Let's Go to Sleep

Got to Bangkok safe and sound. Did absolutely nothing yesterday. I mean, I was part unpacking part just lounging around. So much laundry to do!! Glued to the computer the whole day basically. Unhealthy, I know. But half the time I wasn't even paying attention to the screen.


Sitting on the plane definitely made me sluggish.


I kept thinking and am still thinking how it's going to be a painfully slow two weeks. Gotta try to fill in the days with something meaningful, other than going online all the time and checking Facebook like a crazy idiot. Hahaha!


This place makes me so unproductive. So I'll seize the moment and make it productive!


The power of positive thinking, eh? I'm gonna try to finish this one cross stitch piece, go run, and read some books(?). Question mark because, really, that's not much in terms of meaningful. People here don't speak my language (don't talk about or enjoy the same sort of things).


Anyway, so last night I was just online surfing the net. I don't even remember what I did exactly. It was that useless. Anyway, so I was basically waiting for bed time to approach. My mom fell asleep watching TV. I don't like watching TV with her. Mainly because the shows she watch are stressful. I mean, they're fine in small doses. But watching it all the time just makes me feel so stiff.


She watches shows like Law and Order: SVU (hate that show actually), Criminal Minds, NCIS, Bones, Medium, etc. You know, those crime solving kind of shows. You can only take so much in a day.


So I was on the computer and was close to going to bed. It was one of those moments when you're like, "okay, a couple more minutes." My dog came walking into the room. She has been sleeping with my mom. And it seriously looked like she was calling me to bed. Hahaha! She just stood there looking at me and was wagging her tail. So I finally went to bed, and she followed me and slept under my cover. :3


Two weeks of possibility awaits me! What to do with that, not exactly sure yet. :)

Day 11: Multi-Pitch Wonders

So you might ask what happened to days 9 and 10. Well, those were my break days and nothing much happened anyway. My mom came yesterday (the 12th) and we just went to go eat and look at ceramic arts for sale and wood carvings. Nothing too adventurous I would say, but the food was actually really good!


And today is my last day of climbing. :((( I've had a really good experience and time here. If I have to choose where I spend my days before going back to the states I would totally choose here. Absolutely nothing back in Bangkok. Sighh...


Then again, I'd choose to go straight to the states if that was a choice.


I just get so sick and tired of people trying to get me to do things that I don't want to do.


I guess it probably won't be as bad if they just tell me straight to my face. At least I'll be able to reciprocate the answer in the same straightforward manner. I hate it when people give bullshit reasons to try and make me do something. Especially when they try to make me feel guilty. Effing pisses me off!


Anyway, enough with my random ranting. Today was awesome!!! It's my Intro. to Multi-Pitch Climbing day. :) I can now climb multi-pitch routes! Of course, that is if I remember all the steps, hahaha!


It took the whole first half of the day for my instructor, P'Tor, to teach me the steps and me practicing on the simulating bolts. We had lunch after that and climbed an easy three pitch route. I think the route is called "Horse with No Head." Probably because you get up to the point where you're just beside and below the horse's head.


I felt really good today climbing, not out of energy and sluggish like last time. Hehehe. The first pitch was supposedly 5.8, the second a 5.6, and the third a 5.7. I lead the second pitch (obviously). Then we rappelled down. Which is pretty awesome considering how I was hanging at least 50 meters above ground level. :)))


The other people that came with me were doing the Vertical Caving course. They descended and ascended the cave in the area. They were practicing using their gears right where I was practicing my multi-pitch routine. It looks pretty tiring ascending, hahaha.


Makes me want to take the three day intensive caving course though!

He's ascending!

Strapped in...Jeez, doesn't that look complicated?
Well, it is.

Sweaty me with hair plastered on my forehead resting after climbing the second pitch.
Just pure awesomeness!

You think just sitting there resting would help with the pain, but you actually end up getting pain elsewhere like your lower back because you're resting your weight there. And when you adjust to a comfortable position your weight is on the leg loops, thus, cutting the circulation and eventually making them numb. Oh the dilemma in life, to keep going or to rest?

Seriously, doesn't that look like the horse is looking down at me angrily?
Probably because his left ear has been nibbled off ;p

Looking down before rappelling to the ground.

P'Tor rappelling down after me.
He's that little green thing at the top of the rope.

Oh and guess what? I bought a new pair of shoes!!! Rock climbing shoes, of course. The girl working at the store gave me a huge discount. I couldn't possibly refuse. ;)

Mad Rock Flash 2.0

I got them in the size 5.5 and I was wondering why I'm wearing such a small shoe size. Turns out they're men's size. Fits good though, so I'm not complaining. :3


Leaving Chiang Mai tomorrow morning! Oh, how I will miss it here. :')

Day 8: Lead Until You Die

Hah! Of course I didn't die. But I was definitely dead tired. We did five routes overall today, although I didn't complete the last one. I felt really mellow throughout the whole day, I don't know why. Wish I had that energy from the last day I went climbing. Climbed like 6 routes and I felt like I could do more. Oh well.

I learned a lot about my instructor, P'Muad, today because he was the only one looking after me. I already knew him from the first day of rock climbing here because he and P'Bo were the ones that took me that time.

P'Muad apparently was a Thai national rock climbing athlete. Ranked third here if I remember correctly. He used to be able to climb a 9a in the French numerical grading, which is like a 5 effing 14d!!! He has been climbing for 13 years though, since he was 20 years old. He says he's taking a break at the moment because he has been climbing nonstop for many years. He's basically giving his body a break.

Other than that, P'Add came to Crazy Horse with a friend. He was my instructor last time for Intro. to Lead Climbing. It's supposed to be his day off but he just went there to climb for fun. P'Muad pointed out when were waiting for the others to come that P'Add was climbing an 8 because we could see him from the resting area. That's at least a 5.13b!!! What the heck are these guys made of???

I didn't even know anything existed beyond a 5.12 until I got here. So yes, I'm sure I am in good hands at this place.

So moving on to how I did. Like I said, I was feeling very mellow and low on energy today. I did the first four climbs fine. Well, I did kind of struggle with the fourth and had to sit once or twice. Remember, I was lead climbing all of them.

The last two routes of the day was at this section called "The Hanging Garden." Then on my last one, I got halfway, tried with all my might, and was like "nope, take me down." Hahaha! The last one is supposed to be a 5b (5.8). I got stuck at the very slight and small overhang. It really was just a little curve protruding out. And the next bolt was RIGHT THERE.

One, I couldn't hold on for long. Two, P'Muad kept on telling me to reach for this one hand hold I couldn't reach. I tried a couple times, but there really was no hope for me at this point. I'm not strong enough yet. I mean, I guess I could just jump and go for it, but considering how much I had to fall to the last bolt below me, I decided to back out, lol.

Then P'Muad went up to do the whole thing. He showed me where the hand hold was and I was just like, I'm way too short for that. Hahaha!

A fire to ward off the mosquitoes!!

"The Hanging Garden"

My third climb of the day :)

A "golden bee" that just loves my legs :3

Talking about mosquitoes. I have a fri ggin' mosquito bite on my forehead! The first few days it just looks like a big bump on my forehead. And when I say bump I mean like a hard bump. Then it starts turning red and is slowly getting smaller. So now it looks like this ugly big pimple smack in the middle of my forehead. :'((( Trying not to touch it, trying not to think about it.

Curse you, mosquito!!!!

Day 7: Saturday Night Market

First of all, I officially finished my three day Thai Oil Massage lessons! We went over everything today and the instructor said I did really good, plus I learned really fast. She said that most of the time foreigners find it very difficult to be kneeling on their knees for that long. Well, one good thing about being Thai right? We kneel a lot.


I even got a certificate of participation!

Then I came back to the room and was on the internet for a little bit. I was gonna read but I felt really sluggish and tired so I took a nap, again, until dinner time. :)


Went to eat dinner at the congee place. I was contemplating whether or not I should go to the Saturday night walking street market. I mean, it was just across the street from where I was eating. So of course I decided to check it out.

It was raining for a little bit when I was having dinner so it's kind of wet. But walking through the market I saw a lot of interesting things. Especially the pets that people took with them to work at their stands.

Awwww... cute little kitteh!! 

You so soft and fluffy!!

By the way, if you can't already see, this little kitty's eyes aren't the same color. So cool! She's only a month old. :3


Then, another store selling dog stuff had their Pomeranians all uhhhh groomed.....

"Look, I'm a little pink fairy!" (with glasses)

"And I wield a wand!"

At first I thought the pink mane was an add on, like a costume. Turns out it's the dog's actual hair dyed pink! And the body is all shaved so without the color it will probably look like a little lion.

Haha! He's so cute riding the motorcycle.

Now he's even cooler with his shades!

They look so comfortable in that chair :)

And of course, I bought a couple of stuff for myself. :D I walked through the whole street then back, there is no way I can resist not getting something. Especially after thinking about how much cheaper things are here than it is in the States.

This is gonna go in my new car's dashboard!

I mainly got the monkey face because it reminds me of Tony. So every time I drive and see it bounce around I'll think of him, hahaha! ;D


And last but not least, one of my favorite dessert. Or more like sweet things to eat.....

Two bags of cotton candy!!!

Each for like only 75 cents!!!! I just finished the blue bag tonight. Will save the colorful one for another day. Taste the rainbow, fo' shizzz!


Tomorrow going rock climbing! Doing technical lead climbing skills. Hopefully I haven't forgotten what I learned just yet. :)

Day 6: Turn Back Time

I learned the whole Thai Oil Massage routine! Yay! Well, the moves and how to do it anyway. Haven't completely remembered it yet. Don't think I'll have anyone to practice on when I go to Bangkok either. Gotta wait until I see my test rat Tony when I go back to the states. Hehehe. x) Or maybe even my cousin first. We'll see.


Seriously though, it's hard work massaging someone! My lower back was hurting and shaking again, hahaha. My instructor said I'll get used to it. Most of the time I felt like I was being too light in the way that I press. But I'm scared of pushing too hard in case it's at the wrong spot or something. I guess I'll get better with practice.


Tomorrow we'll be going over the whole massage routine nonstop. First, the instructor will massage me. Then I'll massage the instructor so she can tell me if I'm doing it right. Feels kinda like a test. Hopefully I'm not too out of it after my massage. ;)


After getting back to the room, I finally started reading the book that I brought along with me because there was nothing to do and I didn't want to watch TV. It's actually pretty good. I always kept on reading even when I told myself to stop at a certain point. The book is called "The Society of S" by Susan Hubbard. I only stopped when I got too hungry and needed food, hahaha!


I feel like I've turned back into a little kid walking back from dinner today. I went to eat dinner with a cutesy backpack. Ordered "pad macaroni" (stir fried macaroni; really good! But mostly kids love this dish). Payed using my old Nightmare Before Christmas wallet when I was in grade school. Got excited when I saw a kid holding two bags of cotton candy. Bought two rolls of roti (one with sweetened condensed milk, the other with honey). Bought a bottle of Betagen (same as the Yakult drink). And walked back with the Betagen in one hand and a bag of roti in the other.


You can probably just imagine me skipping along with a big smile on my face. Hahaha!

Day 5: The Back and The Leg

Successfully went through the first day of Thai Oil Massage class! It was three hours, but dang!  I didn't expect it to be this tiring. Because you're basically bending over the person getting a massage the whole time, my friggin' lower back was hurting like crazy. It was literally shaking at some points while I was learning! Hahaha!


But, the good news is I'm a fast learner. So I actually already learned half of the massage. :) I've learned how to massage the back and the leg while a person is lying face down. Still can't remember the steps from beginning to end, so I'll have to go over it again and again.

Where I'm learning to give Thai oil massage.

The wonderful thing about this course is I actually get massaged after I learned the steps. It's not supposed to be for pleasure or as an add on, but it's so that I know what it feels like. The instructor was calling out the steps as she was massaging me. But I found it really hard to concentrate because I was dozing off. Hahaha!


I love oil massages! :D


I was starving when I got out from the lesson! Thankfully there's a food shop right next to the massage place to the left. So I ate there. I had fried rice with shrimp. And it was surprisingly really good.


It was incredibly hot today! And now at night it's pouring rain. It's a good thing I already went out to eat dinner. I was so out of energy today after the massage lesson, I don't know why. I fell asleep after I got back to the room. And when I woke up, I was EXTREMELY hungry. I couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Hahaha!


I finally had congee!! It was really really good!!! It's at the shop called "Joke Pratuu Chiang Mai" which translates into Chiang Mai's Gate Joke.

Good congee with a cold drink of palm seed drink :)

Day 4: Lead Climbing

Man! I'm learning so many things. I'm scared I'll forget after I leave. Hahaha! Probably need to jot down some things so I won't forget.


So I learned how to clip in the quickdraws to the bolt and how to clip the rope into the quickdraws. The rope gets so heavy as you go higher!! It gets really tiring especially when you're going to rappel yourself down. Friggin' pulling up all those ropes to throw down was really taxing!


Anyway, so I successfully lead climbed all the routes that I climbed. Yay!! The highest that I went was a 5a (French Numerical System). It's a 5.8. Tony didn't believe me when I said I lead climbed a 5.8. What a doubtful boyfriend, hahaha. Either I got better at climbing or their rating is wrong. I doubt their rating is wrong though. :)


Then again, it might have something to do with the nature of the rock. I find it easier to climb on the rocks at Crazy Horse because it's mostly jagged so there's a lot of good foot placement and hand holds.


I mean, I did struggle at some points during the climb. I guess the fear of falling really kept me going.

At the top and securely tied in :)

See the horse's head?

In action!

Coming down

Sofie climbing next to me in the chimney.

Going to Crazy Horse I met Alan and Sofie, a couple from Australia. Alan is originally from Holland, and Sofie from France. They weren't taking a course, but just tagging along in the car to get to the rig. They were really nice! :)

In case I drop my ATC.

 So I also learned how to rappel myself down in case I drop my ATC or Grigri. It was really hard to take it apart though. :/

Fitting perfectly into the crack with my sexy curve ;)

Clearing the quickdraws on the way down from my last route of the day.

I also took a couple falls from my instructor, intentionally of course so I know how to take a fall. I took three falls actually: two with the ATC and one with Grigri 2. Let's just say I flew all three times. Almost to the first bolt, too! Hahaha! First time I didn't know what to expect and was really caught off guard, even though he shouted when he was falling.


The two times after that weren't bad. I flew, but I was more comfortable with doing it.


My next climbing day is on the 10th. And I'll be doing Technical Lead Climbing. So more things to learn! I'll be taking Thai Oil Massage classes for the next three day. :)

Day 3: Crazy Horse Buttress

Today was pretty awesome! Despite the fact that I didn't really want to get up this morning, hehehe. The office is right next to my hotel so I kept rolling around on the bed before I really had to get up. :)


There was a couple (I think they're a couple) from Ireland going with me, although they're doing the introductory course. Then four others were the instructors, two to the couple and two to me. It took around 45mins to get to the climbing area by car. During the car ride one of the instructors, P'Add, was teaching how do a figure eight.


I learned how to do two more knots, but I can't remember what they're called. I'm so bad with technical terms, I just remember how to do them.

The entrance to the climbing area.
Looks so serene and peaceful.

DO NOT be fooled by this beautiful atmosphere. There are mosquitoes EVERYWHERE!! The moment we got to the base of the climb literally at least 10 mosquitoes were swarming me. I couldn't have had enough arms to swat them away. Thankfully P'Muad, my instructor, offered me bug repellent. After that, it became pleasant. :) Still lots of bugs though.

This random wild chicken just hanging around.

Oh, look! A welcome sign! :)

Crazy Horse Buttress

I climbed four routes overall, two outside and two in a cave. First, P'Muad started by teaching me the steps in clearing anchors on a test ground (this extremely short route with a couple anchors). After showing it to me two times, he got me to do it two times by myself. Then he taught me how to lead belay. And I was climbing after that. :)


Well, clearing anchors really but that's still climbing!

First route that I climbed. (5.7)

Me taking out one of the quickdraws :)

Climbing!

Rappelling down, like a boss! ;)

Second route I climbed (5.8)

A view from the top :)

Entrance to the cave!

When we were eating lunch thunder started rumbling. So we decided to move into the cave instead. I asked why there were bamboos at the entrance, and P'Add said the villagers put them there. They would catch bats coming out of the cave through the opening. Apparently they eat bats here too. :S

The second route I climbed in the cave.
P'Moad leading it here.

It was really still in the cave. You'll understand what I mean if you've ever been in one. I was sweating like crazy. By the end of the day I was literally a friggin' salt lick. A bee was following me around trying to land on my leg. P'Bo said that it was trying to take my salt. -_-


I was so tired in the end that when I finally climbed to the top of my last route in the cave, I couldn't pull myself up enough to take down the last anchors so I can rappel down. I had to just sit there for a few minutes before pulling myself up to do the last task. Hahaha!


Got back to the hotel around 5pm and I decided not to shower because I'll probably be sweating again when I eat dinner. So I left to eat dinner right after I dropped a few things off at the room.


I had "rad naa" today. Soooo good! It's this noodle dish with a semi slimy soup, pork, and veggies. If there's anything I love as much as seafood (maybe even more), it's noodle dishes! Noodles!!!!

Rad Naa! Yummm

It feels soooo good to be climbing again. I had a lot of fun today despite all the bugs and mosquito bites! More climbing tomorrow. I'll be learning how to lead climb tomorrow, the basics anyway. Let's hope my muscles aren't too overworked just yet, hehehe.

Happy me climbing :D

Day 2: Mountain Biking Thai Style

Well, I'm pretty sure there's really no particular "style" to mountain biking. But you get the idea. :)


Couldn't find congee at the morning market today. :( So I ended up buying some snacks and a box of Lactasoy (soy milk) for breakfast instead. It was sufficient enough. Then the mountain biking company came to pick me and a few others up in a "song taew," a pickup truck with covered seating in the back.


When we got to the office to sign our liabilities form the guys working there kept on trying to scare me about going mountain biking. Now that is totally Thai style! Hahaha!


I met some really cool people. A group of guys were doing the extreme/advanced route. One of them came on the car that I was on when we were heading to the starting point up at Doi Suthep. Then there's John, who went on another advanced route by himself (with a guide of course). Last but not least, our beginner group consisting of Steve, Lisa, and me!

The song taew behind ours.

When we got to the starting point, they got us to try out the bikes and see how it feels. I was struggling when it gets a bit too bumpy, hahaha!

Me with the bike that I rode.
I look kinda scared in this pic lol!

The seat was a bit too high for me, so I was struggling standing over it when we stopped. I thought they already pushed the seat all the way down. Half way through the whole trail, which is around 13 miles, I found out it could be lowered. -_-

One of the advanced guys testing their skill by jumping over a rock.
Pretty cool, eh?

They said it was supposed to be the beginner's route, but honestly, it's like a friggin' obstacle course from hell. There are potholes everywhere and huge cracks like how the earth parts after an earthquake. There are also big bumpy parts with huge rocks all over the place and super steep parts including sharp curves. Not to mention the cars and motorcycles that would appear every once in a while.


But I guess all those things made it funner. You have to constantly use your head: plan your moves, try to actually stay balanced on the bike, put the right amount of pressure on the breaks, etc. And sometimes you just gotta let it all go and go for it.


Throughout the ride, I constantly told myself "you're not gonna fall because you're a pro at this!" I know it's a total lie but it helps with not worrying so much about everything.


And damn!! I thought I was already doing a lot of lunges, but apparently not enough! There were also a couple parts where we had to paddle up hill. Let me just say, I died. Even after putting on the lowest gear! I feel like suck a weakling :/ I was able to paddle up the first two or three hills. But the last one I actually had to get off and push my bike up. And even that was taxing. One of the guides actually ended up pushing my bike up for me. Then after he took my bike, I was DYING walking up that hill too.


I'm so weak.... :'(


And oh, my, gosh! My crotch!!! It's literally beaten to a pulp! I swear! I couldn't stand on my bike during the bumpy sections because I partly couldn't balance and partly too scared especially when the terrain's steep. So it took all the beating when I fly off every piece of rocks and bumps. I'm wincing every time I sit down now. Hahaha!


My hands were also sore from squeezing the breaks so much. Well, probably almost the whole ride because it's "downhill mountain biking." They were shaking when we got to the end of the route, hehehe. Fun times, fun times.

Our first pit stop at the coffee shop/plantation!

A pic along the route!
(Steve, Lisa, me, our guide Mic)

I look so friggin' tired!
Right after the ride before our super late lunch :)

I survived! I'm ALIVE!! Hahahah!
The ride back :)

I was seriously considering getting a relaxing massage after I got back, but decided against it. I'll get it after my second day of climbing. There's really no point right now. My ordeals aren't over yet!!


So I walked to the market area for dinner tonight and I got to eat "yen ta four"!! My favorite noodle dish of all time!!! It's this noodle with a pink sauce. I don't really know what the pink sauce is made of, but it's goooood.

The noodle shop by the street!

Yen Ta Four!!!!

I was sweating eating my noodles. Forgot how hot it gets eating outside. And I already showered too! Oh, well. It was REALLY good though!


I'm so tired right now. I might pass out pretty soon. Hahaha! I'm going rocking climbing tomorrow! Woot woot!!! Meeting them next door at 8:30am. :D