"Don't let the fear of falling keep you from climbing up"
- Constance Chuks Friday
Chiang Mai is thankfully a bit less busy than Bangkok and slightly less swelteringly hot. While exploring the town I stumbled over a climbing centre and promptly blew my daily budget by booking a day trip climbing in Lampang. After an evening exploring with new friends from the hostel I got up bright and early to catch my transport to Lampang for a climbing extravaganza. As soon as we got there all we could hear was the looming buzzing of thousands of insects and no amount of DEET could save you… The majority of said insects were bees. So. Many. Bees! As soon as we started climbing and hence, sweating, we were a delicious source of salty minerals for them and let me tell you… it was the most zen belaying any of us have ever done. The routes were of varying degrees of difficulty. Shallow looking holes in the cliff face turned out to be comfortable pockets, which meant you could stick your entire hand in and the uncertainty of what might live in said holes combined with the incessant hum of aforementioned bees made even the easier routes nerve racking enough to give you a rush of adrenalin. Many of our group could be found sitting on nearby rocks nursing various insect bites and stings and even though I managed to get away without a bee sting (alas plenty of mosquito bites) my walking sandals weren’t so lucky. As I checked them before changing I discovered the bee that had perished after attacking the inside of my shoe. R.I.P you silly insect….
climbing in Lampang
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