September Recap

This month has been a bit crazy.....time to catch up a bit. One great thing about the last few weeks has been the number of new semi-permanent people I have met. Between all the Princeton in Asia fellows and a number of new arrivals to the Chiang Mai scene I have made an effort to get out more. It's hard to foster meaningful relationships with people when they are so transient, its a nice change of pace. We also had a visitor from the states, Lily. Katie and Lily went to college together way back when, so it was nice for her to see an old friend and for me to meet her. Not everyone will dance or sing show tunes on cue, for an extended period of time.

Lily, Katie, and Michelle

Tawan Dang 

rot dang ridin

Since I returned to Thailand I have been dubbed the Head of Risk Management and Guide training, as such my tasks include training the guides for the upcoming American Mountain Guide Association Single Pitch Instructor exam. The guys took the course a few years ago and this year Mark Hammond from the Colorado Mountain School is coming over to do the the exam. There is a bit of pressure on my shoulders to make sure these guys pass......sort of stressful. I have also been setting up a guide exchange with a company in Yangshuo, China. Going into the process I had zero information, so I am learning as I go. In the coming year I hope to open a number of guide exchange opportunities for our guides across SE Asia, including India, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and maybe even Australia. Needless to say it is exciting.

tandem rappels

weighted take overs

P' Taw trad climbing

One of the keys to sanity is to  continue to explore. It's so easy here to get into a routine and totally miss the world around you. I have always been home sick for a place I've never seen or been, still searching. Luckily Chiang Mai has endless potential for peregrinations, big or small. Below are a few random places I have visited over the past few weeks. 

One of the numerous Wats in Chiang Mai

the queen of fruits, mangostine 

Italian soda

Katie watching herself on the big screen

Katie and I

Wat near Ban Tawai

P.S.  As of today at 3 a.m. there is a new member of the CMRCA community. Kat gave birth to a healthy baby girl this morning. I have a feeling she will be a badass climber. Pictures to come.