China part II: Yangshuo

I had read about the climbing around Yangshuo in a couple of mags, and I had this in my mind when I decided to spend 7 odd weeks in China. Once the decision was made to stop travelling and go climbing, I was very eager to get to Yangshuo and settle in.

Those that have been to Yangshuo before (and are still at a stage in life where they go out) will almost certainly have heard of Monkey Jane's. This is where I chose to stay, in a single room for about AU$35 a week. Their rooftop bar is what they are known for, and my first three nights were spent their, imbibing typically weak Chinese lager and mingling. Is this a sign of things to come, I wondered? Will every night be spent at Monkey Jane's, playing beer pong, meeting everyone that passes through and those that stay? Fortunately for my health, this was not the case, but several nights were spent there throughout my stay, and they were always, always good fun.

I met Con, a climber from Melbourne, early on. We had similar trains of thought as well as climbing abilities, and I did most of my climbing with him. Olmo (Spain) and Marty (Polsk!) were soon to fall in with us, and we made a good bunch that enjoyed drinking with each other as much as we did climbing. It was really easy to meet other climbers, I guess because most of them were there specifically on a climbing holiday, and we all ended up talking, climbing and hanging out together.

After not having climbed for several months, it took me a couple of weeks to regain some specific strength and really feel good on the rock. All the climbing was on limestone, sport, though trad lines do exist, and was typically steep often with fingery holds. I had to make sure I took sufficient rest days - doing something so strenuous continually is a recipe for injury. My rest days were typically preceded by a Western meal and a big night out. Ah, to be a creature of habit....

One hindrance to climbing was the heat. We just could not climb in the sun, and had to pick our crags accordingly. Often a half day's climbing, until the cliff came into the sun, was enough to wear one out. A couple of crags were close enough to the Yulong River to go and jump in between climbs, dodging all the Chinese tourists going down it on bamboo rafts. We mostly got around by bike, you could hire one for the day for just under AU$1. It was a great freedom to be able to ride oneself out to the crag, and very convenient that so many of them were so close to town.

Apart from 'cragging' at the local cliffs, we made a day trip out to a cliff dubbed 'The Great Wall'. The climbing on this cliff is in the early stages of development. A 40m pitch accesses a ledge system, from which several more climbs go up the wall in several pitches. It was great to get on some decent, long, multi-pitches, and the position and surrounding scenery was fantastic. There are so many karst formations around, it is mind boggling to think about how many great cliffs are around. The issue then is access.

What made Yanghsuo though for me was the length of time I was there and the freedom it thus gave me. It was the first time in my life I have committed such a time to such a simple task, and never have I felt more able to do 'whatever the f#ck I want'. If all I wanted to do for half a day was read my book, I would do it, with no regrets about not getting some other little project done. I was only there to climb, and even then I had no specific goals, so I really felt free to do whatever I want. Then come all the other benefits of learning all the good places to eat etc when you stay an extended time in the one place. Yangshuo is very touristy, but I found it possible to ignore 'all that' somewhat, and live each day how I pleased. It was a completely different experience to travelling through other parts of China.