Krabi 2

well, after we had arrived at Hat Ton Sala and checked in at this disguasting place, we went to find a climbing school of which we found plenty to sign in for a 3 days course.

If somebody is into climbing, Krabi is probably the paradise for this person. However, after 10 minutes of climbing, I found out that I totally hate it.

The course started with some generall information, we got taught how to belay. The belayer is the person who stays at the bottom of the rock and holds the rope and takes care that the climber doesn't fall. If so, he tensens the rope so the climber can comfortably sit on it.
Everybody had to belay everybody. So if it is your turn to climb und on the other side of the rope is somebody who has learned to belay just 5 minutes ago, it doesn't make you feel safe.
However, you climb and your aim is to reach the top of the rock. Well, not the top of the rock, but the top of the rope. At some point the rope goes throug a ring, and that is called top rope. And the climb is called top rope climbing.
As I said, your aim is, to get to this ring. You have to go there, if not, you lose. Thats what the instructors say. You are here to fight yourself (istructors words, not mine). And for sure it is a fight. Somewhere in the middle of the rock, you usually lose your power. (Where you loose it depends on your level of fitness (mine is very low..) but you will lose it) And there you stand, or sit on the rope and want to come down, but your instructor won't let you because he wants you to fight yourself. Its a war between you and yourself (so they say) and you must win. (Shouting down that you have no desire for fighting yourself doesn't help). Then he starts shouting: right food abouve your head.. He won't let you get down (you do need the belayers help to get down) and so you have to continue. However, at the top, you would feel great if you had any power left.


This is Ariane climbing. It was her first climb, befor my first climb, when I still had power to make a picture.




I have no pics of myself as I was busy not to die.

On the second day we did lead climbing. This means you go up the climb first and put the rope into the holes in the wall. You are not safe until the first station, if you can call it like that (we learned the expressions, but well, as I decided not to climb ever again, my brain decided to not remember those words) You better not fall then. But its not too high. So you climb to the top, where the ring is, hang yourself on it with something called safty sling and you hang there. There is nothing to hold on, you just hang there because you need your hands as you have to put the rope through the ring and make some knots because it has to be safe of course. If you make a mistake with the knot this time... well, uups. Good bye. But the instructor watches from the bottom. Anyway will you not make any mistakes. Its your life depending on this thing. Once you have done this, you are finished and can come down.
You do the first lead climb with an extra safety rope, and you don't need to do it without saftey rope if you just start screaming and crying loud enough :-) But in general, people do it. (I was the only coward)

Third day we learned upsailing down. Ariane didn't do the 3rd day because she got hurt and was not able to use her arm any more. Upsailing down is cool, but I was scared all the time. I now know that things like bungee jumping are probably nothing I would enjoy.

So, thats it about climbing I guess. Later the last day I gave my istructor a tip and he was so happy that he hugged me 3 times. That's cute, isn't it?

Thats him, climbing. They do this show-climbing every evening. Quite amazing to watch. They are like monkeys