Rest Day

I've become quite comfortable here at Jira's restaurant and homestay. Doing some rough calculations, I could live here with a bed in the dorm, 3 meals a day and 3 beers a night for a year for about $3,500. Pretty sure 2 months in Boston would cost me more. I asked the owner if I could stay here for a year and she very happily said "chai" (yes). The 8 inch long millipedes in the dorm provide the greatest opposition to this thought experiment. 

When I first booked my ticket to Thailand, the first route I looked up was "Anxiety State Crisis". It's a 2 pitch 5.11d that climbs its way up a pillar in the cave, into the roof and through a hole at the top.  

I finally found a partner interested in this adventure. Getting to the start of the climb involves 2 rappels and various scrambling on iron rungs until you get to a small ledge 80 feet above the cave floor. You're introduced to serious exposure right from the start and it's described as "3d climbing". There's stalactites abound and if it seems you've run out of holds, turn 180 degrees and you're greeted with an airy traverse to another set of stalactites. Absolutely stunning climbing. After a 180 foot rappel from the top to the cave floor, we both agreed that it was the coolest, most unique climb either of us has ever done. 

That was yesterday. Today was the first rest day of my trip. I'm sore in places that haven't been sore since the time I tried drunken wrestling on Christian's hardwood floor. 

I've passed the time washing my clothes and shoes, grabbing food at the market and exploring the town. Grabbing one of the scooters at the hostel, I explored the back roads of Mae On. The roads that wind through the farms and hills of the countryside were an absolute blast to explore. Ripping around on scooters is by far one of my favorite experiences of Thailand. After picking up a cheap pair of sunglasses on the way back, I got that little oil burning, 4-speed, semi-automatic scooter up to an ear-piercing 75 mph. Satisfaction was achieved. Time for a tall Chang beer and some fried big noodle.