The last month or so has marked a series of new and exciting developments. But with every new change comes some tough decisions.
My buddy Noah and I finally said our farewells at the end of April. I had talked him into moving to Thailand (fucking crazy right?) to work on his rock climbing skills, and ended up staying for around 6 months. It was amazing to see him progress in the short time he was here. The day after he arrived I took him out to Crazy Horse for some climbing and he was shaking on 5's. A few days before he left we rode out and spent two full days crushing, Noah was leading 6b - 6c with no problems, he even got on his dream route Love, Blood, and Steel (6c) and dominated it. Even got a little bit of tipsy night climbing in haha. Needless to say it was tough to say goodbye to another friend.
gearing up
Noah, leaving out the Steel and utilizing the Love
Katie and I decided to move out of the old city, the construction going on 3 meters from our heads was getting a bit much and there wasn't much green space. We by some dumb luck found the most picturesque ideal of a Thai house just outside of the city near Wat Umong. Oh, and it has an oven, the first homemade chocolate chip cookies in over a year! Every night we come home its like we are on a dream vacation, and its a great way to separate from work and be the only white people in the neighborhood. Downsides..........the commute is now around 10 mins, and it warrants the use of a scooter to get to work. I was able to pick up an antique Honda Dream our friend Michelle who was leaving for pretty cheap. Michelle had a bit of hard time saying goodbye to it......
sala style
green space
dining area
inception, camera phone style
Over the last few months I have been feeling a bit stagnant at CMRCA and wanting to see and experience som new things within the outdoor industry. It was hard decision but I have decided to leave the company to pursue some other opportunities. That being said I will still be working for CMRCA as a contract guide and developing curriculum, etc. It took about a day but I found a new job working with International Student Volunteers as a project leader on some of their service learning projects. The schedule and work will allow me to get back in shape a bit and do more climbing on my days off, plus I get to work on my leadership and group management skills.
So, as mentioned in the last post we went up to Doi Angkhan for another successful caving adventure last month. Besides all the survey data and new bolting we put in we also filmed the deepest Harlem Shake videos in existence (around 200 meters deep). Enjoy!
