Mac: We met our guide in Ulaanbaatar, in the Valley Temple where he resides. We didn’t realize it until later, but he is 70 years old. He appeared to be about 45. 

Hyung: It seemed a bit presumptuous, but he taught all of us, even us avid explorers, how to walk. Keep your upper body positioned straight up, resting on your legs. Keep a low center of gravity. Keep your body relaxed and yet strong. And be agile and adaptive to changing landscapes. And, you don’t put weight on your feet until you have a good feel for the ground. Such is the way from antiquity to cultivate one’s internal energy.

Tong: He who stands tiptoe is bound to fall.

Keith: We got off at stop 3. We have a short trek into the Sikhote – Alin mountain range, where we will try to observe Blakiston’s fish owl. 

Eugene Douglass: I was in the temple. I had bought incense to burn in the chamber for the betterment of society. As I contemplated a better way towards tomorrow, a jovial monk surprised me by striking a gong. My body is still reverberating.

Maxine: Eugene Douglass: Awesome!