Monthly Archives: May 2013

F.U.S. Files: Mysterious (Non-Bodily) Discharge

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Michael Roy

I’m not exactly sure what’s going on here, but the water (is it even water?) gushing out of that tunnel was a distinct shade of green. Clean mountain water in the surrounding waterfalls was always clear or blue, and the … Continue reading →

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Thirty Minutes in Tibet

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Michael Roy

The weather was pretty nice the other day. A much needed 24-hour break in the rainy season. My Israeli buddies had headed off on yet another trek, leaving me alone with sunny skies overhead. I did what anyone would do: … Continue reading →

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Introducing: the F.U.S. Files

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Michael Roy

I know I quoted this before, but I’m doing it again. It means that much to me. Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, what batters you becomes your strength. – Rainer Maria … Continue reading →

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Headed Back in Time

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Michael Roy

Picking up where I left off, camping at 3000m: I awoke to a pretty mellow sunrise. I was hoping my 3000m perch would present me with something a little more mind-boggling, but the surrounding mountains blocked my view. By 8, … Continue reading →

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Against the Stream (for 350km)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Michael Roy

“What one person can do, what you can do, what each one of us must do, if we’re going to have a decent world, a good world in which to live, and certainly if we’re going to leave a healthy … Continue reading →

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Yunnan Food, Part 2

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Michael Roy

I originally expected this trip in Yunnan to take me about a month: two weeks with Hyeongnim up to Shangri-la followed by two weeks back down to Laos. Dream on! It’s now been 56 days since I got back to … Continue reading →

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Zhe4 shi4 bu2 shi4 si4 shi2 si4 shi2 shi1 zi?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Michael Roy

Desperately trying to catch up on photos and stories from the past three weeks. Quick stop in Lijiang to rest up after my 150km day and to pick up some spare bike parts. This is Dong, yet another young Chinese … Continue reading →

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A Day with the 49ers

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Michael Roy

Finally, it happened. One of those “bad things that hasn’t happened yet but is bound to happen eventually” that I listed way back in September after Mingyu and I had completed our first month on the road, getting away scot-free … Continue reading →

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Retracing my Steps: Shangri-la to Lijiang

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Michael Roy

By the end of two weeks in Shangri-la, I had finished all my blog posts, gotten a sufficient amount of rest, waited out the cold, and even had a mini-birthday party. It was time to get back to my day … Continue reading →

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Vipassana Mysteries: Disappearing Knee Pain

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Michael Roy

I will start out by saying that even after my four retreats, I haven’t experienced anything really crazy. No insight into the fundamental nature of suffering (whatever that is), of no-self, of emptiness, of unsatisfactoriness, of transience, of the four … Continue reading →

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