Krabi and Climbing

After traveling for close to 18 hours by bus, minivan, and long tail boat I arrived on the coast of Ton Sai, Asia's climbing mecca. It is a sleepy strip of beach bookended by limestone karsts and built in between the white sands and steadily developed jungle. It is low-season here which means that many bars and restaurants are temporarily closed and prices have plummeted! I found a hostel for 150 baht ($5) - which I've since upraged to a nicer room for the same price. Ton Sai is only accessible by boat and to get to nearby Rai Lay (West) beach one must either scramble over the monkey trail of rock and jungle or wade through shin deep ocean along the coast - only during low tide. The views of foliage carpeted rock jutting out of the water or beach are breathtaking. I could sit and stare all day, and a plethora of people actually do.

The name of the game here is climbing, and the view people who don't climb are looked at with a glance of "oh ok, so what are you doing here?!?!" - which no one would actually come out and say because everyone is so nice and polite, seriously.

I decided to go the route of an actual guided course, which being more expensive is a gamble but has been good so far. I went with King Climbers who, so far, have been professional and solid. I started out top roping on 5 and 6a climbs (about 5-8 and 5-10 in North American terms) and even began lead climbing.

Leading is an entirely different ballgame. Every move really matters. I am hesitant to slip and fall victim to a 2-5 meter drop, possibly leading me body first back into the rock. So far I have only led level 5 climbs which allows me to learn the technique and become familiar with leading before attempting anything more serious.
After two days of climbing, my fingers have been cut up on the sharp rock faces and my muscles are pretty sore. Tomorrow will be another full day and hopefully I will have more strength.

There are of course climbers of all walks and skill level. I'm not alone in my mediocrity, but this morning I witnessed two guys ascend a 6 pitch, level 7a multi-pitch face over the beach of Ton Sai called "humanality". I was awe-struck, vanquished to stares and gapes in full admiration.

Ton Sai's climbing (as well as adjacent Rai Lay) possess a mystical powering luring and capturing people into extended stays. I have met many a traveler who explained that they were meant to carry on, but "got stuck" here. The travelers here are somewhat diverse, but the majority are Brits, Germans, Canadiennes, French, Scandinavian, Dutch, a few Americans and the occasional Israeli (not here for the climbing). People are great, open and inviting, and I even met a Swiss woman who had previously done the Green Apprenticeship on Kibbutz Lotan (and couldn't fathom that I had heard of it and even knew some of the same people)!

Everything is chill here in Rai Lay and Ton Sai, and I will write more on my climbing progress.