After much contemplation we decided to rent equipment and rent a scooter to spend a day climbing at Crazy Horse in Chiang Mai. The equipment came with a guidebook and amazingly the beta was spot on. We found the crag - sharp limestone - and made our way up a short jungle trail to The Hanging Gardens which were rated 5b and 5c - of course we have no idea what those ratings mean but the book said it was a good place to start. The climbs were fairly straightforward sport routes, John played rope gun and I swept up. The area was great, clearly marked trails and bamboo benches to rest or belay from.
If the rented shoes were not so damn painful it would have been a perfect day - but not bad for a spur of the moment climbing adventure. We did several routes at the Hanging Gardens and then head to Tamarind Valley. John even attempted a crazy crack/stem climb.
As dusk approached the pesky mosquitos started arriving ... time to go. In keeping with our typical "MO" we were the last scooter out of the jungle on our way back to Chiang Mai.
On the advice of some fellow climbers who were living in Chiang Mai teaching English, we decided to sample some local Thai BBQ for dinner since we still had the motorscooter and could dine outside of the tourist area. It took a little patience but we found the place - think big school cafeteria without walls and 2 stories tall. A buffet of 50 meters long full of raw meat and fish was in the middle of the room. You sat at these metal tables with 2 holes in them - one for the coals to heat broth to cook a soup in and to cook meat or fish above and the second to bbq on. You could feast until you burst. Luckily since you were cooking it yourself it forced you to space it out a little. At first we were unsure what to do and there were no other foreigners to ask. Our waiter, who spoke very little English, tried to guide us thru the experience and also made sure we had enough Singhi beer! Great last day and night in Chiang Mai.
