grassroots?

Enough digression!

Everyone met at the Royal Forest to get through the gate... everyone has to be on a list and check in and check out so no one gets lost on the King's land. The two Nepali students who have been a shadow part of our class catching up after their work, etc, and the other instructor have travelled by different means and we all have to enter together. The paperwork gets sorted and we head in. One student and instructor pair up on a motorcycle and try to ride the gravel road in. It appears they ought to be wearing some belaying gear or something as they squirrel around on the gravel. We park after a bit, and walk into "the rock". There are about 20 routes laid out with pitons on the rock face. A couple of climbing groups are busy going at it.

I'm wondering if I really like rock climbing. The artifical wall was hard. I'm still a bit scared of heights, and I wonder why or if I want to do something so hard. We get our toprope up, and like usual I get to climb first. I start up the rock face and get about 30 feet up to where I saw the instructor struggling a bit when he put the rope up. Its about a 6 foot smoothish outcrop to get around. Six chefs from the kitchen below try to suggest recipes for me to get over this outcrop. After 5 minutes that seem like 20, I yell down, "Ahhh... this is what they call a 'problem'!" And everyone laughs at my discovery of how rock climbing terminology makes sense. I am really thinking I ought to give up, when somehow I move... a foot here, a hand there, and the belayer's pull hard on the rope and I've gotten past the problem!!!! I'm excited, yet tentative as I climb the rest of the way up. I begin to feel that feeling I had as a kid climbing the rock in our back yard. My hands roam the rocks for grips. I begin to forget about everything except the next move. I reach the top! The belayer says to come down. Fears of coming down flash through my head. Jutting outcrops of rock to bruse and cut the skin line the path down. This is not the overhanging artificial way at the gym, where it's a clean shot to the ground. The belayer yells "Come down! Slowly!" And I move, and in my movement, my fears dissolve in to the reality of one step at a time with the intention of safety.

I hit the ground, nearly falling backwards, as my perception of which way is up after walking backwards down the wall is a bit slow to catch up. The instructor catches me with a laugh. And all the endorpines rush to my head. "Wow, that was cool!", I say. I describe to Cathy and Tasha how I found the climb physically easier and mentally more challenging than the artificial wall. You have to search the real rock for features to hold onto and step on.... while in the gym, the grips stand out like sore thumbs. Everyone has a go a climbing the route. Cathy is afraid to come down and it takes 5 minute to convince her. One instuctor walks the back way up to the top to coach her. She is so scared she forgets to walk down the face L shaped. Pema's brother gleefully climbs like a monkey. He's five, maybe eight year's old and has climbed for a year already. He's a bit timid coming down as well, and I joke that he's supposed to come down like a capital L, not a small l!!! Tasha psyches herself out...saying she's too weak. She gives up, and refuses to go past the troublesome outcrop, though we offer to lift her over it. Everyone else makes it, and we all cheer each other on. It's funny how 6 people on the ground get so involved in the climber's dilemma and yell out far too much "beta" and struggle to communicate right and left feet and which ledge might have a grip. But it was fun!

We move the rope to an easier route, hoping Tasha will have a go at it. She refuses. The rest of us have another climb.

We return about 3:30pm to the artificial wall. I am feeling a bit sad that my time here is ending. The seven days with these friends and cohorts and this wall have grown on me. Having been nomadic for a year and a half, I find myself easily clinging to any semblance of permanence. I give my last try at transversing the wall. I find myself much sharper after the real rock experience. Much more enthusiastic. I try the transverse repeatedly for 40 minutes and finally I nail it! Yay! That was one goal... the other to top the wall... but I'll let that one pass!

After a week, my arms feel strong. Though they still tire, it feels like there is a backbone of solid strength there. I so enjoyed the real rock... touching the Earth through her rock... It's been several years since rock climbing came to my awareness when I joined the climbing gym near my home in San Francisco to work out at. Then the last year, it's been on my mind to take a class. Now I fulfilled that step and honored a subtle call from my Spirit to rock climb. I can't wait to do more. I've got to get some gear. Find some rock in India and Thailand.

I'm glowing as I walk home. Feeling fully empowered. Stoked on life. Glowing with Life. Reminds me of when I committed to living with my friends Bob and Karen years ago in Penn's Valley Pennsylvania... and I started learning to work with a draft horse and honor my farming dreams. I wandered home. On the Ring Road, an attractive man road by on a bike and yelled "hello" to catch my attention. Without missing a beat, I replied "Hi Sexy!" No fear, no repression... just glowing with life.