A Backpack & Sword
Red Jade Martial Arts in Creston BC is now changing. I have left to begin my travels and my top student in Creston Jason has taken over the responsibilities of the school. We closed the location, stored my things and he as always has opened his doors to the students to come and train on Arrow Mountain with him. I hope they can make this transition painlessly while I begin my adventure.
I have brought myself a long way in these past four years, from a small farm, house, pets, vehicles, Red Jade and all the training implements and artworks there to a single simple thing: A Backpack & Sword.
I am off to Nepal and India in a couple weeks and have begun traveling already with only those things, a backpack and sword, to comfort and guide me, to live on and from, to move ahead with life.
I’m in Alberta Canada now for a coupe of weeks visiting my parents, friends and my schools in Edmonton and Vegreville that are operating under the trustworthy gaze of Shifu Sami one of my eldest students. I’ll run a workshop or two, share some kung fu and hopefully help him get a great start to the season here for students interested in our art.
As for me, I will be blogging more and more when I have time and internet about my travel and instead of a travel blog I like to think of it more as a record of crossing hands and the Himalayas. I will begin in Nepal landing in Kathmandu and spending a month there sharing and training with the members of the Nepalese WUMA martial arts association. Then, even with my very flexible schedule in mind, Pokhara at the base of the treks into the Himalayas for a month. My contact Begale has already told me I have a deal arranged with one of the Buddhist monasteries for a personal retreat amongst the monks in exchange for sharing my kung fu with them and I plan to trek the Annapurna as well. A couple of weeks should be spent in Chitwan where the jungle, elephants and tigers live in Nepal near (ish) to the birthplace of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) which I am sure I will make it to.
After that the only real plan is to head to India for the winter, from Delhi to Goa for a month or so of surfing and training on the beach. Kalavantin Durg, Varanasi, Dhammasala and who knows what else?
So in this day and age of online blogging, emailing articles and sharing my thoughts I will be sharing the adventures and bad ideas of my backpack & sword. I am hoping to find something within myself through the challenges of self reliance and time alone listening to the ants scream. I hope to record it here and share it with you.
As my friend Rage told me the other day – Welcome to the Road.
I’m Ready for it.
Neil
(redjademartialarts.com)
Neil (thekungfuguy) Ripski 