Capoeira		XC-Ski		Hike-Climb		Travel
My Hobbies		Botany		Cuisine		Languages

• My native plants gardening page .
• Please go to my travel pictures page for some photos taken in different parts of the world on my vacations.
• If you read Chinese, here is my hiking page in Chinese, (still in infant stage).

Hiking and Climbing

Trip Reports

• Grand Teton via the Direct Exum Ridge (13770ft./4197m, 3 days) A truly spectacular and challenging climb, with Dirk Summers (Under construction!).
• Palisades Climbing Trip (youtube video, Thunderbolt Peak - 14003ft./4268m, Polemonium Peak - 14080ft./4292m, 4 days) The first trip I organized that involved class 4-5 roped climbing, and the first trip where I successfully summitted two 14ers. With Samantha Olson, Vladimir Ulyashin, and Hakan Yalcin (Under construction! Video by Vladimir).
• Mount Goethe via its northeast ridge (13264ft./4043m, 2 days) A long snow climb, with Samantha Olson (Under construction!).
• Mount Russell via the Fishhook Arete (14088ft./4294m, 3 days) My fourth California 14er, with Dirk Summers (Under construction!).
• Attempting Mount Taibaishan (12360ft./3767m, 2 days) during my trip to China (Under construction!).
• Climbing Mount Shasta (14162ft./4317m, 2 days) A mammoth climb, with Eszter Tompos and others.
• Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya (Kilimanjaro: 19340ft./5895m, 5 days; Mt. Kenya: 17058ft./5199m, 7 days), Africa's first and second highest mountains, with Dirk Summers.
• Royal Arches (1 day) My longest technical climb on spectacular walls of Yosemite Valley, with Dirk Summers.
• Mount Ritter (13143ft./4006m, 3 days) A close call while attempting one of the most beautiful Sierra peaks, with Hakan and Ayla Yalcin.
• Half Dome via the "Snake Dike" (8842ft./2695m, 1 day) On Yosemite Valley's most famous rock formation, with Dirk Summers.
• Vogelsang Peak (11493ft./3503m, 2 days) Almost stranded in a big snow storm, with Hakan and Ayla Yalcin.
• Mount Whitney via its East Face (14497ft./4418m, 3 days) Attaining the highest summit of the continental United States, with Dirk Summers.
• Matthes Crest (10918ft./3328m, 1 day) Climbing an amazing knife edge, with Dirk Summers.
• Matterhorn Peak via its Norte Arete (12279ft./3742m, 3 days) My first multi-pitch technical climb, with Dirk Summers and Mark Thomas.
• Mount Sill (14153ft./4314m, 3 days) A second attempt of this elusive peak, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Bear Creek Spire (13720ft./4182m, 3 days) My first successful climb of a class 4 peak, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Cathedral Peak (10911ft./3326m, 1 day) An taste of this fantastic soaring spire, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• University Peak (13632ft./4155m, 1 day) A mammoth day hike to the namesake of my favorite university, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Mount Agassiz (13893ft./4234m) Two trips attempting the most alpine mountains in Sierra Nevada, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Mount Whitney attempt (14497ft./4418m, 3 days) An epic attempt at the highest peak of continental United States, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Mount Lyell (13114ft./3997m, 3 days) An arduous tour to the heart of Yosemite mountains, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Middle Palisade (14012ft./4271m, 3 days) My first summit over 14,000 feet, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Hiking in Brazil on my first trip to Brazil.
• Mount Abbot (13704ft./4177m, 3 days) Climbing snow couloir and class 3 rock, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Kuna Peak (13002ft./3963m, 2 days) Late fall trek to a remote peak, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Matterhorn Peak (12279ft./3742m, 2 days) Successfully climbing the peak made famous by Jack Kerouac's book Dharma Bums, with Vladimir Ulyashin.
• Mount Dade (13600ft./4145m, 3 days) My most harrowing peak climbing attempt, with Shubo Dai.
• Madera Peak environs (3 days) My first backpacking trip, with Shubo Dai.
• Mount Conness (12590ft./3837m, 1 day) The first major peak I summitted, with Shubo Dai.

I have done a lot of day-hikes in California mountains, some of the best photos are in my picture album. Other peaks I have summitted: Round Top (10380ft), Sierra Buttes (8591ft) in Sierra Nevada; Sheep Mountain (12497ft) and Campito Mountain (11543ft) in White Mountains; Lassen Peak (10457ft) in Cascade Range; Cone Peak (5155ft) in Santa Lucia Range; locally (San Francisco Bay Area) I often hike up Mount St. Helena (4343ft), Mount Diablo's North Peak (3557ft), Montara Mountain's North Peak (1898ft), Mount Tamalpais (2571ft).

Capoeira

I started taking a capoeira class at Capoeira Mandinga school in Berkeley, CA in summer 1999. Capoeira (ka-poo-Eh-ra) is a Brazilian martial art / dance originated from African slaves. My teacher is Mestre Marcelo Pereira from São Paulo, Brazil.

• I received my green belt from our batizado (baptizing) event on June 23rd, 2001. The green belt is the first belt for beginners. Numerous capoeira masters from Brazil showed off their amazing skills in this event. I played against Professor Gafazinho during the batizado, he didn't take me down (Thanks, Gafa!).
• I took capoeira classes in Salvador, Bahia during my July 2001 trip to Brazil. I experienced both Regional and Angola styles of capoeira.
• My capoeira class in action: class-mate Escovinha's capoeira movies.
• I participated in Mandinga Camp 2000 on the weekend of July 14-17, 2000 at Camp Tamarancho near Fairfax, CA. Here are pictures of the training class and roda on Sunday afternoon, as well as pictures from the Tuesday / Thursday class at UC Berkeley during Summer 2000.

Mestre Marcelo in roda	Xango (left), Malandro in roda	UC Berkeley class roda 1
Mestre demonstrating	Xango, Malandro in roda again	UC Berkeley class roda 2
Gemma (right) in roda	Beringela (right) in roda	UC Berkeley class roda 3
Practicing take-downs

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