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bhylenski
Sep 26, 2004, 7:55 AM
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Hello all,
I am currently living in Japan, but will be heading for Thailand for a few months in January/Feb/March. I hope to spend the first couple of weeks traveling down from Bangkok, hitting a variety of crags along the way, then spending 2-3 weeks in Southern Thailand. I will then head to Vietnam/Cambodia for a couple of weeks to see some sights and check out the area. Maybe some climbing if I can find it?? Then spend March climbing around Chang Mai in Thailand and maybe head to Laos while Im there for sights and climbing.
If anyone is interested in any of these segments, let me know.
Bryan
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temporary-wintertime
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Sep 26, 2004, 3:09 PM
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i was in vietnam for just over 4 weeks last december/january. make sure you check out halong bay for the rock, millions of beauty limestone pinnacles. im not sure if there's any developed (bolted) climbs, but i saw plenty (kasquillionz) of natural lines waiting, though unfortunately we didnt have any gear (were just bouldering). there's a popular island that you can get to by ferry from halong bay, ive forgotten what its called but if you want i can find out- basically had lots of awesome massive faces on the sides of the hills and the like, good bouldering and routes up to about 40m, only 5 mins walk from the pub/pool hall and visible from the markets.
also have a look at the sapa region up north (get there by minibus or motobike from the trainstation at lao cai) if you have time, not really any rock (actually theres some awesome looking ravine cliffs but its so remote and so 'adventurous' to get in/out of it that even if you could climb it you would never been seen again) but the trekking is great and the whole area s beautiful, with beautiful people. if you do get there, get a guide at the hotel in sapa (make sure you get some of their banana pancakes before you leave as well) and set aside 3 or 4 days for a trek through the hills and minority tribes, plus if the weather is good (ie.not foggy, wet is fine) then go up mt fansipan.
im not sure if there is any climbing to be had in the south as the furthest south i managed was hoi an (just south of da nang). hanoi is recomended if you want to shop, and is prbably worth a day just to check out the culture, but i hate big cities so i scooted on out to the mountains by train.
hope that helps, if you need any details on anything just email me
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bhylenski
Sep 26, 2004, 3:56 PM
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Great Reply!! Thanks for the info, if you can find out the name of the island, that would be great, but if not no worries! You've given me a good bit to get started on. I actually have my trad rack with me, here in Japan, but was debating whether to haul it around Thailand with me and take a chance on getting it stolen or "lost". Anyway, I think your reply may make up my mind for me.
I'll email you offline as well, but do you have any pictures from your trip, you may be willing to share, sounds like an amazing trip??
Bryan
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temporary-wintertime
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Sep 27, 2004, 2:51 AM
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possible climbing areas:
limstone
-halong bay and bai tu long bay; the whole area is a massive limestone plateau that has gradually sunkinto the se bed leaving the tops of the mountans ticking out (thus the fingerlike pinnacles everywhere)
- tam coc (nearby)
-cat ba island (the name of the one i mentioned before)
-Ha Tien area on the mekong delta
-Marble Mountains near Danang
granite
-coastal ranges near Nha Trang and also at Hai Van pass near Danang.
both of these consist of heaps of massive hillside boulders
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out of those my first pick would be halong bay/cat ba or bai tu long bay, or if you want bouldering then haivan pass.
to get to halong bay fly in to hanoi or haiphong, get a train or bus to halong city.
for a reasonable price (cant remember exactly) you can hire a boat & crew who will take you anywhere in the bay, provide accommodation (on board) and feed you more awesome seasfood than you thought the oceans could produce. these boats are generally docked at the marina about 2km west of bai chay. to get the best price you should book the boat through one of the hostels or similar in bai chay, they may cost more than you think you can haggle them to, but at least you can be sure of how much you are going to have to pay (trust me, the hassles i will save will be well worth the money, and will probably end up being cheaper anyway)
there is a ferry running (about 2 hour ride from memory) between halong city and cat ba, but the boat you stay on is able to drop you off.
just a warning- theives are pretty common on the bay and if you go for a swim or whatever then make sure you have someone trustworthy watching your gear.
other recomended stops (non climbing)-
*hoi an-an hours bus ride south of danang,chek out the kingdom of Champa ruins, this is a good place to buy lots of clothes, and if you're a tv addict go to nearby china beach- i went there but the surf was shit so i didnt stay
*hue- 3 hours north of danang, see the citadel & the nguyen dynasty tombs
*sapa- catch the train to lao cai from hanoi or haiphong, get a minibus up to sapa- check out the love markets in town, the surrounding hillside minorities, and haul yur arse up Mt Fansipan
*hanoi- buy stuff, see turtle lake and fall asleep through the water puppets, buy more stuff, then get the hell outta there
the lonely planet guide to vietnam is surprisingly accruate and very relevant- definately a necessary investment- buy it and read the whole thing a few time before you go to help get the most outof your time. if you dont know exactly where you want to go, the locals will pick up on it in a jiffy and soon enough you'll be their money puppet
ill email you some pics from the above places
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temporary-wintertime
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Sep 27, 2004, 3:06 AM
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the only evidence i was able to find of previous climbing in the area was a '96 trip which is well documented at www.toddskinner.com/Gallery_Nam/
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joemor
Oct 5, 2004, 10:51 PM
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ive been told there is an article on climbing that is being developed by some germans in climbing magazine at the moment...
im also on the hunt for info on vietnam as ill be there with girlfriend and gear from dec 29 till feb 12....
there is a guiding company i cintacted who were almost un hepful who run trips to their "own " spot which is only top roped and up to about 5.10... sounded very crap... but ha long bay sounds and looks amazing from the photos... ill try to get the magazine today and ill get back to you...
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joemor
Oct 7, 2004, 12:38 AM
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the article is in rock and ice.....
MAN it sounds soooo goood!!!
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tangobasset
Oct 12, 2004, 7:16 AM
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Hi, I'm a beginning climber with just my shoes and harness with me. I'm looking to be in Thailand around January for two months of climbing, swimming, and relaxing. I'm interesting in finding someone to climb with. My girlfriend and I have no set plans, but were thinking about setting up shop in/around Krabi.
Feel free to write a private message. I'm in Mongolia with pretty decent Internet access for now.
Chris
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bhylenski
Oct 15, 2004, 2:14 AM
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Hello All,
Sorry for the delay, had a friend in town for some climbing in the Japanese Alps, not bad, but solid for Japan. Anyway, I just picked up my ticket. I will be in Southern Thailand from Dec. 25th thru most of January (climbing of course). End of January I will head for Vietnam. Probably last week in January, depending on who I can link up with to climb. I would like to spend most of the time in Halong bay, but open to check out some new areas or even put up some new routes if we can locate some possibilities of our own. Then come end of Feb, I will need to be in Changmai for some climbing and to meet up with my wife.
If that timeframe interests anyone, please drop me a line outside of the forum, my email is bhylenski at yahoo! bhylenski@yahoo.com.
Thanks again for all of the info. A friend of mine has the magazine in question and he is mailing it to me now, so sounds like it will be a big help!
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joemor
Oct 15, 2004, 6:41 AM
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its an awesome read!
its seems youll just miss me by days.... i would have been keen for some new routing...
unfortunately were backpacking so a drill and bolting kit is out of the question....
good luck adn post anything new you find!
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temporary-wintertime
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Oct 15, 2004, 10:32 AM
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"some new routes if we can locate some possibilities of our own."
hahaa duuudddee, you haf no idea!! halong bay is like walking (err well swimming) into the middle of thailand (x10 at least i reckon) without any estbalished routes. you could spend a lot of lifetimes there with a drill and never dent the new route potential. seriously. its so unbelievable hard to describe. and i didnt have any climbing gear with me!!!!!!
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