Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains: Misadventures on a Buddhist Pilgrimage($18.99Value)

Description

Age twenty-eight and fed up with the office job he settled for, Paul Barach decided to travel to Japan to follow a vision he had in college: to walk the ancient 750-mile Shikoku pilgrimage trail. Here are some things he did not decide to do: learn Japanese, do any research, road test his hiking shoes, or check if it’s the hottest summer in history.And he went anyway, hoping to change his life.Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains is the absurd and dramatic journey of one impulsive American’s search for answers on a holy path in an exotic land. Along the pathway connecting 88 Buddhist temples, he’ll face arduous mountain climbs, hide from guards in a toilet stall, challenge a priest to a mountaintop karate battle, and other misadventures. He’ll also delve into the fascinating legends of this ancient land, including a dragon-fighting holy man, a berserker warrior-priest, haunted temples, and a vendetta-driven ghost that overthrew a dynasty. Told with humor and humility, Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains is a funny, engaging memoir about the consequences of impulsive decisions, and the things you can discover while you’re looking for something else. Also that boars are terrifying in person. Paul Barach is a stand up comic, storyteller, producer, and writer from Seattle, Washington. After graduating from Carleton College, he backpacked across Europe, taught English in South Korea, ran the Seattle marathon, and bicycled across the United States. In his off-time, he is an avid cyclist, runner, and hiker. His proudest achievements so far are earning his black belt in Kyokushin karate and only falling into the La Brea Tar Pits once. You can follow him on Twitter @PaulBarach and find other videos and travel photos on his website www.PaulBarachComic.com Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains is his first book.