[TR] Thailand Sampler - a couple 12/31/2012

[fgw]

Trip: Thailand Sampler - a couple routes

 

Date: 12/31/2012

 

Trip Report:

Nine days of climbing in Thailand. Went to a place called Lopburi, 2 hrs north of Bangkok for some dry multipitch limestone on a tower with a cool name of Khao Chin Lae 2. Then did the standard thing and headed for Railay. The former had some fun, somewhat adventurous climbing (some approaches were anyway) and offered some rich cultural experiences (street markets with amazing fruits and food, no climbers, only a few western touristas). The depth of the cultural experience in the latter was about equivalent to that in American Fork in Utah. Fun climbing but the ambiance kinda sucked...crowded and full of drunken loud tourists. Things improved in the last few days when we discovered their local (cheap but very drinkable) rum.

 

More pics and words here .

 

A resident of the Prang Sam Yot (“The Monkey Temple”) watching the tourists over his shoulder:

The monkeys pretty much do as they please but don’t seem to venture beyond a one block radius of the temple (weird). Enjoying the spoils of a successful robbery:

Picking up some rambutans from a street vendor in Lopburi:

A rambutan fruit – think we hit those slightly out of their prime season:

A fresh mangosteen fruit – more tasty than it looks and it’s one pretty fruit:

The beautiful limestone tower of Khao Chin Lae 2 with the sunflower fields below. A rental scooter is pretty much a must to get to the climbing from town:

Shirley belaying on pitch 3 of Corcovado:

Another route. Shirley realizing that what we thought was a palm tree stump from the base was in fact a highly active bees’ nest… there was a second one (out of the photo) on pitch one and a huger one on pitch 2…we quickly bailed:

Signing the register atop Easter Island – a 3-pitch tall limestone tower:

The charm of central Thailand:

The iconic shot from Railay – crux pitch of Humanality with my sweat fogging up the camera lens:

The place was not totally devoid of charm…like this here 50 meter rap directly onto a bar patio:

Pitch 5 of Pai Noon Mai on Phi Phi Don Island:

A long nosed whip snake we found crossing a trail. Apparently mildly venomous in a bee sting sort of a way:

Shirley getting ready to start the short traverse pitch that gains the start of the Orange Chandeliers route:

The cool belay station that marks the start of the Orange Chandeliers route:

Pitch 2 of Orange Chandeliers:

Our ride home at Railay East on the morning of the departure day:

 

Gear Notes:

Sporto package & 2 ropes.

 

Approach Notes:

Some misc. beta on our blog.

Edited January 9, 2013 by fgw

[matt_warfield]

We in winter's gloom never know whether to love or hate you for being in the sun but we always enjoy the TR. Nice pics.

 

I remember a show on Animal Planet showing monkeys opening a window, raiding the kitchen (opening drawers, boxes of cereal, etc.) and exiting all while the resident was watching TV in the next room.

Edited January 9, 2013 by matt_warfield

[fgw]

thanks for the good word Matt. I saw the same show - and then they had this street market thing in town (literally 2 blocks from the monkeys' hood). Tons of food! I was waiting for the monkeys to show up in force at any minute but they did not -weird. If you're on their block eating anything...good luck though!

Edited January 9, 2013 by fgw

[JosephH]

Jeebus, hard to believe it's been twenty years since I was in Railay. Now that the kidder is raised up and flown the coop we'll have to consider getting back there again.

[matt_warfield]

thanks for the good word Matt. I saw the same show - and then they had this street market thing in town (literally 2 blocks from the monkeys' hood). Tons of food! I was waiting for the monkeys to show up in force at any minute but they did not -weird. If you're on their block eating anything...good luck though!

 

The monkeys could make the Crips and Bloods sweat.

 

How did you feel about the bolts there with the whole saltwater thingy that has been going around?

 

 

[fgw]

the central Thailand place is far enough from the ocean that they just use standard SS expansion bolts (oldest rts though date only to early 2000s). the oceanside places are heavy (the stuff we've done anyway) on the glue-ins, both SS & titanium. those looked good & seemed solid (think it's an ongoing experiment)...belays usually have a mixed bag of stuff (tied off features, glue ins, maybe an expansion bolt or two).

 

eg of Ti glue in:

Edited January 9, 2013 by fgw

[matt_warfield]

Hardware has been a recent topic so I had to ask.

 

I may have been thinking about Vietnam. Either way, got to have the right hardware.

 

Now what kind of rum and what kind of beer? Singha is for the States I suppose. Inquiring minds want to know.

[JosephH]

Hah. I took a full trad rack and it seem to create quite a stir with the locals one of whom ended up my main partners while I was there. I was there in '93 and the bolts were disintegrating then, hope they've been replacing them fast and furious ever since.

[Pete_H]

Cool trip. Thanks for the report and photos.

[matt_warfield]

Hah. I took a full trad rack and it seem to create quite a stir with the locals one of whom ended up my main partners while I was there. I was there in '93 and the bolts were disintegrating then, hope they've been replacing them fast and furious ever since.

 

One of my good climbing buddies found his current wife there. She had a full rack without the necessity of climbing.

 

Something about warm weather and beaches creates a different environment than Denali or Rainier.

[JosephH]

I'll say, I was there for six weeks and had a hard time leaving.

[fgw]

Now what kind of rum and what kind of beer? Singha is for the States I suppose. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Sang Som is the rum. Drinkable.

Local beer options were Singha, Chang, and Tiger. Drinkable but couldn't really tell them apart.

Cheap local whiskey is the Hong Thong, ~$10 for fifth...stick to rum.

[ivan]

lovely - but for a thailand t.r. i expect far more in the way of pix of scantily clad beach-goers!

[wfinley]

Wonderful! Loved all the pictures on your web site!

I grew up in Bangkok and have since been back to climb. Loved it as a kid... loved going back to visit.

[wayne]

Nice job team! On my list of things to do. Thanks

[JosephH]

Looking at Railay now on google earth I see Tonsai beach got developed. When I was there in '93 there was nothing at all over there or the beach on the Ao Nang side of the point so no longtail boats were transecting a line between Railay west and the point that projects out into the bay between Tonsai or a line between the point and Ao Nang.

 

 

Kind of a bummer now as I thought the daily swim from Railay west out to the point or to Ao Nang and back was the best part of staying there. Now with all the longtail boat traffic in and out of Tonsai and that other beach you'd end up just so much cut up fish bait if your tried that swim today.

[fgw]

thanks for the kind words all.

Ivan, for every attractive female on the beach, you get visually assaulted by some dude sporting the latest in Euro g-string trends.

Joseph, those romantic notions of the place no longer hold I'm sorry to say - the stretch of sea between Ao Nang village & tower and Tonsai area is a six lane highway of longtail boats...you can barely hear each other even when face to face at belay stations on Ao Nang tower.

[JosephH]

I hear you, time marches on. Will have find a quieter spot some where I guess.

[matt_warfield]

As Pete 'says it should be somewhere and not some where.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2013 by matt_warfield

[justcallmegary]

Very cool!

[harrai]

Great photos!