Rich Manley
A Life of Adventure and Exploration: From Ancient Egypt to the Andes, a Journey of Discovery, Magic, and Cultural Connections
Rich Manley's life is a testament to the power of curiosity and a thirst for adventure. From childhood explorations in the Massachusetts woods to training with Shaolin monks, Rich has embraced challenges and sought knowledge across diverse fields. His journey has led him to delve into ancient mysteries, hone martial arts skills, perform magic on global stages, and explore remote corners of the world. Rich's passion extends beyond physical feats, encompassing a deep appreciation for different cultures and a desire to bridge gaps between people. Through his experiences, he has developed a unique perspective, valuing learning, growth, and stepping outside comfort zones. Rich's story inspires others to explore, learn, and connect, reminding us that the greatest adventures are not just physical but also personal and cultural.
From Quiet Child to Globetrotting Adventurer: A Journey of Discovery and Growth:
I grew up in Stow Massachusetts, a small town, but carried with me big dreams and even bigger ideas for exploration and the world at large. I was a quiet child, preferring to sketch, write and go outdoors and adventure with my brothers. I would often head deep into the forest in our backyard and bring ropes and makeshift harnesses and pulls and devise some kind of elaborate tree climb that I would drag my brothers into, erect huts or tree forts and simply get lost and explore. I felt very much at home in the woods and found myself in quite a bit of mischief out there with my brothers. I was also innately drawn to history, particularly Ancient Egypt, the dinosaurs, Aztecs, Mayans, and feudal eras in Asia. Something about the past drew me to it - perhaps the constant urge to understand the finer workings of the world, and the ‘why’ and ‘where’ we came from had me hooked and looking to the past for answers - I felt very at home there, when modern distractions and technology paled to introspective thought, philosophy, ingenuity, and skillsets vital to survival. I think this is what drew me into my early studies into the ancient world, at around 8 or nine years old. It seemed there was magic there, something still to be learned and uncovered.
As I grew older, I began my study into martial arts, but more interested in the art and physical expression of the activity than its competitive nature. I received my black belt in Kenpo Karate, then in Wing Chun Kung fu, then finally in Shaolin Kung Fu. I started at 13 and by the time I was 16, I was an assistant instructor at my local dojo, even helping the instructor devise fighting routines. I have always craved knowledge and that led me to an insatiable, almost obsessive work ethos that involved me fully embodying and learning all I could of a particular subject that interested me. I needed to understand the finer details, the inner workings, spiritually, physically, and mentally. I think this is what led to my fast rise in martial arts and my studies. I would train 8 hours a day, which was customary of Shaolin monk disciples, of whom I ended up training with for 6 years in Flushing New York. My master was a Shaolin monk who came over from China as part of a touring performance team and set up a local school in New Yorks China town. At one point, my dedication inspired my master, Shifu, to offer me the opportunity to be ordained as a monk, which I humbly declined because I wanted to keep learning more of the world, and I didn’t want my journey to end with martial arts, but, it certainly has imbued me with the qualities I constantly fall back on as a basis for all of my other adventures.
Beyond the Boundaries: A Life Fueled by Passion, Curiosity, and a Relentless Pursuit of Knowledge:
I first started magic at around ten years old. My grandfather, (we called him Pere, which means father in French), was a surgeon in Boston, but also a world traveler who adventured to many remote areas of the world. He also had learned magic in the 40’s when surgeons were learning sleight of hand to better their finger dexterity. I was enamoured by my grandfather’s travels as a child and remember sneaking into his study one day, when my grandmother was making lunch. Now, my grandfather’s study was always considered OFF LIMITS - particularly because it was like an eclectic Indiana jones style museum, full of artifacts from his world travels. There were fishing rods made of reed from the Amazon, pilots from his travels to scale the Matterhorn, Giant mariner tools and dials made of brass, maps, and a desk full of writings. I remember heading over to my grandfather’s desk when I felt his hand on my shoulder behind me. I thought I was in trouble, but instead he smiled warmly and told me I reminded him of himself, curious about the world. That’s when he showed me a card trick, a vanish he did in his hands where a card is shown and then vanishes. I was ecstatic and instantly knew I needed to understand how it was done. He showed me and from that day on I was transfixed, inspired by him and his life journey. I practiced the moves and sleight of hand every day, 2 hoping to impress him every time I visited. I became interested in archaeology because of my fascination with Egypt, and I think my assumption for what it could be like based off Indiana Jones films. I had my first dig at a local site in a town called Wayland in Massachusetts. At the time, I was 13 and looking to experience what it was like. Despite not getting chased by raiders or uncovering the Ark of the Covenant, I was still enthralled with the experience. I was working with two retired older gentlemen who ran the archeological program in Wayland. It was on a volunteer basis, but couldn't help but feel what I was doing, uncovering Native American arrow heads and stone tools, was impactful. It brought me closer to a civilization that survived many years ago, and closer to an understanding of the root of our own existence now.
Embracing Challenges, Honing Skills: A Path to Self-Discovery and Cultural Understanding
I like challenges, but most importantly things that take me out of my comfort zone, allow me to learn something of myself or of the world. To me, everything is about learning, and I strive to never stop that. Adventure skills, to me, are not about ego or personal achievements or bragging rights, they are real skills that people and communities had to rely on to survive, and in some instances, still do. Adventure skills are a means to reach a destination and a means to connect with the past and the world around from a different perspective. I had learned on my travels in Peru that many adventure enthusiasts often had the opportunity of uncovering unexplored Incan ruins or finding ancient relics that eluded Scientists and archeologists - The reason being, they had the skills to kayak down rapids or climb further than those with scientific and historic knowledge. For this reason, many new areas have been looted or tampered with. This brought a whole new perspective on the importance of adventure skills to me.
Favourite Outdoor Challenge & Mistakes along the way:
For me, I believe the activity I find the most enjoyable, outside my objectives of honing abilities simply for travel, is rock and ice climbing. I am actually afraid of heights, always have been, but climbing seems to be a strongly sadist and cathartic way for me to conquer that fear. Every time I climb, I feel as if I am accomplishing something within myself. As said before, I love to learn, so the notion of NOT doing any activity outdoors, hasn't crossed my mind. I will try anything for the sake of learning and growing. Climbing used to be the thing that scared me the most. However, over many years of doing it, you find a certain trust in the equipment and in yourself, which in turn tends to eliminate much of the fear of heights... to a degree. I think nowadays, Whitewater kayaking at higher levels and rapids tends to test my nerve the most. I had a bad experience once in Alaska where I flipped and couldn't roll out of it because I forgot to zip up my dry suit (rookie mistake, but I was eager to get on the river) I was paddling a class 4 rapid into a box canyon and flipped in the worst part of the rapid. Water was rushing into my dry suit, and I couldn't get the boat to flip after being weighed down in my suit. I ejected, and barely made it to shore before entering a canyon that would have had me swimming with an open dry suit for a mile through heavy class three and four rapids without reprieve. To make matters worse, I was solo on this paddle. Needless to say, I had to ditch the kayak to save my life.
From the Andes to Ancient Egypt: A Quest for Adventure, Magic, and Cultural Connections:
I have traveled to many countries and many remote settlements for our program. I think one of the most interesting experiences was in the Andes of Peru. I was climbing in the Pitumarca area, vertical ascent, in the winter, with my team. It was cold, frigidly so, and my fingers felt like bones gripping jagged stone as I climbed higher to reach a Quechua village above. The weather wasn't on our side, with snow flurries and light rain throughout the day. Reaching the village, we were met with the mountain shaman. I performed a few magic effects for him and a family there, and then was escorted to a stone slab further up the mountain, overlooking a beautiful green valley below. The Shaman was to perform a ritual that was giving thanks to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. The Quechua believe that all natural things have spirits - Rivers, mountains, lakes. The ceremony of giving thanks to Pachamama is a very important one as it could spell disaster for a potential harvest season. They offer small trinkets, food, or candy that is wrapped in paper and folded and burned. The ceremony was fascinating to watch, and participate in. The aspect that really got me was that after the ceremony, the weather actually cleared up. The Shaman told me that Mother Nature was happy and that we all became brothers that day. I couldn't believe my eyes and had found a new respect for the godly forces of Pachamama.
My television series ‘Culture Shock’ was developed after traveling to Egypt with my adventure buddy James Houston. We travelled there a good 7 years ago or so and I recall visiting a famous bazaar in Cairo called Khan el Khalili. I wanted to find some trinkets that I could take home with me. We were, of course, being approached from all angles, asked to buy this or that, followed by vendors, approached, followed some more. It was like trying to escape a frenzy of hungry car salesmen and women. I did, however, spot an old man 3 who seemed down on his luck. No one was buying from him, so I walked over and saw exactly what I was looking for, scarab beetle trinkets, the ancient Egyptian representative for protection. I began to perform a magic routine for him, whereby I took a smaller clay trinket of the beetle and vanished it. Made it appear on his shoulder, then turned it into a bigger trinket. His eyes widened and his smile grew so big I thought he would burst. At that moment, other Egyptian vendors began encircling James and I, wondering what the commotion was about. Families came out of houses and the crowd grew even bigger as I continued to perform more magic. Soon I had the whole street gathering to view what I was doing. I realised, from this event, how powerful magic was. When we first arrived, we were treated like tourists, but after the magic exhibition, I was treated like family. People were inviting me into their homes to have tea, see their antiques and tell stories of Egypt. Everything changed after that magic, we had all found a common ground and the wonderment and excitement of what I did brought us all together. From this experience, back home, I began to go through some of my grandfather’s travel journals that he had kept on his own adventures. Thats when the idea hit me - Culture Shock. I would retrace my grandfather’s own travels and his experiences when he would visit remote communities and perform magic and use his journal as a road map for my own adventures. Thus, Culture Shock was born - Following in my grandfather’s footsteps to understand the world and its mysteries through adventure and magic.
Words of Wisdom:
For anyone wanting to embark on their own adventure, I would say, research, learn, stay hungry for knowledge and wisdom will follow. The key for me is getting out there. No amount of book reading, or study will prepare you for the real thing. Becoming an adventurer is truly walking the path of trial and error, of success and failure, of learning what works and doesn't. Find the tools through instruction and information about the particular skill or adventure you are planning and researching, but also be prepared to go out there and learn by doing. You have to want to learn, and you have to keep an open mind.
To continue following our explorer Rich Maley’s journey or simply want to reach out and say Hi, you can connect with Rich on the following accounts:
Culture Shock Bridging Cultures Through Magic Website - Rich Manley – CULTURE SHOCK TV SHOW (cultureshockmagic.com)
Instagram - Rich Manley (@richcmanley) • Instagram photos and videos
Expedition Rich Website - Home – Expedition Rich | Traveler, Adventurer, Illusionist
