Phi Phi Island - Day 4

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I had quite a busy day today. The plan was simple go to the lookout in the morning in order to get a good view of the island and in the afternoon try the rock climbing.

As with all good plans, no matter how simple and well laid out it seems...nothing goes ever according to plan. It turned out to be a day much physically demanding than I had bargained for.

For starters, the lookout it wasn´t a nice and easy walk as I thought it would be. In order to get to the first lookout, yes that's the other thing, there weren't just one...but 4 lookouts! you had to climb the longest staircase in the whole of Thailand.

What you can see at the end on those photographs it's not a ramp, it is still an even more steep if possible stair and it went on forever. When you get to lookout one, you see nothing more than palm trees. Yes, not sure if after the tsunami the views were better with no trees whatsoever, but give it a few years, the trees grow and now you can't see anything except for the signs indicating lookout number 2...so what else could I do but keep climbing up to lookout number 2...

Lookout number 2 was a different story. The views were spectacular and it even had a bar with some nicely overpriced drinks, which believe me, with the heat and all the climbing you are more than willing to pay...

There were some signs indicating a lookout number 3 so I went to see lookout number 3. Esentially you come down part of the hill and climb another one. For my disapointment, the views were just the same but from a different angle.

I never found lookout number 4 but by the time I made it to lookout number 3 it was almost midday and I still had to get back to the village and have lunch before going to the rock climbing school where I was meant to meet the instructor at 1 pm.

After all the stairs climbing the thing I wanted the most was laying down on the beach but that's not what was on the menu for the afternoon.

I met with the instructor at their place in the village and we walked to wall where we were going to do the climbing which was a 10 minutes walk from the village. It turned out to be a one to one class as I was the only pupil today....lucky me!

So after some brief instructions of how to use some of the equipment, he starting climbing in order to setup the rope for me while I was releasing the rope and wearing the equipment to keep him hanging in case he fell.

That very same equipment is the one he would be using on me later when I started climbing with the difference mine would be more secure from an anchor at the end of the climb whereas his was secured by hooks which he put up as he climbed (in case he fell) and that once the rope was set up he asked me to take them back on my way up.

It looks easier than it is and the first time I realised I was about to fall from 20 metres because my hands and arms were giving up on me, wasn't a very nice experience but once you fall and realise you are completely safe you relax and start enjoying  the experience much more.

It seems all climbs have a classification, the first one was a 5+ and so was the second one, the third one I tried was a 6a and unfortunatelly, my hands and arms were so tired by the time I got to the third one that there was a point I just couldn't continue any longer, I couldn't even hold myself for more than 2 seconds without falling so at that point I knew that was the end of the day for me, no point in trying to continue. My arms were made of jelly!

I was really exhausted from the exercise but I felt really great. It was a fantastic experience. One I'm sure will be doing again.

This is a view of the whole wall, the climb would probably go only to the middle of it or so.

From the climb I just went to the beach (which was on the way to the village) and just layed down there until it went dark... I was starving but didn't feel like moving... it was so nice being on the beach without moving...

The following day everything hurt. I think even my eyelids hurt...thinking hurt... with all the diving, the walking around the island and then the rock climbing...I knew what I was gonna do for the next 2 days! :-)



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