[Prev|Next|Index] Thu, Feb 22, 1996 Michael Calnan Hot Thai climbing By Michael Calnan Hot Thai Climbing Sharing Experiences on the Internet Michael Calnan This winter I decided to spend Christmas in Thailand. I was looking for a place where rock climbing could be mixed with some other activity (such as snorkeling) in a comfortable climate where food and accomodation were cheap. One look at the pictures in the climbing guide for Thailand told me it would be the place. In order to get cheap airfare you can't travel between December 15th and January 15th. I was able to get a ticket for $812 round trip San Diego-Bangkok departing December 11th and returning January 16th. Anabel thought this sounded like a good idea as well and decided to accompany me. We packed very little besides snorkeling and rock climbing gear. For me that was a pair of sandals, two t-shirts, two pairs of shorts, one pair of jeans and a sweat shirt. No jackets, no rain coats, no shoes or socks. We actually landed in Bangkok on the 13th, having lost a day to the international date line. We spent the next day doing the quickie tour and learning the ins and outs of using the river boats to travel as road traffic is at a standstill for most of the time in Bangkok. It took us three hours to get to Khao San Road from the airport on the #59 bus in the middle of the day. We never wanted to get on another city bus again. One day in Bangkok was enough and we shipped out on the overnight bus to Krabi that evening. The bus carried us and 40 some odd other foreigners from Khao San Road to Surat Thani departing at 6 PM and arriving at 6 AM. The airconditioning on these buses either doesn't work, as was the case on the trip down, or freezes you to death, as was the case on the trip back 5 weeks later. From Surat Thani we split up and those of us continuing on to Krabi were put in a minivan for 4 hours. Arriving in Krabi we took a long-tailed boat over to Phra Nang after being sold two nights accomodation for 800 Baht, much more than I had hoped to spend. We were told that we risked not finding a vacant bungalow if we didn't reserve in advance. I was skeptical but didn't want to take the risk of being wrong so I went for it. As it turns out I saw many cases of people arriving and not being able to find a bungalow during my 3 1/2 weeks at Phra Nang. We were able to move into a bungalow for 200 Baht/night ($8) a few days later. The climbing scene at Phra Nang is BIG. Lots of climbers come from all over the world and stay for months on end to climb wildly overhanging limestone dripping with stalactites. Within hours of arriving we had already seen the three climbing shops and were climbing at the most accessible area, just 100 yards down the beach from our bungalow. We joined the crowd at the Muai Thai and 1-2-3 climbing areas whose routes are popular with beginners and are used by the local climbing guides for instruction. In 3 1/2 weeks I climbed with numerous partners in most of the climbing areas in Phra Nang. I spent Christmas day climbing with Mike Gardner from San Diego who was on vacation with his family. No area was more than 30 minutes walk from the bungalow. The tides and exposure to the sun dictated when and where to climb. Some areas needed a low tide in the afternoon to be both accessible and in the shade, others needed the low tide in the morning. We did them all. I onsighted routes ranging from 5 to 7A+, attempted up to 7C, fell on a 6B+, dogged 6Cs, took a 25 footer on a 6C+ when a hold broke pulling over the roof. I chimneyed and monkeyed up stalactites and pulled pockets on roofs and smooth faces. I rapped into space off double 60 m ropes and saw my ATC fly into the sea, only to get it back a few days later from a new climbing partner who had found it snorkeling. I had two 50 m raps into boats and dripping wet ropes. There was enough climbing to stay busy for months at Phra Nang. New routes were going up and old ones were being rebolted constantly. During our time on Phra Nang we made several trips to the outer islands to snorkel as the visibility near the mainland was poor. We saw Leopard and Black-tipped Reef sharks, sea snakes and countless trigger, parrot, butterfly, what-have-you fish. The Andaman Sea is alive with colorful fish. I made several long swims with mask and snorkel to burn off some excess calories, swimming from one beach to another around the penninsula. After New Years we made the tough move to Koh Phi Phi, tough because you become comfortable where you are and with the people you're hanging around with. We packed up and caught the 9 AM ferry to Koh Phi Phi on January 6th and docked at Koh Phi Phi at 10:30 AM. Within minutes I had stumbed upon my next climbing partner, Eric from Boulder. He was sitting on a lounge chair looking out at Ton Sai Bay with his camera. One look at his forearms told me what he did for fun. He pointed out the way to the 200 Baht/night bungalows and we agreed to talk that evening. After a tour down the beach and up through town I jumped into the water for a snorkel. The coral and fish in Ton Sai Bay were fantastic. I walked for about 20 minutes along the west side of the bay, passing a troup of monkeys scouring the rocks at low tide, and made my way out over the reef. I snorkeled down to the Hin Taak climbing area where I saw the local guide, a Frenchman named Michel from Haute Savoie, with four clients. I knew who he was without ever meeting him as the downtown area was plastered with his advertisements. I was to bump into Michel every day of my stay on Koh Phi Phi, small place. Eric and I started out with a trip to Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited island to the south of Phi Phi Don, where we were staying. 700 Baht ($28) got us a boat for 7 hours. Anabel joined us as a videotographer and belay slave. Eric's main interest was to take photos for an article he was planning to write for Climbing magazine when he got back. We climbed several routes at the Pileh and Maya Bay areas, Eric got his photos, and then got down to some serious snorkeling spotting more sharks and some large grouper amongst the coral. We partied until late, snorkeled mornings and climbed in the afternoon for the rest of the trip. The grand finale was a full day boat trip that started with exploring the sea caves under the Monkey Head rock. I got down to 35 feet on a 65 second dive. I was happy that my ears were finally clearing easily as they had been difficult to clear for most of the trip. I was able to dive to 30 feet many times with no problem but couldn't match my record of 50 feet from almost 13 years before. We ended the day on four pitch route on the Monkey Head with a 6C crux and a full 50 meter free rappel into the boat. Anabel videoed as Eric, Blandine and myself ambled up. This time it was Eric who dropped his ATC in the sea, only to be recovered a little later by a German snorkeler who happened by. He clipped it onto the carabiner I lowered to him on the end of one rope while Blandine belayed Eric on the other. Our trip back to Bangkok was the reverse of the trip down, departed Koh Phi Phi at 1 PM, on the bus at 3 PM, arrive at Khao San Road in Bangkok at 6 AM. We hit the bars on Patpong Road on our last night there, prepared to go until the sun came up but all the bars closed at 1 AM due to some problem with the police that started a month ago. We ended the night, sadly, at the big McDonalds on Silom Road before taking a Tuk-tuk back to our guest house. The trip to the airport the next day was aided by two veterans we met at the guest house who told us how to get there using the taxi boat and the train. The boat stopped on a canal only 100 meters from the guest house. The trip took 1 1/2 hours and cost 10 Baht ($0.40), much better than the #59 bus. We had a great time climbing and snorkeling in Thailand. The people there are easy going and don't give you hassles, the food and accomodation are cheap. The beaches are covered in topless european beauties and tanned hunks during the day and the bars are packed with better dressed versions of the same at night. The climate is mild, not too hot or too cold, the water perfect for swimming. We needed to cover ourselves with a sheet some nights. Mosquitoes attack at sunset and during the day in cool damp places so be prepared, a mosquito net is a must and is provided along with the bungalow. The 5 week trip cost me about $1600 including airfare and would have been much less if I didn't like Singha so much! There is never a problem finding a climbing partner if you have a rope and draws. Get down there if you haven't been. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Twenty-Four Hours of Democracy]