Food with a Side of Climbing

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When a waking life consists of only two major events, patterns form easily. Life is not complicated. My routine is solely constructed of eating and climbing. Everything else is merely a distraction. Both activities are bountiful, delightful and far more valuable than the cost. Days consist of 4 meals, 3 out of an open air kitchen at the back of a local ladies house. Lovingly called, Chicken Mama, a 5' tall Thai woman filled our empty bellies between climbs. Through nourishment and smiles, Chicken Mama became the mother of an eclectic group of strangers brought together only by a sense of adventure and a passion for scaling rocks. The dinning room consisted of two picnic tables and a small, tattered umbrella. She continually slow roasted barbecue chicken, sending comforting smells wafting across the beach. Food was cheap, portions were large, customers were happy.

Each night, we would break from our regular daily meal spot and pull 3 tables together at a curry shack and eat, drink and tell tails of the cliff. Our conversations would travel the world. From sunset till late after dark, we would dine, converse, learn, drink, argue and flirt. Table talks would always start with the biggest falls and tales from the day.

Early mornings and late nights were magic at Tonsai. The perfect weather boasts a light breeze starting at night sustaining through till early morning. This pushed most of the mosquitoes back into the jungle giving you just enough peace to drift to sleep. The mosquito net became the single most important material item, after my climbing gear. My first night in a beach bungalow was an experience of skin patterning. I went to sleep with a very perforated mesquito net. I woke the next morning to find my body covered in 100's mosquito bites. After that evening, Tiger Balm also ranked very high up on my most appreciated goods. This elaborate body art was only topped by the night I inadvertently shared my mattress with an ant colony. While I slept, they dined. I quickly conditioned myself to sleep through anything. Even with a speckled back comparable to a bad case of measles, the possibility of a bad day was far from achievable.

The following evening, it happened again. The ten hours of climbing each day was just not enough. This is how I found myself 4 pitches up a climb called Humanality, tapping my feet to the Bob Marley blaring from the bar 300 feet below. An LED light from my headlamp was barley noticeable from the moonlight being cast on the rock from a full moon. Finishing the last pitch and lowering off into the night from 360 feet above the ground, I was a happen climber. Only 24 hours had passed since my arrival in Tonsai. 24 hours in paradise.

Life As I Know It

After only 3 days, I am more used to seeing the top of the jungle canopy than I am at explore below. I am used to seeing sun-bathers as dark specs spoiling the white sandy beaches hundreds of feet below. I spend most of my time eye level with the birds, with a feeling of that I am closer to the clouds than to the sea. My hands know Thailand as the land of endless sandstone and my waist feels empty without a snug harness tightly secured.

Only hours after my arrival, I had settled into a beach-side bungalow, met two climbing partners and found myself hiking into one of the 16 large cliffs that scatter the Pra Nang Peninsula. The routes are perfect. The rock is littered with holes and tufas to make a magical blend of tiring technical routes that require balance, focus and innovative strategies. The routes rocket out from the coast towering 100 meters into the air. The orange-white rock acts as a colorful frame to the beach and jungle. A glimpse up at a cliff in the sun will reveal reflective sparks of light from the bolts used to protect the climbs. This makes all climbers on the ground drool with anticipation of their next send. Approaching the cliff humbles all climber as the excitement builds to step off the ground.

Pra Nang is made up of three beaches; Tonsai, Railay east and Railay West. The climbing is located throughout each of these areas but the climbers have taken refuge in the Tonsai. This is were everyone is in great shape. Everyone walks around with climbing shoes attached to the hip. Conversations are confusing except to the climbing literate. Here, climbers rule all. For a sport where its participants are used to being asked questions like, "So...do you use ropes?" and "I tried that in summer camp when I was ten." the outcasts are now the non-climbers. Tonsai is inhabited by the friendliest Thai people that predominately work to capitalize on the tourism industry and the climbing addicts that are in search of the next great climb. Grungy climbing clothes and bloody knuckles are much more common than clean polo’s and Hawaiian print bathing suits. Here, life is great if you are an enthusiastic climber. Here, life is great if you are a climber. Here, life is just great!

A Climber's Paradise

I will apoligize in advance for any grammatically errors or misspellings. My computer screen sits inches away from a bay window that looks out over a pristine beach and perfect floating spires of climbing delight. After only 14 hours of transit bus purgatory, heaven on earth has been reached.

The path to Railay rightousness began almost 20 hours ago. Khao San Road provided ample people watching to rest from the marathon of walking I had done in the last couple days. Trying to emulate the extremely obivious standout toursit mode that only my dad can do, I had my sunburned nose buried deep into an animated map of Bangkok. My shoes contained less then 100 steps before wearing through. I took this as a sign to enjoy a day of relaxation. Only moments later the friendly, chipper, stuffed-up voice of an american accent was heard only a table away. After postive responce from a comment about the acceptability of being american tourists now becuase of our new president, I new I was in for a good company with Nicky and her boyfriend...i'll call him Pieces. After a day of little move movement, lots of politcs, delicous falafal and good conversation, I felt furfilled and confident that I have seen the best of Bangkok.

The maze of public trasportation included next to no english with three bus tranfers. A extreme sports junkie was my seatmate on the bus and we swapped injury horror stories as we counted the hours away. I bootlegged version of the new Wolvereen movie play away at the front of the bus. The movie was so bootleged that all the CGI were in bit data form. It movie encourged imagination. Finally arriving in Krabi provices encouraged us to hurry from excitment to the the inevitable waiting. After buying a boat ticket for a ferry to Tonsai. I lauched into a conversation with a Spinish Haliburton worker as we waited the three hours for required 8 people needed to fill the boat. The ferry ended up being only a 10 minute ride around cliff scattered pennicials and spire arrets islands. Arriving at a beach only a ten minute walk from the beach I desired, I began walking next to a French climber that introduced me to every climber we passed. Turning off the beach into a jungle path brought us to a path that ran parrell to the must perfect climbing I have ever laid eyes on. Unable to contain myslef I pulled out my gear and began hauling up a perfect climb of smooth perfected rock. More to come; the crag is calling.