-By HengFa

The Temple is everywhere. It all depends on your understanding. Every day is Happy New Year, and Merry Christmas, even you can say it’s your “Happy Birthday!”, 366 days a year. This is also according to your understanding, so for a Shaolin monk, it isn’t surprising at all to decide to call up your disciple in the middle of the night- in this case that disciple was Shi Heng Yi of the Mexico branch of the Temple- wake him up and tell him the fantastic news! What news you might ask, if you were Hengyi, who also happens to be ShiFu’s Mexico Temple Director.

Well the news was that The Dragon wanted to escape from the winter for a few days and meet the Aztec Feathered Snake! ShiFu Shi Yan Ming had decided to spend his birthday in Acapulco Beach in México this past Chinese new year! Shi Fu arrived on a Thursday and stayed until Monday. During his trip he relaxed in the “Zona Dorada”, the so called Golden Zone, with not only his disciple Heng Yi, but also hanging with students of the Shaolin Temple Mexico. During this trip ShiFu enjoyed the fishing of Acapulco, watched dolphins and turtles swimming around, and enjoyed dining on all the fabulous fresh Mexican food that has given Acapulco an international reputation.

Even when traveling off the record and incognito, it’s tough to hide a Dragon, and during his time ShiFu was recognized a few times in the street as Acapulco’s inhabitants did a few double takes- looking at this bold figure training Shaolin gongfu on the beach, walking like the wind down the avenues, many people were overheard looking at him and saying “wait a minute I know you from some place…” but too late, when one walks like the wind everywhere you have to think fast! People could not believe their eyes when it finally sank in, The Dragon was back in Acapulco after almost 8 years.

ShiFu left on Monday morning to head back to NYC, but before leaving he made some promises to give himself a few more relaxing escapes like this one, and enjoy some more time with his Mexican students. Of course, since the Temple is everywhere, when he comes back, it will be just like he never left.