Thailand

Warm water, white sand, beautiful people, and climbing on the beach... Does this sound like a twisted mix between Ceuse and a luxurious tropical resort? Well it is, welcome to the ultra-affordable paradise that is Thailand.



I just returned from a month long trip of climbing in the south of Thailand. Supposedly tourism was down 20% due to the well-publicized bombings that were taking place near the Malaysian border, yet there was no detectable hostility from any of the locals and we felt completely safe the entire trip.



The limestone here lends itself to some of the most featured climbing you will experience. It’s not uncommon to apparently run out of holds on a route only to find that your next grip is on a stalactite 180 degrees behind you.



If for some reason you get a little tired of the route climbing, there is plenty more to enjoy on the beaches. Chances are good that you’ll run into a mob of monkeys on the footpath to Phra Nang beach; which is a great place for local food tasting, swimming, and casual beach bouldering slash checking out the women in bikinis.








Most of the people I met at Ton Sai, the predominant climbing beach, were also heading to some of the other more touristy islands; such as Ko Tao and Ko Samui (remember "Operation Ko Samui" from Meet the Parents? If you like to party, then this Focker-approved island is top choice). If you do decide to take the trip to Ko Tao then you’ll be rewarded with beautiful granite boulders on a beach. American turned Thailand local, James March runs an excellent climbing school on the island of Ko Tao (www.zengecko.com).



If deep water soloing is your thing, then you’re in luck. Thailand is littered with hundreds of beautiful limestone pillars jutting out of deep warm water. It’s relatively simple to hire a boatman to take you out to an overhang of your choice; from there, just check the depth of the water and pick a line!







Thailand is the ultimate conglomerate of climbing and leisure. I’m hard-pressed to think of an area where you can experience quality limestone climbing, cheap beer from a bar, and warm ocean water literally within 50 meters of each other. There’s no doubt that the setting contributes to the magic of Ton Sai, but for me, the people are what made it memorable.



from left to right: Sari, me, Alon, Erik, and Soto

For more info, go to Simon Foley's website. tip: do not go in high season (dec/jan) unless you want to wait in line to try routes!! Despite very brief and harmless rain spurts, August through November can be a great time.