One reviewer of his articles said, "Now I know why there are no ambassadors from Brooklyn."
Excerpt from The Monk From Brooklyn
The novice led me through a labyrinth of out door alleyways to the communal toilet. There was no electric light, and in addition to being ice-cold, the night was pitch dark. The toilet was just a hole in the ground, overflowing with human waste. There wasn't even a privacy screen or anything, so everyone could see you poop.
We returned to the room, where the monk and novice shared their hot water with me. I would learn later that hot water was a rare commodity. The novice would carry a single, one-liter thermos jug to the kitchen every morning at 5:30 AM, and fill it with boiling water. That was the hot water ration for the two of them for the day.
I put on thermals, sweats, thick woolen socks, and my Navy watch cap. I crawled into bed, and wrapped up in the blankets they had given me. "Tomorrow you will have your head shaved. Then we will begin," said the monk.
Antonio Graceffo has written for publications too numerous to list including: Bangkok Post, Escape Artist, Travel in Taiwan, Travelmag (UK), Good
Morning Chiang Mai, Travellers Impressions, Marco Polo, Canoe (Canada), Views Unplugged, Kung Fu Magazine, Yellow Times, Bike China, The Rose and Thorn, Blueberry Press, Go Nomad, Close Quarters Combat, Go World, and Black Belt Magazine. His travel writing was featured in an anthology, published in the UK, Travellers Tales from Heaven and Hell Part Two. Antonio's book about his studies at the Shaolin Temple, The Monk From Brooklyn has been published by GOM Publishing. His book about his adventures in the Taklamakan Desert, The Desert of Death on Three Wheels is currently under review for publication. Contact the author at: antonio_graceffo@hotmail.com and visit his website at SpeakingAdventure.com