Update from Thailand
I've finally managed to get some more pictures on here to let you see some of the things we've been up to in the last week or so.The big picture shows Tonsai from the Thaiwand, a limestone tower on the opposite side of the bay. We had a day's climbing on the Thaiwand managing a grand total of two single pitch routes. It's mainly a multi-pitch venue and the guide book writer foreseeing the general competency of a lot of the climbers here urges the reader to keep an eye out for people making mistakes. So anyway we tried to climb a 35 metre route with a 60 metre rope. Iain did just about make it down to the ground on rope stretch and with the help of several nearby climbers and a lot of discussion and faff I did manage to tie on to one end of the rope (as the route had to be cleaned). However as I started up the 6c moves my belay consisted of the other end of the rope tied to one corner of the rope bag and Iain perched on top of a ramp holding on very tight to the other corner..........
The good thing about the Thaiwand is that once you have had a nightmare climbing there you don't have to fight your way back through the jungle to escape. One of the routes ends in a cave from where you follow fxed ropes and creaky bamboo ladders through a tunnels and caverns in the base of the tower for about twenty minutes to emerge on the opposite side of the tower above the beach of Phra Nang at the end of the peninsula.
We have got into a bit of a routine - up early for breakfast on the beach then along to the beach cliffs for the morning before they get too hot or busy. A swim, a long lunch (on the beach) and then in the afternoon a jungle adventure to find a crag and do battle with mosquitos and / or monkeys. All followed by drinks and dinner (for preference on or very near the beach)..... Today however was a rest day and although our lie-in was thwarted by monkeys bouncing off our roof at 7am we had a very pleasant day - massage in the morning and then we hired a sea kayak for the afternoon which we paddled around local islands and sea stacks, stopping to swim and explore caves. Realised very soon into the trip that paddling is not an ideal rest-day activity for climbing and expect to feel it tomorrow!
posted by Gill at
5:13 AM
1 Comments:
Your have no idea how jealous I am sitting in my dingy office with the gales and driving wind lashing at the window.....looks amazing, apart from local wildlife. In India a couple in the room next to ours left a packet of laxatives lying out then went out for the night, the monkeys broke in, ate the laxatives and then hung about for a while while they took effect, then left after what you can imagine was not a pretty site, so the moral of that story is lock up your laxatives....
anyway, would have loved to have joined your sea kayaking trip although you are right about the sore arms and I wouldn't have fancied my chances with the sharks, have you not seen The Beach!!!
Work night out tonight, then off to face the storms in Kintail for a long weekend, catch some rays for me!
francoxxxx
By
Franco, at 9:08 AM
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