This morning we ate some tasty dishes at our new favorite restaurant. Dirt-cheap & delicious is the magic formula that can be found at Mom's Kitchen. Well fed and wide-eyed, we were all excited for a half-day of climbing. Jane & Toto led myself, Matt, and Chris to a spot called Asha Wall on the South end of Railay Beach - West. It's a much more hidden-away wall and has some difficult 6a and 6b routes as well as some 7's. We all had a great time and you can really notice that we're progressing quickly. We talked Toto into trying out a 7b route on the wall. It's appearance is smooth limestone with no holds, almost as if someone had polished this section of the wall. We couldn't even get a starting hold onto the wall, yet try climbing it! Climbing with just the tips of his fingers and barely any toe holds, Toto grunted and whined as he made his way up. You could see on his face that he was just moments from losing his strength and will to climb further, but onward he went. He made it up finally and it was quite a spectacular display of skill. After a short rest he attached a line for our 4th route of the morning, a difficult 6b. The two experienced climbers before us were unable to make it past a section 2 meters up the face, so we were a bit intimidated. In fact, it was a very difficult route with only pinch-holds and multi-pitch sections making it very hard on your grip, forcing you to lean out backwards. One by one, 3 three of us tried and failed to make it past the same little section just 10 feet off the ground. It took me 4 tries, scraped knees and bloody fingers but I finally got past the first part of the lower section, up to a decent hold that would take me up and above the overhang, but by then my grip strength was gone and there was nothing left for pulling myself up. We'd all have loved to try this one when it wasn't our 4th climb of the day. Then again, climbing wouldn't be as fun if you never failed. I put this route on my 'to-do' list for my next trip to Railay, whenever that is.
That night, after a few beers on the beach, James got the idea that we should take a tour of the local swimming pools at the resorts. There's guards everywhere, which adds to the excitement but since there are no police in Railay, getting caught is no real worry. At 1AM, James led the way as myself, Scarlet, and a female friend of James (I forgot her name) made our way along Railay West, prowling around for which pool to strike first. Our first stop was an awesome pool that was only 5m wide, but over 80m long and 2m deep, forming a long pool in the courtyard of pricey secluded resort condos. We were pretty quiet and managed to go undetected. James whispered that it reminded him of his days as a navy seal, just as as he slipped over a waterfall ledge, splashing violently into the pool below. We burst out laughing. It was just one of many hilarious episodes that night as we struck 3 other pools. The 'coup de grace' was to be Rayavadee, the high-security bungalow compound with starting rates at $1,500/night. We decided recon was needed due to the security levels there, so we made plans for the following evening and slipped into the shadows, making a clean getaway. The pics below show Asha wall, the cliffs to the South on Phra Nang Beach, and a shot of Lara (Andew's girlfriend).
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