Laos Trip

Since having kids, we haven't traveled overseas as much as we used to, but we've been able to tag team a few times and do some trips separately with friends while the kids are little.  Britt had been encouraging me to plan an international trip for at least a year, and I decided to sit on it until a good opportunity came up.  Sure enough, my friend Brian emailed me last summer to tell me about an amazing new climbing area in Laos:  "the best in all of Asia," he said.  He had been living in Thailand for the last year or so, working as a climbing guide, and he planned to visit Laos again in November.  That was an easy decision.  My friend Bryce was also looking to take a vacation so we decided to fly out together an meet Brian. Here are some photos from the trip:

 

Taking a tuk tuk out of Thakhek to our destination in the countryside

 

Our bungalow at Green Climbers Home, a camp built and operated by German climbers Uli and Tanja Weidner

 

Camp headquarters/restaurant

 

  

Bryce enjoying the limestone tufas

 

Fish dinner

 

Good company from all over the world

  Massive cave with a river running through it, two minute walk from our bungalow. It was a great place to take a dip and cool off on hot days.

   

 Finishing a fun 5-pitch sport route called Chinese New Year

 

Brian summiting

 

We ended up renting a couple motorbikes to get in and out of town easier, and visit the local attractions

 

Sunset on the Mekong River. Thailand is on the other side.

 

 

 Come to find out our motorbike's headlight didn't work. Luckily we are climbers and had headlamps with us to make the long ride back to camp.

 

I led this route called "Finally Home" a couple times but didn't have enough time left in the trip to finish it clean.

  Classic roof climb called "Jungle King". One of my favorites of the trip.

 

Wild rock! Three climbers are seen. I'm near the top of the photo, climbing Jungle King

   

 Brian tunneling through the birth canal on "Saugeburt"

   

 The gecko that lived in our roof. It tormented us with its chirps every night.

 

Motor scooter adventure to visit one of the many Buddha caves

   

Moments before I fell. Somehow it a feels much more difficult when you're above water.

 

 

Back in Bangkok before flying home

 

The recently deceased King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

 

Mourners outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok