Rockheads

I just got a job today at Joe Rockheads climbing gym in Toronto. I've been wanting to climb more and I think i will by working at the gym. I'd much rather climb outdoors but the winter is so cold that there really isn't any alternative right now. I have such fond memories of climbing, of the people I've met in my travels, and of the beauty that I've seen hanging from a rock 800 feet in the air. I find climbing to be a very spiritual experience. It requires complete concentration and focus of both mind and body. One of the hardest challenges I faced when I first started lead climbing was managing fear. There is a risk of falling and the consequences can be dangerous. You could smash your head into the rock, or get a huge rope burn on your leg, or as happened to one of my friends in mexico all of the above and two broken thumbs. Really scary things to think about are; the rope catching on a sharp rock and slicing through, or rapping off the end of the rope.

But if you concentrate on all of these negative things then you'll never be able to get past a difficult crux. I had to adjust my thinking pattern from, "what if i fall," to "how do i solve this problem." When you're concentrating completely on solving a problem and then you do fall, it's not scary, it's a release. When I fall I can finally relax and take a break. When you do get through a difficult crux the feeling of accomplishment is extraordinary. I find that climbing is a metaphor for life. We are presented with challenges daily and the way in which we focus our energy, either positively or negatively, will affect the outcome of our experiences.

Here's a copy of an e'mail I wrote after climbing Timewave Zero, in Mexico in 2005:

Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:02:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: timewave zero

i just got back from climbing timewave zero, an insane 23 pitch route in el potrero chico mexico to
the top of el toro (the longest sport route in north america)! over
2000ft in 32hrs.



i set out with my buddy kevin, who rode his motorcycle
down from vancouver, and another party of two other canadians from
ontario. we climbed the first 12 pitches and slept on a bivy ledge half
way up the mountain. it started getting dark and kev and i had to climb
the last three pitches in the dark with headlamps. the bivy ledge was
comfortable and there was enough wood to make a small fire. but at
around midnight it started showering which turned to hard rain. there
was a ratty old tarp with holes in it up there which we threw over
ourselves but we all got soaked and cold.



i think i only got about 1 or
2 hrs of sleep and we still had another 11 pitches to climb in the sun!



we watched the sun rise over the potrero and the clouds billowing and
swirlling through la boca below us.



kev and i started climbing at 8am.
we managed to stay out of the sun for the next 8 pitches although it was
closely on our tail the whole way. i was really feeling like shit,
climbing with only a couple hours of sleep and partially dehydrated. but
we keep going, bolt by bolt. i got through a very sustained 5.11a on
the 20th pitch and rested on a small ledge before attempting the next 5.12a,
the crux of the route. the bolts were very close together so i could
clip and pull on draws until i got to the crux. but after that there was
no cheating! i was up there quite a while working on the crux and fell
quite a few times figuring out the sequence and the holds. at this time
our friends mike and hugo were making their way up to the ledge below me
where kevin was belaying. i heard mike's scream of exhilaration after
on-sighting the 5.11. however, after hugo made it up to the ledge i was
very surprised to hear that they had decided to rappel down because they
were dehydrated. we were only 3 pitches from the top! how could they
turn back after climbing 20 pitches??! after, kevin told me that mike
was white in the face and he had been hauling hugo up almost the whole
way because he didn't have any energy. on reflection it makes sense
because they only brought up 4 litres of water between the two of them
for two days of climbing. kevin and i had hauled up almost twice as much
water and more food than them to the bivy ledge and we had gone through
almost all of our water by this time. so as they began the long decent
back down the mountain, i continued to work on the crux of the 5.12. i
was stuck at a point where there just weren't any holds to grab onto. i
saw a big jug further up the wall but it seemed out of reach. after
trying sidepulls and intermediary holds, failing, and falling, i called
down to kevin that i was going to try and dyno for the jug. so i pulled
up to a good ledge for my left hand and hiking up my right foot to a
flake, i curled my body into a ball and mustering all my energy together,
extended my legs and arms and hurled my body upward, reaching out with
my right hand and grabbed that jug. and i stuck it! i couldn't believe
it! kevin and mike were yelling like crazy below me, "yeah chris! come
on! go!" but the bolt was still further up and i hadn't thought of what
i was going to do after getting to the jug. but i hung on and kept
climbing and clipped that bolt and yelled down, "yeah, let's get to the
top of this mountain!" kev and i flew up the next two pitches reaching
the summit in the brilliant sun and wind. the view was incredible. you
could see the town of hidalgo with the cement factory below, the
campgrounds, la boca, estrellita and pancho villa across the canyon, and
the green cactus covered bowl of el potrero opening to the other side.
kevin and i shared a heartful cheer and embrace as we took in the
panorama. after stripping off all my heavy gear we cracked open the
summit register and flipped through the entries. many short messages and
familiar names from the last 5 months were scrawled into those pages.
after resting, taking in the sun, and the last mouthfuls of our water,
we began the long rappel down to the ground. after stopping breifly at
the bivy ledge to collect our gear, we rapped the next 12 pitches and
made ground by dark. we made our way down the path from the surf bowl
and dihedrals to the spires and outrage wall and finally to the road
back to mike and hugo's casita. on the trail down we came across a black
bag with a 6pack of cool cervezas inside. we found out later that magic
ed (papa potrero) had saw us reach the summit and left them for us.

it was an incredible experience that i never thought would happen. when
i first arrived in el potrero chico i never would have imagined that i
would climb TWZ. especially with a partner like kevin (he had never
climbed before january and had only climbed 4 pitches in the previous 2
months), having had only 2 hrs sleep and using gear which had all been
borrowed from various other people. but we made it to the top and got
back down in one peice, an incredible testament to will, perseverance
and the human spirit. kevin says that he made it up there through
gumption.

after an experience like this it seems that any goal, any dream is within reach. all you have to do is start. and to try. and the next
thing you know you're half way there doing it. and even if you don't
make it all the way you will have gone further than all others who did
not dream and did not try.

i've learned many things on this trip but of the most important is to
know what you want. you have to know yourself before all other things.
and once you have this, once you know what you value, everything becomes
so simple and clear.


your friend still in mexico and high on mountains,

chris





From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of
purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to
reason. --Marcus Aurelius

ㄋㄌ
cMc

"Let one walk alone, committing no sin, with few wishes, like an elephant in the forest." -GITS2:I

Big Buddha, Lantau Island

One of the must see tourist destinations in Hong Kong is the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. We took the MTR out to the Island and then a bus through the winding roads up to the top of the mountain. This Buddha is HUGE! And there are a lot of tourists here milling about.



The Buddha is 34 meters high, weighs 250 tons, and is the world's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha. It can be seen as far away as Macau on a clear day. We have to climb up the 268 steps.



His right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction, and his left hand points downward to the earth, signifying human happiness. He faces north, unique among the great Buddha statues. (All others face South.)

The Peak

Today we took a bus up to the Peak to check out the view of Hong Kong. You can see all the way across to Kowloon and the New Territories. At the top we watch a traditional drum ceremony and then hike down the mountain to the mid-levels and eat dinner in SoHo.

Nan Lian Garden, Chi Lin Nunnery

Today we went to the Nan Lian Garden in Kowloon. It's a beautiful park and all the plants are precisely pruned.







Inside the garden is the Chi Lin Nunnery. This place is truly beautiful and peaceful, one of my favorite places in Hong Kong. The architecture of the buddhist temple is of the Tang dynasty and made entirely from Canadian lumber from Vancouver. The grounds are filled with wonderful bonsai. There is a large gold statue of the Buddha and other bodhisattvas (no photos allowed). The serenity of the space is nicely filled with the repetitive chanting of orange robe clad monks singing mantra.

Dragon Ceremony

I saw this crazy dragon ceremony at the mall. They tie up a wreath made of lettuce above the stores and the dragon eats the wreath and then prances through the store. It must be for good luck and prosperity for the new year.

Twins Mission Premiere

Tonight we went to the premiere of my uncle Siu Ming Tsui's new film, Twins Mission. There's lots of hype about the film with posters and commercials everywhere. The twin stars of the film are a pop singing sensation group and there are tons of fans here to see them. Shiu Ming is a big Hong Kong action movie director (you may know of his film Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple) and he wrote, produced, directed 2nd unit, and did stunt coordination for Twins Mission.



We have VIP access so we get into the press area past the barricades and the screaming fans.


Inside the theatre we get our photo taken with Shiu Ming, my aunt Amy, and their son Marco (he's hiding).

Lamma Island

Today Mom, Dad and I go to Lamma Island, one of the outlying islands surrounding Hong Kong. After taking a bus to Aberdeen (where they work at the Canadian International School), we catch a sanpan to the island.



At Sok Kwu Wan we hike for 2 hours through the hills to the port of Yung Shue Wan where we sit down for a few beers and do some shopping in the market.

Apocalypse Bangkok

I wake up in my tiny room feeling awful. The street food I ate last night must have been contaminated with something and I feel sick all day. The room I'm in is a cell. Four walls and a door. No window, no light, no sound. At least there's a fan. I feel like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now...

The opening scene :

THE END BY THE DOORS

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...stranger's hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah


Hotel room in Bangkok :

WILLARD (v.o.)

"Bangkok, shit. I'm still only in Bangkok. Every time I think I'm going to wake up back in the jungle... I've been here a week now. Waiting for a mission, getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room I get weaker. And every minute Charlie squats in the bush he gets stronger. Each time I look around the walls move in a little tighter."

But it's a different kind of apocalypse, not one of war, but one of tourism. I swear there are more blonds in tank tops here than there are Thais. There are backpackers everywhere, just arriving, leaving, coming, going. Some are here to explore Bangkok, but most are here just to sort out visas before moving on to other destinations. My experiences interacting with the Thai people have been less than ideal; we've been yelled at for picking up a statue of Ganesha or for trying on a bracelet or shirt and not buying it. As I look around the marketplace at these people and the conditions that they live in, I feel compassion for them and also recognize how privileged we are coming from our first world nations. We decend on the denizens of Khao San and try and bargin down to a cheaper price for novel trinkets. It's understandable that some may develop a justified indignancy.

I wake up and meet Kristina, Jodi, and Cindi for breakfast. I have to leave early to use the toilet and then lie down. This is the third occasion in Thailand that I've had "fire ass," and I can tell you it's not fun. I only have time to run around to do some last minute shopping in the market for gifts and souvenirs before I have to catch my bus to the airport. Bangkok has been crazy. I've heard people say that they love it, and others that they can't wait to get out. I've had a mix of both sentiments. But I'm definitely glad I stayed to experience it.

Patpong Ping Pong

In the morning I meet up with Kristina and Jodi. They took the overnight bus with Derek and Kristi and arrived here this morning at 6am. After Sorting out their visas for Burma, we shop around the markets in Khao San. Later we meet up with Cindi, who arrived from the airport today, at a crazy Shell gas station converted into a restaurant / bar, and then we randomly bump into Seth and Joe, 2 climbers from Tonsai. They just came from Chang Mai and Joe fought in a Thai kickboxing fight, as evidenced by his black eye and swollen nose. He won the fight, at least, and made some money for the people in the crowd who were gambling on him. We wait around the guest house for Kristi to show up. It's her birthday today and she's been reving us up for "ping pong" since Tonsai. She shows up late because she's feeling ill. When she arrives with Derek we split up in two cabs to go to Patpong district and to the legendary ping pong shows.

We get split up and the cabs take us to 2 different places. Seth, Kristina and I wait outside the ping pong place and derek takes the cab to try and find the others. Somehow he finds them and brings them back. We discover that we're the ones that've been scammed and our driver brought us to one of the fake tourist trap ping pong shows where they charge 1000B for entry. Kristi leads us to Patpong and to a real ping pong show at a place called Super Pussy.

I find out that "ping pong show" means SEX SHOW and that's what we're going to see. When we get inside we're told that there's no cover but we have to buy a drink for 300B. Then a few minutes later there's a disagreement and the bartender wants to charge us 200B each for cover. Derek, Seth, and Kristi get into a big argument and we end up walking out of the place. Kristi is really upset that we're getting scammed so much and she decides to go home. She insists that the rest of us stay and enjoy ourselves and her and Derek go back to the guest house. So after looking around the market for a bit, Kristina, Jodi, Cindi, Seth, Joe and I go to another club called Kings Castle II. There's a 300B cover but it includes a drink.

For the next hour we watch a show, the likes of which I've never seen before. A group of strippers go up on the stage led by a woman who proceeds to do some truly amazing things with her private part.
These include: blowing out candles on a cake with a straw, shooting darts through a tube and popping balloons!, picking up rings and putting them on a bottle, pulling out a very long lei, pulling out a string of needles (ouch!), pulling out a string of razor blades (double ouch!!) and cutting paper with them, shooting ping pong balls at us (Seth was blocking them with an ashtray!), and finally shooting a banana, which almost hit my foot! All throughout the show the woman on stage keeps motioning to us with her hands an invitation to some sort of illicit act in the bathroom, but we decline.

After the show we do some more shopping in the market, I buy a horrid looking giant steer belt buckle, and then we catch a cab back to Khao San. We gorge out on street food before heading to sleep. Bangkok, what a crazy place!

Flying to Bangkok

I woke up early this morning still feeling the teqila in the system. The priority today is getting a few more climbs in before going to the airport, not sleep. After packing my stuff and switching my plane ticket for a few more days in Bangkok so I can celebrate Kristi's birthday there, I meet up with Curtis, Kristi, Michelle, Britney and Laurant climbing down on the beach. I head out with Laurant to climb the bouldery start to By Way of Deception 7A. The route is real hard and lots of fun! The Hanson brothers kindly lent us their bouldering mat but I only have 20 minutes to work at this problem. It's about a 10 ft roof that goes vertical and finishes up but the crux is right at the beginning. In 20 minutes I'm able to stick 4 moves and a bloody hand. After saying goodbye to all my friends I hop on a longtail boat to Ao Nang. I meet some German climbers that are on the same flight as me to Bangkok and we split a cab to the airport. Once I arrive in Bangkok I meet 2 girls from Britain headding to Khao San road and we take the bus together. We get some dinner together and then browse the merchant shops for clothes and trinkets on Khao San.


Here's a picture of Kristina (because she was complaining that there weren't enough photos of her in my blog) in the Saawasdee Guest House where we were staying.

Deep Water Soloing

Today we decide to go deep water soloing and Gary, Alex, and I have breakfast at Yum Yums and ask around for more people interested in sharing the boat cost with us. Eventually we find 2 girls, Claire and Disa, who are interested in some climbing and snorkelling and we arrange for a boat and kayak together. I'm really pumped to go! I've been looking forward to this since I was back home looking at photos on the internet. The longtail boatman takes us for a 20 minute ride out to Poda Island to a spot where we can climb up out of the water, up the cliff with no harness or rope, and then jump off safely into the water. We kayak around to a couple different sites but the most fun of them all is this huge stalactite tufa formation dripping down from the cliff. There is a rope to get up on and then a really nice jump from above.



I climb it a couple times and get Gary and Alex to film me.



We do some snorkelling and look at the beautiful tropical fish and coral formations. We see the boatman fishing and ask if we can fish too. He lends us his spear (which is attached to an elastic band for firing) and we try to catch some fish. All the big fish are too beautiful and we couldn't kill them so we hunt for the smaller black fish but they're too fast and they get away. We have to head back to Tonsai because the tide is going out but this day has been really amazing, definitely a highlight of the trip so far!

Back at Tonsai we go to Freedom Bar at the beach, drink smoothies, red bulls, eat pizza and banana pancakes and watch the climbers on Tonsai wall right next to the bar. After showering and cleaning up, we meet the rest of the crew for a final farewell dinner at the Viking Restaurant on the beach. Tomorrow I'm flying to Bangkok and Kristina, Jodi, Derek, Kristi, and Cindi are also leaving for Bangkok. I split food with the vegetarians again and have a huge feast. After dinner we go to Sawatdee Bar and drink tequila and margaritas on the beach till late into the night. It's been a perfect last day in Tonsai, a great close to an amazing week climbing in Thailand.

Rest Day

Today no one is really motivated to climb so it turns into a rest day and we do our usual relaxing and eating at Yum Yums on the beach. Michelle and I decide to sneak into the pool of a resort on Railay and go swimming. The pool is beautiful and we try to "blend" into the tourists and kids running around and try not to look like hardcore rockclimbers. After swimming in the ocean and showering off, we go to Railay east to meet the rest of the crew at an indian restaurant. Michelle is apprehensive about the food because she just spent months in India but the meal turns out to be really good, a sort of thai/indian mix. After dinner we go down to party at the Gecko Bar. Derek goes crazy dancing in his snorkel fins and Curtis spins all the young australian girls around all night. We get pretty happy drinking many buckets of Sang Som.

Full Moon Party

We start the day hiking over to Ao Phra Nang with all our climbing gear through all the tourists sunbathing on the beach. We get to an amazing cave and climb through it to an opening in the other side of the cliff. We snap some photos before rappelling down to the Thaiwand Wall.

Up a bamboo ladder and out on a ledge, we climb a really cool exposed route called Fit to Be Thaid 6A. The start of the climb traverses out over a drop, and then ascends up some really cool tufa formations. You can see my feet dangling from the top in the photos.






After hiking back to Tonsai through the jungle in the dark with our headlamps, we get some dinner and then meet up for the full moon party. All the bars on the beach spin either loud reggae or trance music and set off fireworks over the water. We dance, drink beer, and watch the poi jugglers spin flaming spirals through the air.

Climbing at Fire Wall

Today we go climbing at the Fire Wall and I lead two routes: For Helga and Groove Tube. Groove Tube has this really cool start where you climb through a hole and then climb up into a tube and stem up to the top. I climb up with my cameras in a pack and take some photos at the top.












After climbing we go to a pizzaria for dinner.





For Helga



Groove Tube

Birthday in Thailand

This morning I wake up to some sort of animal chewing at the trail mix in my room. I hike down to the beach and climb Schlingel Moritz 6A in Dum's Kitchen. Afterwards we meet up with the rest of the crew at Yum Yums and spend the morning eating tuna melts, potato wedges, drinking shakes, and playing sudoku. Afterwards I go to The Nest and climb Banana Hammock 6A with Cindi and Britney. After climbing I meet up with Kristina and she treats me to a 1hr thai massage. It's a full body affair with deep stretching. I feel amazing afterwards. We meet the crew at Tina's restaurant and have another feast: spring rolls, onion rings, shrimp curry with young coconut, shrimp pad thai, mint chili chicken, masaman, and beer.



After dinner we chill out on the beach and drink a bucket of sang som (thai whiskey), red bull, and juice. It's been a great birthday in an incredibly exotic place and with really great friends.

Rockclimbing again

I'm staying in a private bungalo that's pretty rustic but has all the basic amenities: bed, mosquito netting, lights and electricity, toilet, shower (cold water), and sink. All for 300B a night ($10). After breakfast Kristina introduces me to all of her climber friends, and we hike over to Railay to climb at Diamond Cave.
It's been 2 years since I've climbed so I get back into things slowly with a couple 5's (french grading system), and a 6A (Keep the Jam, Man). I'm a bit rusty and it'll take a few days to develope my lead climbing skills again.



After showering at the bungalo back in Tonsai, we meet for dinner to celebrate Jodi's birthday. It's my birthday tomorrow so it's a kind of double bill. I band together with all the vegetarians and we share our dishes. We have a huge feast of steamed rice, tofu salad, red curry, green coconut curry, yellow noodles, sizzling seafood hotplate, curry seafood in a pinapple, and I get a pineapple banana coconut shake. The food is amazing and cheap (about $3 per person) and I'm stuffed. Kristina brings out a banana cake and we sing happy birthday to Jodi. After dinner we go down to the beach and and drink beers in the cool ocean breeze.


from left: Derek, Curtis, Cindi, Jodi, Gary, Alex, Kristina, Me, Michelle, and Britney.

Ao Ton Sai

Today I fly from Hong Kong to Bangkok and then to Krabi and catch a taxi to Ao Nang.



I go through the taxi service at the airport and the cost is 600 Bhat ($20). In the cab I pull out my Lonely Planet Phrasebook and practice my Thai with the cabbie: sa-wat-dee krup (hello), kop koon krup (thank you), chai (yes), mai (no). And I even try a thai tounge twister with him: ta-hahn teu beun baak boon bai bohk deuk (don't ask me what it means). When he drops me off at the beach and leaves, first thing I discover is that he's taken me to the wrong place! This is not Ao Nang, it's Ao Nammao, 10 mins closer to the airport. I guess all my practicing indicated that I had never been to Thailand before, and that I was an easy target for scamming. Now I have to take two longtail boats instead of one and I have to hike across Railay.

Ao Nammao is where it says shell cemetary on this map

When I finnaly get to Tonsai beach I make my way over to the Andaman Nature Resort and look around for Kristina. I find her friend Jodi and we wait for her to get back from climbing. When she gets back we have a nice reunion, eat dinner together, chat and reminisce over old times

Hong Kong for a day

After sleeping on the floor in their tiny apartment, Mom and Dad take me out for a day of shopping to outfit for Thailand. It was great to hug again when they picked me up at the airport; we all had big smiles on! It's been 6 months since I've seen them.

First we go out for dim sum and have a huge feast. They've gotten pretty proficient at ordering food. Mom tries to teach me some of the Cantonese that she's learned and starts with PLEASE: 'mm goi say.' Dad corrects her and says, "no, it's 'mm goi saai.' What you said means PLEASE DIE." I guess she still needs some more practice on her tones and phonemes? :p


You might be able to see me in the mirror here.

Last Day in Japan

This morning Shoko takes me over to the other side of the house to meet her parents. The house is split in half with Brent, the kids, and Shoko on one side, and her parents on the other. Their side is traditional Japanese style, beautiful, simplistic and minimalist.



We do a photo op with Shoko and the kids:



Shoko's mom makes us lunch and we picnic in the garden and watch Akira and Sasuke play in the gravel before I go to the train station and then the airport. I spend too much time filming the kids in the sun with my super 8 camera and, once I enter the station, I realize that I don't have enough time to catch the Narita Express to the airport at Shinjuku. An incredibly kind Japanese lady helps me change my ticket and then shows me the right train to catch. She tells me that she's going to be fired at the end of the month and that she's going to a job fair to look for work as a systems engineer. I thank her for helping me and she explains that she had once been travelling and in need of help and she's glad to return the favour.

Menji Shrine, Obikubo, Kiyosumi Gardens, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi

Today Adam takes me to Menji Shrine. There is a huge gate in front and we stop for a photo op. Outside of the shrine we wash our hands and mouths as a form of ritual purification and then enter the temple. We throw some coins into a wooden container and pray for a few minutes. This place is very serene and peaceful. I could get used to this! There is a beautiful zen garden and monuments where people write prayers on wooden plaques.











Afterwards we go to Shibuya, a crazy, hip, really crowded shopping district full of young people. I pick up some gifts for family and friends and then look around for a place to get my hair cut. I find a place called ROOTS hair make and get the chop from a really cool Japanese dude. He doesn't speak any english and I have to look through magazines and point out a style that I like. All of the styles are crazy Japanese haircuts so I pick the one I like best and he gets to work. Here's some before and after photos.

After I meet up with Adam and we check out the crazy intersection from Lost in Translation and Baraka and then head back to Ogikubo.



In Ogikubo we meet up with Brent and he takes us out to Yakiniku, Japanese Bar-B-Q. Brent orders serveral plates of thin sliced meats in sauces, vegetables, and a head of romaine lettuce with teriyaki and mayonaise sauce. We roast the meat over the BBQ that they bring over to the center of the table and drink beers. This is a real treat and an amazing way to spend a last night in Japan. Afterwards we go back to Brent's place and watch Kendo High, Brent's film about a group kids in kendo school.