Spotlight on ... Guro Jeremiah Stanley
(Or Around the World in 300 Days)
By Jay de Leon

Originally Published by WorldBlackBelt, 2005

     I met Jeremiah Stanley back in 1995, in the Almaden district of south San Jose, California. At that time, Jeremiah was already a kempo black belt and instructor and an advanced jiu-jitsu student studying with Hans Ingebretsen. He came with his pretty Filipina girl friend, Grace, to my school called “Filipino Fighting Arts USA” to check it out. At that time, San Jose was also home to two other FMA brothers-in-arms –the late Mangisursuro Mike Inay (Inayan Eskrima) and Master Alfredo Bandalan, Jr.(Doce Pares). Jeremiah must have liked what he saw, for not only did he come back but he brought several of his fellow kempo black belt instructors. He has been my student ever since. And like most of my senior students, he has also become a close friend. And for the record, Grace trained with us for many years, earning a green belt.

Filipino Fighting Arts (FFA) Reunion with Sifu Steve Aron in Glendora, CA. Seated from left to right Jeremiah Stanley (FFA San Jose,CA), Jay de Leon, Ruben Torres (FFA San Jose, CA), Steve Aron (Academy of Fighting Arts, Glendora, CA). Standing, Ben Tryon (FFA Laguna Hills, CA) and Matt Tryon (FFA San Jose, CA).

     So why is the spotlight on Jeremiah? Well, all he did was travel around the world in 300 days, visited 17 countries, sampled about 36 brands of beer and local brew, and trained in 15 different martial arts. At least one of those accomplishments should impress you. He left Jan.20, 2003 for Thailand and flew back home on Nov. 15, 2003 from his last destination, Spain. Home is Truckee, in Northern California, where Jeremiah works as an emergency nurse.
     Here in the order he visited them are the 17 countries that he savored : Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Nepal, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Spain.

Jeremiah paddling up the Mekong in Laos...   …fording a river in Thailand atop and elephant…

     For the record, and because this is after all a martial arts forum, here is a list of the countries and the martial arts he trained in, and the main instructor, if there was one, in parenthesis. I will gloss over the fact that he was also probably racking up his beer brand count together with his martial arts training.

• Thailand – Muay-Thai (Tewa Ratchmanee)
• Malaysia – Silambam (Guru Alba), Phoenix Eye Fist Kung-fu, Jodo (Mr. Karuna)
• Vietnam – Shaolin Kung-fu
• Cambodia -  Khmer Boxing
• Philippines – Arnis de mano (GM Ernesto Presas, son JanJan Presas, senior instructor Oliver)
• Poland – Boxing (in Krakow gym)
• Hungary – Nihon Tai-Jitsu (Budapest Police Instructor Roland Fontanbleu)
• Romania – Aikido
• Turkey – Gyresh (wrestling)
• Spain – Eskrima, Jujitsu, Silat

…and visiting the Golden Buddha in Thailand…

     In Thailand, Jeremiah actually joined a Muay Thai camp in Phetchuburi for five days, training side by side with both novice and professional muay thai fighters. In the Philippines, he was fortunate enough to train with Grandmaster Ernesto Presas (brother of Modern Arnis.Founder Remy Presas) and his son Jan-Jan Presas.

…at the ruins of the Library in Ephesus, Turkey…

     Jeremiah did admit to having some fun in the course of his travels—snorkeling in Thailand, trekking in the Himalayas, eating “lechon” (roast pig) and drinking “San Miguel” and “Red Horse” beer in fiestas and exploring caves in the Mountain Province in the Philippines, and touring castles in eastern Europe. He also celebrated his birthday with a big party thrown by friends in the Netherlands.

This door at the Museum of Gladiators in Turkey contains paintings depicting gladiatorial combat in Turkey during the glory days of the Roman Empire.

     As a side bar, Jeremiah will provide a full listing of the beer brand tally if you email me privately. But just to give you a taste (no pun intended), he mentioned that the tastiest beer he had on the trip was La Chouffe in the Netherlands, and the cheapest beer was called Bia Ho’i and cost only five (5) cents a cup in VietNam.

Cheapest beer in the world? Only five cents a cup, in VietNam.

     Other memorable experiences include discovering some unique local beliefs, like killing a goat and spraying its blood on the bus for good luck is a good thing (Turkey) and eating a live cobra heart will make you feel like a real man (Thailand). He said he enjoyed discussing and seeing the vestiges of the great religions of the world, including Buddhism, animism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity.

Eastern Orthodox priest officiates at a funeral ceremony in a cemetery in Romania

     When pressed for the highlight of his travel, Jeremiah said, “Of course, the most unforgettable aspect of the whole trip was the wonderful people I met, especially the martial arts people I trained with. I will definitely always cherish the memories of all those training sessions and the camaraderie and friendship and drinking and singing that came with it. He went around the world to discover what we all do in dojos right here in the U.S.-- beat the living daylights out of each other and then go out for a beer? But I guess you had to be there.

Most potent drink in the world? These jars containfermented cobra blood, believed to increase virility, in Laos.

Now excuse us, while Jeremiah shows me that neat counter he learned from Grandmaster Ernesto Presas.