I've fallen! :)

Well I wanted to fall and I did. Or at least I wanted to push myself until I had no choice and I did. On a supposedly rest day we headed to the Tonsai cave, where I warmed up on a 6c which was some of the ugliest climbing caving throught stalagtites. Then onto the project: a 7a+ route that leaves the beach at about 40 degrees on smooth grey limestone with a couple eroded seams, moves over a few stumps of half formed stal's, a half decent rest if you can just figure out how to ride the stal before traversing along polished 45 degree slopers to the anchor. I haven't felt so weak and inadequate in ages! I love it! It was a complete dog with rests on every clip but once I figured out the sequence it wasn't too bad. On top rope I did the first half clean before my arms turned back to jelly. Mind you cleaning a roof traverse route on top rope is essentially as hard as leading it: if you fall its damn hard getting back on! After I had cleaned it all I had to sit down for quite a while, sweat pouring off me, a vein in the left temple pulsing so hard I thought it would pop. Maybe it was the combination of the dry cough I have developed (or maybe it was why I got the dry cough!) but I felt so weak and useless for ages afterwards.

So on with the rst day: Hours of chill out, reading, napping and drinking water. Then we decided to check out Pra Nang beach - I'd been there last year bouldering quite a bit and decided it couldn't hurt to throw in the shoes ... and a rope and harness. Mark had a 6 in mind but I have been itching to complete another 7a+ route which I had bouldered up the first half of, last year. But I was supposed to be resting! So after much thinking and a quick swim and a few tentative boulder starts at the problem I finally ropes up and realised just how completely and utterly weak I am! I knew it wasn't happening until I was fresh so I cleaned off the one and only draw I placed and then tried a 6c I did last year that Mark wanted to try on top rope. Nope! Too fashed to even get up that!

So the sun was setting anyway so we headed back to Mom's (cheap good food) for the semi-routine dinner and movie. And then it started to rain. And rain. And rain. Until we figured it wasn't going to stop and we trudged back to Tonsai. And today it has pretty well kept raining the whole day. Which is kinda good cause at least I am having a proper rest day. My right knee, left elbow and shoulder all feel like I've acheived something so they need the rest. Hopefully if the weather clears (forecast for scattered showers for the next 5 days) we'll finish up Humanality (5 pitches with a 6c crux) which we bailed on a few days ago because of bad weather.

Next stop Bangkok: We just got some cheap domestic tickets up north. The vague plan is the check out Bangkok, Chiang Mai and perhaps do a day or two in Cambodia to see Angor Wat which woul we wicked to see.