Day 10

Day 10

Rest day today, well almost.  I'm still thinking of climbing something easy today or maybe not so easy...  Orpierre has been truly great.  It is truly a perfect place to start your first climbing trip to Europe or to France.  It is very comfortable. Everything is so close; the post office, the internet at the tourst office, a swimming pool for a hot day and a good bar to go to after a long day at the cliffs.

My time here is done and tomorrow i'll be off to Ceuse.  I've done with whatever I started out to do, Meme Pas Mal is a classic 7c after all and it felt really good.  Bookarai Banzai an 8a is also a fantstic route and though I only linked its moves, felt not so difficult.  Its unfortumate my time with it is not enough.  I did one try on it just before the day ended just as it was getting dark.  Im sure though that Ceuse will have more routes to be amazed on.  Whats difficult might be getting up from sleep and hiking up the cliff for an hour or so. 

Well,  the line here for the internet is quite long.  Theres only one terminal and so I have to end quickly. 

Au revoir!

Day 9

Day 9

Je voudrais une amie francais !  Hahaha ... You should try it in a bar here and make sure all the nice girls hear it.

My circle of friends has been slowly getting bigger.  It's nice to finally know almost everyone at the crag.  I'm not wandering off to any other sector so it's basically the same people everyday.  Some new pretty ones too sometimes ... the pretty strong, the pretty huge and the pretty cute ...  hehehe.  The Cheateu area to me is the nicest.  There are good warm-ups and lots of possible projects, the hardest of which is this 8c "Mission Impossible".  It is interesting but hasn't drawn my interest just yet.  There is a lot to do and I'm still working my way up, but maybe today do "Meme Pas Mal" and then move on to the more really harder routes and see what happens.

I'm in the company of some really strong climbers and it's so easy to get carried away with the energy.  Climbing and pushing yourself hard here is the norm and its difficult sometimes to stretch on the energy to last the day, but its fun, so much fun!

Ajhourd'hui, nous envoyer!

Day 8

Day 8

Bonjour ! ça va ! Aujourd'hui, senti superb ! C'est mieux, I am beginning to get used to the climbing here.  The pain in the finger tips has begun to be tolerable and the height of the routes is becoming common to me.  I'm slowly making my way up the difficulty of the  climbs and no longer hesitant in taking long falls.  There's a route now I've come to be attached with, "Meme Pas Mal". I've tried it three times now and close to finishing. Its very consistent all thoughout and has managed to make me grunt on its many moves.  I think though what kept me from doing it is the thought of finishing it insteqd of just doing it.  It always creeps out when you don't want it to and that's when you're two moves away from finishing. Hope tomorrow comes naturally for me.

Tres Bien …

The beginning of the day was enchanting too.  Sent some postcards and am happy to say, managed to speak some french. Although I did speak it and got to let the lady know what I needed to do, I didn't understood a word she said afterwards.  The postcards got stamped and am happy to get a few lovely smiles from the people lining up behind me.  Specially from une fille boucoupe jolie et boucoupe adorable en bureau de poste, mais ma français est faible et brouillé...oh well...

Day 4

Day 4

ça va ! Bonjour!  Je suis a droit, a gouche, Orpierre, Laragne, Sisteron, Gap, Grenoble. Boucoup adorable! Its been a very lovely 4 days now!  Je un amie adorable boucoup!  Hehehe.  Just kidding! 

The routes are long and pumpy.  I'm not far from my comfort zone just yet, though I've awakened with sore muscles with just two days of climbing.  Today is my third day of climbing with my rest day just yesterday.  My skin have grown quite a bit and so I might try and push myself today but nothing too far from what is to me something that would come naturally. 

I'm climbing with a Belgian guy, Fredrick, and we always meet up at the cliffs.  He's like 6 foot tall and so there is quite a difference in climbing style.  Slowly I hope my fingers would be able to last longer on the crimps.  The harder routes aren't so forgiving. 

As for  the house, I'm living with two old Polish guys who are working on Stash's house.  Stash has left for Poland and I'm left with his uncle and friend who don't speak a word of english.  I'm left with a book on polish and have learned "dobry" which means "good" and "jutro" which means "tomorrow" which I always use to fend of consecutive shots of vodka! I did some work on the house yesterday.  Did some shovelling to help out in building the house. 

  

Au revoir!

Day 1

Day 1

Nuthin' much going on really.  I've still got five hours before the connnecting flight to Paris.  Singapore Airport can become really small soon.  I might take a walk later just to get tired and then easily fall asleep on the  8 hour flight later.  I finshed two movies already on the previous flight.  I'm not really looking forward to finishing 2 more.

Well, at least there's the X-Games on the TV.  I guess I have to save some more energy and get one of those push carts.  I'm lugging around 10Kg. for hand carry.

Word is though it's a bit rainy in Orpierre.  Cold and wet.  Hope it changes when I get there. 

Dodedoodedoo...   

Day 0 . . .

Day 0 . . .

I just got the visa and tickets yesterday  for my odessey to Europe.  It was a long wait and I'm still to wait a few more days before the plane really starts me on my journey.  My flights got moved by three days and so I'm still here and starting to get really anxious.  Travelling alone presents a lot of intimidation.  There is that slight fear of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere where no one would understand you and running out of funds for the next lap of the journey.  But also, as a friend told me, there is a lot of experience to gain from going in solo.  It's also very reassuring when she said we as climbers are a very altruistic community and we can always find a friend.

The plan is to get to Orpierre first.  The routes there are nice and moderate.  It will be the perfect place go get aquainted with the rock in France.  I'll be staying at a friend's house and so the comfort I believe might be close to home.  After a few days I'll be enroute to Ceuse.  Fatima and I will be camping for 10 days.  Without that bed and the very cold nights, I could imagine not getting in so much comfort.  I'm still with people I know at that point and the worries aren't so impossing.  The next few weeks will find me wandering off to Rodellar or Siurana probably.  Anywhere in Spain would be cheap I think and mistakes there could be forgiving.  The first option was Millau for Gorge du Tarn but it's too expensive to be spending too much time in France alone.  But things could change and events lining the road might blow me to places which might be even better.

On the last week I fly off to Italy to meet with the Amici's.  Shane and Oscar will be there and Fats will fly in from the U.K. again to get in some climbing at Arco.  Sadly my visa only allows me 40 days and so I'll miss the Rock Masters by a day...I'll be flying off home Sept. 6th on the day the Rock Masters start.

Well, all these things aren't really that crisp and solid.  I'm sure there will be changes and they are more than welcome.  

Waiting game . . .

Waiting game . . .

...waiting, waiting, waiting... it's been the story so far.  I just came back from the French Embassy and again after so much explanation I'm still to wait some more.  This visa has been occupying my mind so much.  I've still to get this "attestation d' accueil" from France and it might be another 2 weeks before it arrives.  

Good news though, the guy at the counter told me the visa has been granted and everything is just a matter of documentation and paper work.  Rules.  It's their rules and I think I have to play by it to get the visa.  

The trip promises a new world and to be prepared for it is something I can only hope for.  I've done what I could to be prepared but  it's best for me to just throw away all my expectations.  I'd want to carry out an agenda or what others might call a "tick list" for a hundred or so routes but then again I'm not to know how these things would go when I'm there.  It would be nice but it's not all that important as just being there and just climbing and taking things on a personal level.   

More waiting. . . I think I have to rest my mind and just climb at the gym . . . see how all this waiting is affecting my climbing . . .