Fowl, Dust and Quiet

I was woken up by a text coming in on my phone.

LEE: "Running a bit late.  Be there in five."
A quick check at the time and I realized that I was the one who would be late.  Today, a small group of us were driving away from the flat urban expanses of Saigon to the nearest outdoor rock climbing location.  Buu Long.

I rushed to get ready, packing my climbing shoes, camera, bandages, and tissues.  All of which would come in handy. 
After getting on my bike, I was halfway down my street when a rooster comes running into the road from behind a car.  I aimed away from the cock, but it got scared by another oncoming bike and changed directions.  As I adjusted my steerage the fowl had changed its mind once more, causing me to lose control and fall.

The chicken, no longer in a panic, strutted calmly past me from whence it came.  I gave myself a look over: palm, knee and foot scratched on the left side, but not that serious.  Not serious enough to keep me from my first outdoor climbing trip in nearly two years.  I lifted my bike and saw oil dripping from the bottom.  Now that could have been a game changer, but fortunately it stopped after a few seconds and I was back on the bike.  Leaving the chicken and my laughing audience of onlookers behind.

Buu Long is 32km from HCMC in Dong Nai Province.   The drive there took the four of us [Paul, Lee, David and I] nearly three hours there and an hour and a half back.  Buu Long is a park with lakes that you can cross in swan peddle boats and a few small granite mountains, the largest of which is crowned with a pagoda.

There are several old but sturdy bolts set up for intrepid and independent climbers with their own gear who are willing to make the trip on dusty, truck-clogged roads.  We only had time for a couple of climbs each but the serenity of the surroundings and the chance to put our hands on real rock left no one complaining.

The first route we tried was so flat and with so few holds that only Paul amongst us was able to make it to the top.  Fair enough, he does own his own climbing gym after all.  The second route we tried was more straight forward.  There were more routes to try, but they were either too easy or too difficult, not much of a mid-range.

 [Almost completely flat, like climbing your living room wall]

 [David, getting ready to make his next move]

 [Casual belaying]

 

 [Money Shot]

When I had left the house in the morning, I was pale but healthy.  When I returned I had a farmer's tan, a limp and well on my way to being sick again from all the dust, but thoroughly content.