Good-Bye Vietnam!

2/21-22/16

A lot has happened in the last two days. We have flown to a new country, said buy to friends, become more confident with public transportation, found a camp in the middle of no where, and even climbed. We are now back in Thailand where the whole adventure began, except this time we are here to explore the north.

Robyn and I left early on the morning of the 21st from our hostel with a prearranged taxi. Upon arrival at the airport we quickly made our way through the ticket counter where we check in for our flight and ensured our bags were under the allowed weight. With boarding passes in hand we were off to immigration to get our passports stamped and go through security. We made it through all of the process with no problems and at a record speed. This meant we had plenty of time to cruise the airport looking for ways to spend the last of our Vietnamese currency. 

Enjoying the Train

Robyn ended up buying some coffee, chewing gum, and Tiger Balm. These happen to be the three best items one can buy in airport to get rid of currency. Coffee is a must buy in Vietnam, gum kicks butt on airplanes, and Tiger Balm is so cheap and so good for the sore achy body. Side Note: For those unfamiliar with Tiger Balm, its the worlds greatest rub on cream that cools and numbs any pain in joints or muscles. (Great for climbers!) Basically, you gain tiger powers!

I ended up spending the last bit of my currency on a Popeye’s chicken tender combo with mashed potatoes and coke. Still hungry, I grabbed a vanilla ice cream cone. I helped with the purchase of a lunch for Robyn as well, a simple chicken sandwich with fries and a coke. She soon realized although a Popeye’s sandwich it was a sandwich none the less and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were soon leaving the side of Southeast Asia with good bread and back to the land of rice. Funny the things you miss after traveling. For us this is good bread and oh yeah, good beer.

We made it on the plane and an hour and forty five minutes later we were in Bangkok. Once there we had to go through immigration. In Bangkok, immigration lines are always long and hectic but this time it went pretty smooth. With in thirty minutes we both had our passports stamped and were on the way to baggage claim and the nearest ATM to withdraw bahts (Thai currency). Once we had our bags we headed to the information desk to inquire about a Thailand SIM card and to double check our plans for getting to the climbers camp north of Bangkok. We confirmed that we had to catch a series of buses to the train station before heading north to Keang Khoi (the nearest town to the camp). 

We made it!

After heading outside the airport we waited for a few minutes to catch the free shuttle to the bus station where we were meant to hop on either bus 554 or 555 to get to the train station we needed to go north. As soon as the shuttle dropped us off, we were surrounded by many gentlemen offering us taxis to various locations, ensuring us that it was easier and cheaper. Being veterans by now we new it was nothing more than a scam so we continued our search of the local bus 555 or 554. Being that there was no 555 bus we assumed, 554 must be the one. We hopped on and waited until more people including the bus driver got on the bus. We showed several people a piece of paper that had “Train Station to Kaeng Khoi” written in Thai in which they shook their heads yes to. 

Soon the bus was off and keeping our fingers crossed we followed ourselves on gps as we headed through Bangkok. Being a local bus, it stopped many times letting people on and off the bus. We were the only two westerners on this bus and we stuck out like a sore thumb. About an hour past before making it to the train station where the bus without hesitation stopped and several people pointed us off and said “This you”. We thanked everybody on the bus for looking out for us, grabbed our bags and hopped off heading up the stairs of the train station. 

After finding the ticket office we told him where we wanted to go and for 60 bahts he gave us two tickets and pointed to the other side of the tracks. This we assumed meant go there and wait. Again, multiple people looked at our ticket and when the next train came made sure we got on it and found a seat. Trains in Thailand are packed! We walked through two entire cars unable to turn around with our big bags until we found the cafe car. We were invited to sit down and throw our luggage above. Feeling as though we had to buy something since we were sitting at a non crowed table in a less than busy car, we opted for two cokes. Wow were we lucky, everywhere else in this train was crazy full, people four to five a row with some even standing in the isle. The cafe employee allowed us to stay and so we enjoyed our two hour ride north eating sunflower seeds, drinking soda, enjoying the views out of our open window and playing cards. 

Nam Pha Pa Yai Restaurant 

Two hours flew by and so did several train stops. As we neared our stop several locals informed us and even the gentleman working on the train checking tickets came over and warned us it was up next. Feeling grateful and excited that we had almost completed what seemed impossible just hours earlier, we hopped off and headed to find a couple motorbike taxis. We went to where we were told they would be from our research and what do you know, they were there. They knew exactly where we were headed (this town is not a common westerners stop) and a few bahts later Robyn and I hopped onto two separate bikes and were off into the sunset toward what we hoped was the right place. It is amazing how much trust we have for people in Southeast Asia, it always works out and they are always so willing to answer any questions and make sure you get where you are going or what you need. 

Holding ourselves onto the back of a small motor bike with nearly 25 kilos of weight is simply hard. We both barely fit onto our motorbike taxis and had to hold on tight as they made the 20 kilometer trek out to the camp. As darkness fell upon us we were headed up a dirt road far off the beaten path into what seem to be a beautiful valley. Finally, lights shined in the distance and we pulled up to a clay hut restaurant with the name “Nam Pha Pa Yai”. We had made it, nearly 12 hours later from when we left Hanoi, Vietnam, we were finally here! We sat our bags down and were greeted by our host, Joy. There were only a few people at the camp making it a quite and peaceful environment.  After a quick run down of the place, she took us to our new home for the next week, a sweet tent on a raised platform overlooking the river valley. Robyn and I high-fived with excitement knowing we had figured it out public transportation!

We soon learned we had made it just in time for dinner which made Robyn and I two very happy individuals. Buffet style! I ate more than I had eaten since leaving the states that night. We had a beer over dinner to celebrate our near flawless adventure. Bed came early as it does a lot here.

Zipline Gear

The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast before heading off to do some climbing. The crag here at “Nam Pha Pa Yai” is located across the river from camp which means the only way there and back is a zipline! This I love, Robyn not so much. After we both successfully made it across the river we went to the map of the crag and picked out a few climbs. We started on a 6a which was extremely long and a little difficult to navigate. After that we did a 6a+ and a 5+ which we both found fun. After only three climbs, we were exhausted and ready for lunch. We have not climbed in hot temperatures in along time and it showed. The heat and the sun kicked our butts and used up a lot of our chalk as we kept sweating off each hold. We again zip lined back across the river and headed up to the restaurant.  

Lunch was great, a mixed salad with chicken and lots of really cold water. Being the hottest part of the day, we decided that a few board games would be a nice way to beat the heat before a few more climbs in the afternoon. We played a few games of Mancala and Connect Four as we consumed what seemed endless amounts of water from the cooler. We soon braved the heat and set off for a new crag one that actually wasn't across the river but rather just on the outskirts of camp in a bamboo forest. The crag was full of easy climbs which we both were down for being that the heat was still kicking our butts. We made it through a few more climbs which were enjoyable but finally gave into heat exhaustion and headed back to camp. 

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We both headed straight for the showers and enjoyed a cold shower to refresh ourselves and clean ourselves of all the sweat we had been pouring out all day. After showers we sat around in the shade enjoying hammocks and books. We did this until dinner time where we once again ate maybe a little too much. Its so good here that its hard to stop once you get going. 

Home, sweet, home!

Now it is nearly 9pm and we are the only ones here at the camp. Everyone has left but us and of course Joy (the host) and her family. We have been told more climbers are to be coming soon but Joy is unsure if they actually will. Either way its nice having the place to our own. Being in a quiet place in the middle of a beautiful river valley in the middle of Thailand is a wild feeling but one we are liking so far. Off to a movie and another good nights sleep. Sleep is great here as you pass out to the sounds of geckos, insects, birds, and the occasional howl of a dog.

Of course as we always say, stay tuned as this adventure keeps getting better and better!