yayy it's the start of blogging season again for me. been desperately trying to but my silly modem was spoilt and I just got it changed haha. here's me and the adventures of Chiang Mai. =D

Chiang Mai is a really nice place. Though the air is kind of not as clean as Singapore, there is a generally stress-free mood in the air around the place. Life is not as fast-paced, and did I mention THE FOOD IS GREAT. =) During the trip, GRAHAM THE PROM KING was my roomie. He's been really nice, always waking me up and waiting for me for breakfast and stuff. haha I have this sacred picture of him in his Thai Boxer boxers but I'm forbidden to put it here. had fun debating the price in Chinese with him before he finally bought it. =D haha.






Check out the short queue at the Budget Terminal! haha.










I really love this photo! the redness of the taxi acts like a frame to enhance the beauty of the photo. oh yes we're sitting in a taxi by the way, taken on the way to our resthouse which is called The Bluehouse. And it is literally BLUE I tell you.
=D



The crags in Chiang Mai are really spectacular. More 3-dimensional than Batu Caves I would say. There were routes that spanned across multiple pitches just to reach the anchor like hundred over metres up. The good thing is that the air is drier and temperature is cool, making it excellent weather to climb in because our shirts don't end up sweaty and stinky lol. And there are less mosquitoes too! =) haha. My thinking on this trip was slightly different from the other climbing trips. I was less concerned with finishing the routes this time and just had fun taking pictures and more pictures of people and the scenery. It's a great feeling to be several metres above ground and having these mini mental and physical battles between you and the wall. Sometimes people try to tell you about the route or how a particular move on the route is going to be like but it's a different feeling when you discover it yourself. According to Graham the pro, it's a scary yet exciting feeling when you feel like falling on a route but in the end you don't and make it to the top eventually. Here are the routes I did:

*Fire in the Mind 6A
*Into the Sun 6A
*Surreality (named by Graham coz we didn't know the name) 6A
*Chicken Shit 6A+
*Backburners 6A+
*Diarrhoea 6B
*Bamboo Finders 6B
*Mumipeiko 6B
*The Shining Path 6B
*Blood, Love and Steel 6C





The view of Crazy Horse Buttress (one of the crags) from the outside. Can you spot the horse head? =)











Graham and I at The Buddha Buttress








My favourite route of all would probably be Blood, Love and Steel. Really technical, without really good parts to rest at the bottom and middle where the cruxes are. It's really long too, so from the top the view around is really quite spectacular. I hanged on it though I would have loved to complete it in one attempt. Two routes I'd loved to try but didn't get to would be Destiny (6B) and The Balance of Power (7A+). Really cool names don't you think so? =) haha. Wonder if I'll be able to go back someday. hopefully!

Oh yes by the way the breakfasts are really good! Really, really good stuff. We're given a choice of French Toast, Breakfast croissant, American breakfast or Granola Bowl. The granola bowl is really nutritious and yummy with all the fresh fruits and yoghurt inside. Its so colourful that it gives you this bright start to your new climbing day haha. Bel loved the baked potatoes so much that he even got the recipe from the chef lol. next time anyone hungry we know who to find! =D







It's nicer than it looks! =)












Our dear coaches Philip and Kelly enjoying their granola bowls












They can be really funny you know. LOL. =D








The Year Ones are really nice. Jingwen and Darren kept making fun of Zoe. "Eee.. got bee...!" in her trademark style hahaha. I really got to know them a lot better in the one week than all the trainings we had together in the past. I had fun taking photos for them and with them. It really makes a difference when you use a good camera and a lousy camera, I've realised, because lousy photos look good on good cameras. many thanks to my sis for the camera. =D







Day One at The Archway. I was trembling on some parts of my first climb on Chicken Shit lol it's been so long since we last climbed on natural rock so kind of took some time haha.











Lunchtime at The Furnace!










Me on Into the Sun











more pictures coming up! =D

haha and sorry for delay lol it wasn't intended to be on hibernating mode.