Rocks Are Meant For Climbing - Part II Yangshou

Finally, we arrived at our climbing destination, Yang Shou. 

Yang Shou, with it's picturesque padi fields, rivers and mountains, is a stark contrast to the melancholic, Guang Zhou, peppered with it's grey and dreary buildings. Not to mention the hoards of people crowding the streets and subway versus the bellowing of the cattle in the background, as we focus on our climbs. 

Here, the real action begins.

Rainy streets of Yang Shou. But not too wet to dampen our moods for climbing!

Breakfast @ Yang Shou.

Alex the  澳门仔。 

Tiam Peng, aka Bao king (包大王. Tries all sorts of bao everyday. Surprisingly he does not look the least like one.

Having a picnic at the crag - but where's the food? Adrenaline would do!

Hmmm... what shall I climb today? 

6C+ route at White Mountain, 白山。

Another battle scar to add to his already plenty collection.

Washing muddy feet in the river. 

Ninja belayer. Guess who?


Yang Shou - paddy field and mountains galore.

The renowned Moon Hill aka 月亮山.

Fearless Melvin piloting the Big Aeroplane, 大飞机 (6C+) at Twin Gate Mountain, 同门山. I assure you, this route is not for the faint-hearted. 

Local climber babes chilling at the crag.

Brave the scorch at White Mountain, 白山.

Too hot to climb.

Alex @ Wine Bottle Hill, 酒瓶山.

My moo moo friend.

The entire place is literally made up of mountains and hills!

Climbing until sunset almost everyday.

I LOVE the great outdoors!

Every climbing adventure should end with a meal like this!

Homeward bound - waiting for overnight bus at Yang Shou station.
Can't wait for our next climbing trip!

Rocks Are Meant For Climbing. Part I - Guang Zhou

Here we are again, blood (rock) - thirsty climbers, on our adventure quest to search for more mountains to "feed" on.

Great! Budget tickets to Guang Zhou, half the price of what it would have cost us if we had taken a flight to Guilin. The catch was, we would have to take a 10 hr bus/train ride to Yang Shou versus taking a 1 hour ride if we chose the latter route. That's ok. Just sleep on the overnighter. Or so we thought. 

Then guess what? It was Ching Ming Jie (tomb sweeping festival). Every 小强, 小黄 and 小明(Tom, Dick and Harry) was traveling home out of Guang Zhou. After being shoved around, witnessing locals squabble and breathing in an endless supply of 2nd hand smoke (see below), we failed to get an overnight train/bus ride to Yang Shou at the main ticketing station! *&(%^%^##!!!

So there we were stuck in dreary old Guang Zhou for an entire day and night, unable to satisfy our thirst for adrenaline pumping action. We did what we next knew best as Singaporeans - eat!

The main bus and train station at Guang Zhou (like Puduraya in KL). Not a place I'll like to be at on a regular basis. 

Locals waiting to go home for Ching Ming at the main train station in Guang Zhou.

Grumpy Mel: " Why so slow and so chaotic one? "

Quaint shanties in the back alleys of Guang Zhou.

Supper at Guangzhou. Best century egg porridge and zhu chang fen ever.

More dingy back alleys.

讲卫生？On the contrary in Guang Zhou, sad to say!

Strange milky jelly desert.

Tiam Peng sipping red bean soup.

Me and Robinson Cruso - happy to be finally on the bus heading to Yang Shou.