Pretty active week after getting back in on Wednesday.. headed climbing (only indoors bah humbug) on Thursday.. Saturday headed up to Castle Hill with Steve, and Helen (who I’d not met before – she’s been off travelling for a year and a half, hitching and climbing her way around America and Europe!)

It was a roasting day up at castle hill.. I’d forgotten how easy it is to burn down here (little ozone..) but I know now ;) Great day. There was this weird (I’d never seen it before) kinda rainbow around the sun. It was completely circular.. dunno how it’s formed – I guess just the sun shining through scattered clouds..

Monday – headed to Salsa lessons with Linda – which was great fun, think I will go on the rest of the course (another 8 weeks) really reminded me (so far) of rock ‘n roll dancing when I was on exchange in France – many years ago.

And then yesterday headed climbing with John – and Susan – an American climber Linda had just met – who was looking for someone to climb with. She’s way cool – been living out of her touring van for the last 5 months! (after hitching around Africa of all places for the previous 7 months!) (bought the van for $150 off some poor irish people who had to leave the country!!) And then a quality game of scrabble…

My friend Lorcan sent me this link on tsunamis. I imagine a few of you reading are interested in how damaged it all was. Ko Pi Pi I believe was quite badly hit, and from talking to one of the climbers here who went out to help on the island – it really was quite bad there. Moreover because the authorities do not want to admit the numbers killed (many Burmese workers etc. just unaccounted for) because of the tourists. Or at least that’s what I was told. However, the vast majority of the area – at least in the parts we were – was almost perfect by the time we got there. It was very (perhaps too) easy to forget that the tragedy had happened at all. They’re a very resiliant people – and perhaps its from the belief that they do go to a happier, better place. Some of the hotels had received damage, but mostly the area we were in was quite sheltered – by islands and a reef – and the damage was minimised.

So if I haven’t talked about it much – it’s not actually because I’m cruel and heartless and am just far more interested in having a good time.. but because they’ve got on with things so well – and want to get back to normality as soon as possible. The longer people stay away the longer it’s going to take them to get back on their feet. So if you really want to help and fancy a holiday…

Don’t forget – you can reverse the page if you want! just click on the reverse page link on the right hand side. Also, two other climbers (Mark and Abby) are doing a trip around asia – their weblog is here.

There’s also a slideshow here of some of the pics. It’s not the prettiest layout – but it’s functional… will change it sometime.

Finally time to leave. Stayed the night before my departure in Ao Nang, as I was flying out at 10am and wasn’t quite sure I’d be able to get a boat in the morning. Met a couple of English climbers – and played pool and darts with them.

The darts was actually lots of fun – a version I’d never played before – they called it cricket. Very tactical. The aim is to get the least points. Now, you have the numbers 20->15 and then Doubles, Triples and the Bulls (outer or inner rings). You have to hit each number 3 times (but if you get a double it counts for 2 etc.) Once you have all three hits on a particular number (or double or triple) then you’re safe – but if you hit the number again, you give your opponents points.

For example, I hit the number 20 three times , but you’ve only hit it twice. If I hit it again, you get 20 points.. A really fun game actually.

Then back up to Bangkok… had 24 hours up there, wandered around seeing temples and the palace.

And all too soon time to go home. Amazing trip though. Just amazing.

Had a fun last night on the island.. we headed climbing – just a few easy routes, and then there was a fire party over at Tonsai – so away we headed to see Job2Do playing (an excellent reggae acoustic type gig thingy!)

It was heaps of fun, and two things worthy of note – one was jumping though a fire hoop (not hot at all!)

And the other was heading out drinking with (and I admit I’d no idea who he was until it was explained) a guy called Tim Emmett.

He’s a world class (madman) climber / deep water soloer. This link is of Tim, Chris Sharma, and a few others deep water soloing in Croatia. Stunning pictures.

And that, pretty much, was the end of my time in Rai Lay. I will, without any shadow of a doubt, be back climbing there again within the next 2 or 3 years. Hopefully next year!

After the rest day it was back to climbing until I left. This is a pic of Kyle on a really fun looking 6C over on the Phra Nang side of the peninsula.

There was a certain amount of partying done too. It’s quite easy to have *slightly* too much, from time to time. But that’s ok ;)

But the highlight for me anyway, was when we went deep water soloing. We hired a long tail (boat) for the day, and a kayak – (well two of each) and 15 of us headed out. So off we went amongst the islands, and when we saw one we liked the look of we’d head over to it, get into the kayaks…

and start climbing straight onto the rock. When you got tired, or had enough, you just fall into the water. It was heaps of fun.

This pic is of Robert getting kinda high on the rock

and then jumping in…

Just so much fun though. Some of the starts were kinda hard. Often you had to grab onto stalactites straight off the kayak and start climbing. This was a little too hard for me (at the moment – but I will be back) – This pic Aaron having established himself on one of the stalactites.

Really was one of the best days though. We then went out for dinner in ‘The Banyan Tree’. A restaurant over on the Tonsai side. It was the best meal I had there, absolutely fantastic. Would highly recommend the vegetable tempura as being incredible value for money.

On the way home we went for a swim in the phosphorescent water. Just floating in the warm glowing water looking up at the perfectly starry night was an excellent way to cap off the day.