Spot the climber! ⬇️ This is taken next to my bed out the window... Seriously this place is too good to be true
Oh and they have lots of sweet kitties
The first day I got in, I had a delicious salad and watermelon lemon shake as I read through the guidebook. I chatted with some Germans and went to watch them climb that evening before dinner. One area has this massive roof with the coolest formations and it is absolutely incredible to see someone climbing it.
The rock here is unlike any I've ever explored, and it is just begging to be climbed. I set my alarm for 5:45am to get out on some routes with a few guys I met. I hadn't climbed for a long time before that so I top-roped to let my body and mind adjust back. And it felt so so good! I felt alive being back on the rock, and even though it was some of the sharpest rock I've ever climbed, I felt comfortable on it and knew I could push myself to get to the top of each route.
I took a fall in the last one and because of the rush I didn't even realize I had cut my foot until I made it back to the ground. I also had tiny cuts all over my hands and knees from the rock but it actually made me kind of happy :) I am more motivated than ever to pursue climbing both on the rest of my trip and when I get back to the states.
SPEAKING OF... I have a return flight. My adventure finally has an endpoint, which is hard to come to terms with because it immediately makes me think of where I am in relation to the end, instead of just being happy in the present moment.
My original itinerary included a couple more continents after Asia, but unfortunately I have to postpone those for the time being. Traveling is expensive because all you do is spend money, and more than you can always account for. Every penny is worth it, but I'm at the point where I would need a LOT more pennies before I could make it in Australia, NZ, and South America. When I realized this, it was utterly heartbreaking, but I didn't let it get me down. I knew that if I cut out these more expensive countries, I could extend my time in SE Asia. I also promised myself that I can always travel to these other places, with more money and preparation, and I may have an even better experience of them than just tacking them on to the end of this amazing adventure in Asia.
SO my flight is set for May 7th, from Singapore to Denver. Once I get back I plan on hanging out with Emma who is visiting Boulder for the first time, then packing up my car and moving to Oregon! Traveling has helped me realize how much of my heart is still out west, and even though Colorado will always be home, I am being called back to Oregon for now. And who knows—this plan could all change in a month but for now I am feeling optimistic about it.
Meeting people along this journey has helped me realize that these opportunities to travel will always be there... I've met folks who are on a yearlong leave from their job, or quit, or are retired, or find work as they go, or travel with their significant other, or maintain a long distance relationship while they travel, or straight up travel with their young children, etc... All of whom have a wide ranges of age and acedemic status. Traveling is always a possibility, even if you just stay in your own country. And it's so important. You just have to make it happen!
Now I am south of Thakhek in a town called Pakse for a night. I left Green Climber's Home this morning with a heavy heart... I could have stayed here for so much longer. I had an epic week of climbing (got back into leading!) and bouldering and slacklining and yoga and spelunking and making frands and eating good and drinking better and falling in love with this world all over again!
On a rest day I went into town for wifi in the morning (fishermen on the Mekong), and in the afternoon I joined the guys in the cave for a movie ☺️
It's been hellishly hot in Laos so GCH answers with an epic cave and swimming hole just beyond the camp. We spent a lot of time here swimming, cooling off, climbing around, taking pictures and making fires on the shore at night... You could see how I didn't want to leave! But I know I'll make it back there someday, it is truly climber paradise. I already miss the crazy characters I met there, but they've given me lots of stories to share upon my return!
This morning I went to the station to catch the 6hr bus to Pakse, which turned out to not be running so I had to wait two hours and take an 8hr local bus down. Which meant being cramped, immobile, and sweating for the entire day as people shuffled on and off the bus, and women tried to sell us disgusting-looking meat or eggs on sticks through the windows every stop. I just listened to music for hours as I stared out on landscapes similar to this—
It actually turned out to be a pretty intense ride... about halfway through a man next to me leans across the seat to look out the window. In a flash I see what he was looking at... A man and a motorbike in a lifeless bloody post-crash snapshot. And then we're gone. Holy shit. I hardly breathed for the next ten minutes. How long had he been there? How long would he be there? The Lao folk didn't seem too phased. But for me it was all too real. That's the second dead person I've ever seen.
I sent a prayer his way and made a promise to myself that I would never, ever get on a bike again without a helmet. It set an interesting tone for the long ride. It didn't help that my stomach was already in pain from a hangover and lack of food for hours.
When I finally got into Pakse I stuffed myself with noodles and fries. I booked a ticket for my last long bus ride in Laos—to the 4,000 Islands in the Mekong River! I set off tomorrow morning for the island-dwelling, hammock-swinging, book-reading, waterfall-gazing, sunset-kayaking, dolphin-viewing, beer-sipping good life 😊
