Rock Climbing in Thailand
November 7, 2009 by Vern · Leave a Comment
This is about as much rock climbing in Thailand as you’ll see me doing. I gained a couple kg and just don’t have the arm strength like I used to have. It’s fun to screw around like this though. Here I am making it seem way harder than it should be. Any real climber would probably stand up and walk up this boulder.
This is a 500 meter high rock. I walked up a path to get to it, but still...
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Going inverted - beyond vertical is something I do often - and here my friend captures me in that crystal clear moment between life and death.
Hiking in Thailand
I went hiking in Thailand yesterday. Snake hunting really. It’s a nice mountain climb – about 90 minutes up, 40 down. I saw some footprints ahead of me – fresh. I never did see the hikers though. That was odd. There’s supposed to be one way up the mountain and one way down.
There are some great hikes here in Thailand but you can get lost if you don’t have a guide that’s familiar with the trail. Last night I was up until after midnight with a group of about 50 Thai rescuers trying to locate a visitor and his wife that had become lost on a mountain climb. They’d been gone 13 hours before being found. It should have taken them 3 hours. They were quite happy to be found before having to stay all night there. They were burning pages from a book to keep the insects away.
There are plenty of poisonous snakes and other pitfalls in the Thailand jungle – made worse by nightfall.
Always have a couple things… LOTS of water. Mosquito repellant. Flashlight – even small. 7-11 sells them for 70 baht + AA batteries. Long sleeves and long pants and socks with sport sandals or sports shoes.
Sound does NOT travel far in a jungle I learned yesterday. As I approached some monkeys in the trees I noticed – it sounded like they weren’t that close – they were almost right above me. Sure, 60 feet above me… but, it was weird and I noticed. Then, after I’d passed I realized I’d only gone 50 meters and the sound was very reduced…these were the howling monkees that make that supercool bombs dropping noise.
The idea of sound not traveling well in the jungle was later reinforced as I realized the lost couple couldn’t hear the beeping of my motorbike horn as I went all around the base of the mountain – even within 1km of where the guy and his wife were resting (because it was pitch black even with the full-moon).
Later I really got a shock when the policeman I was with fired two shots from his pistol into the air. I was on the phone with the lost guy – and he said he heard one shot just faintly and the other shot – not at all. He was only about 1km from there!
A whistle would still be a good investment to bring if you’re hiking – it will go further than your voice. Their voices were hoarse after yelling for so many hours.
Be careful in Thailand – it’s fun, but it’s literally wild too. There are Asiatic black bears that could attack you while you’re hiking. They’re supposedly the most aggressive bears on the planet and only about 100lbs.
Watch out!
Thailand Tips #5: Ko Samui on a Motorbike? No.
December 25, 2008 by Vern · 2 Comments
There’s no place more dangerous on a motorbike than Ko Samui or Phuket. I’ve seen more foreigners getting in accidents on Samui than I’ve seen anywhere else.
I saw two girls destroy themselves at the top of the mountain up by the zip line attraction and the waterfalls. The hills are steep and sometimes dirt. Tourists for some reason use the front brake on the motorbike (right side) really hard – and tend to flip themselves or themselves and the bike end over end.
I’ve seen others crash into each other.
I’ve seen cars routinely cut the curve and come into my lane head on – and if I didn’t swerve out of my own lane and onto the side of the road I’d be dead.
I’ve seen the aftermath of head ons with tourists and cars and trucks.
Ko Samui is a wicked dangerous spot to rent a motorbike. If you don’t own a motorbike in your home country – don’t rent one on Samui or Phuket. Those are two really dangerous spots. Phuket I think has the highest accident rate in the country.
Thais have a unique style of driving, it’s called “madness”. Once you learn the madness you can drive on the roads just like them – being aware of the incredibly stupid stuff they’re bound to do. If you’re just here on vacation rent a tuk-tuk or something!
How can you stay safe in Thailand?
You can start by getting Thailand Survival Guide 101.
Thai Black Book.
For a current state of the country – see the ultimate Thailand Guide – Thai Black Book – your guide to staying safe in Thailand
Thai Black Book information site- >
