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a travel blog by Clairesj



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deep water soloing

Tonsai, Thailand

i am now getting excited about going home in 2 weeks!! however, it has still been enjoyable here. i went deep water soloing, well i didnt actually do much- it was at low tide so everything was very high and quite hard. i wasnt about to do a 6b at 15 metres! but there were a few confident/crazy guys who were happy to get up high and fall off or jump, so this was good entertainment in itself! we stopped at an island for lunch where our boat men showed us they were actually awesome climbers. they did some bouldering on the beach in bare feet and were climbing 7c problems, if not harder. then our guys tried a hard roof problem- considering Danny can climb 7bs, he made it just out of the roof, then one of the Thai guys went and campused it- he used no feet!! it was like watching a real life climbing film! we climbed on the same rock as has the route thats in First Ascent? with David Lama doing the dyno on the 8a- it looked pretty hard!
ive had a couple of bad climbing days- they have to happen occasionally! but resting today, then climbing again for the next couple of days.
we have been watching films at the local restaurant which has made a nice change. and a bit of sitting on the beach and swimming in the sea.
i have uploaded 7 photos- i had about 20 to upload but after an hour thats all that has uploaded, so they are from back in Laos im afraid. in 2 weeks i can upload lots!

permalink written by  Clairesj on December 19, 2009 from Tonsai, Thailand
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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happy christmas

Tonsai, Thailand

Happy Christmas everyone!
i am having a strange christmas becasue it may as well not really be christmas! santa hasnt found his way to my little bamboo hut, but there is the occational bit of tinsle around and we are having a party tonight with a barbeque.
we are here for one more day then on to Malaysia and 3 days of climbing before hitting [[Malaysia/Kuala-Lumpur]] for new year.

permalink written by  Clairesj on December 25, 2009 from Tonsai, Thailand
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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Muesli, thermometers and fireworks

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

after a good finish in Tonsai- i hit my toe on a rock (it was a big rock) when walking along the beach and got a painful bruise so couldnt put it in a climbing shoe for the last couple of days! its a silly injury that stops you doing quite a lot! anyway we moved on on the 27th, getting one last muesli with fresh pineapple, mango, watermelon and banana and yogurt on top for breakfast and headed for the boat back to AoNang. feeling increadably unstable we motored back to the town and went and found BiRT. a laid back drive day took us across the border into Malaysia. although i had a brief panic when i started feeling a bit feverish about an hour before we reached the border and remembered that almost every country had taken my temperature on the border to clear us of any diseases before entering their soil. luckily Malaysia was laid back enough not to bother with any of that! few!
i was sorry to leave Thailand as the people had been friendly there but also efficient!! but i discovered Malaysians are equally friendly. we stopped close to the border in a town called Bukit Keteri where we parked near a Mosque. the climbing area was a mound of limestone on the otherside of the road and we camped in between two families houses on a small patch of grass. both families were very friendly and some members spoke good English. the kids got very excited and kept trying to talk to us without us understanding! as we arrived at about 8pm, we asked restaurant next door if they could cook us some food and they rustled up some noodles. these were good and cheap so we stuck with their cooking for our evening meals making it nice and easy for the cook dutys (if a bit spicy! apparently 'no spice' means about my limit of spicyness!). the climbing itself was fairly dirty as its not climbed that often but not bad. i wasnt able to climb much becasue of the fore mentioned temperature that seems to be some kind of stomach virus which im still fighting and not feeling quite right.
we have now moved on to Kuala Lumpur today- my last drive day on BiRT today (and last night in my tent last night). i have lugged all my bags and stuff to the hotel to try and sort into some sort of order to get to the airport on saturday! it seems like a big city and of course the most modern and expensive city we have visited on the trip. Malaysia is also the first country on the trip that uses the roman alphabet for its language, which is refreshing to see. there is also a lot of English on signs everywhere and people seem to know English so far.
New Years tonight will involve going for a meal then to a bar then hopefully to see the fireworks at KLCC. then one more day tomorrow which we want to go and see the new film Avatar in 3D if its not sold out.
finally, i will soon me flying home! i am very excited as it feels like i have been away a long time. i will have to remember how to stand still for longer than a few days though!

permalink written by  Clairesj on December 31, 2009 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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the finale of an awesome adventure

Maidenhead, United Kingdom

New Years was good fun. we went to an expensive restaurant (well compared to the trip- i paid 10 pounds for a meal!) which was called a tapas bar but didnt seem to do any tapas! i had nice spagghetti meat balls though! we then went to an Irish bar thaqt played really bad music, until just before midnight when we went outside. there was a vague countdown then the bar produced a big box of fireworks that they put in the middle of the road with a quick warning of 'fire, move back'. the fireworks were pretty good- especially at the end when they exploded outwards towards us, only a few metres away and i thought i was gonig to get hit! we then moved down the road to see some bigger fireworks at a distance.
the final day was spent meandering around the area and packing. in the evening we went and saw Avator but not 3D as that was sold out. it was still good though.
the following day i said goodbye to everyone as they left for BiRT and to the next campsite. it was sad when i started thinking if i would see some of the group again. but i have found out from old hotrockers that there is no escaping fellow hotrockers, because you will bump into them back in England or in various countries when you least expect it! there are always more climbing trips planned- amazing trad climbing in Jordon, sun-drenched sport climbing in Kalymnos or a boldering festival in Holland, and thats just for this year!
so i put on a barve face as the hotrockers left the hotel and me behind. i then gathered by stuff and went to find a taxi. the taxi took me straight to the skybus, which then took me to the airport fairly stress free. the next worry was when i had to check my bags in- would they be within the 30kg allowance i had bought? they came up as 33.5kg so i held my breath waiting for the check-in lady to notice. luckily she seemed to overlook it and i walked away with the ticket relieved.
the flight was 14 hours and had no TVs on the plane- it was one long journey! i did get the window seat and the seat next to me was free. about 5 hours in i started to feel a bit claustrophobic as it was dark in the plane and i still had so long to go. i looked around and all i couyld see were strangers faces. it was a very strange feeling- for 8 months i havent been away from other hotrockers for a couple of hours at a time, and even then, if for example i walked around Tonsai on my own, i would bump into someone at a restaurant, sitting on the beach or at the internet. suddenly i didnt know anyone. it was bizarre!
i met my parents at Stansted airport at 10pm and was immediately met by freezing cold air and so many English accents! the drive home was great- gliding along the motorway at normal speeds!
what a great trip! im still trying to get used to being back home. it definately feels a bit strange when everything is so familiar but i hasve been away long enough that it has become unfamiliar! i drove my car yesterday which was scary to start with but i quickly remembered how to drive (few!!). some clothes shopping was very exciting and much needed, as is usibng the washing machine a novelty! and the food is great! roast dinner and lasagne, pizza, all the things ive been missing!

i dont know how to conclude such a long and diverse trip. i had my favourite climbing areas- bouldering in Chattru, in the Indian Himalayas, and sport climbing in Yangshuo, in South East China, hiking around Mount Kailash in Tibet. Laos was beautiful with rolling jungle hills, Pakistan was beautiful with huge intimidating mountains and glaciers, Tibet was unique in its endless deserts with only sand to see for miles, Thailand had idilic sandy beaches and crystal blue water. then there was the dirt, filth and poverty we discovered in India, the scary altitude sickness in Tibet, and the government supression in Kashgar, China. driving in BiRT, cook duties, truck jobs, camping under the largest amount of stars i have ever seen, getting the first shower after 10 days, eating endless rice and veg. seeing mountains and sea, climbing to an altitude of 5600m, being in freezing temperatures, to rock climbing in 46 degrees C, getting stomach bugs and skin infections, having christmas on a beach, getting a tatoo. all the Hotrockers i have lived with and shared so many adventures with, from England, Scotland, Germany, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, America, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
just to name a few!!
Im going to have stories to tell for a long time!
thanks for reading my blog, i have really enjoyed writing it.



permalink written by  Clairesj on January 5, 2010 from Maidenhead, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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The Arc of Asia 2009-2010. Bring on the climbing!

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