The Fall

Pulled noodles morning and night. Handmade dumplings for lunch. Such was the basis of my diet (garnered with various vegetables of course, with the odd fruit thrown in) for the handful of days we spent in Yangshuo China. But why? you say, alarmed at my lack of variety. Well, it’s because noodles created before one’s eyes and upon request are one of those rare wholesome and good beacons left in the sea of pre-packed and faster than natural foods. Ordering noodles, watching a man work a piece of dough, and then looking down at a steaming bowl of the very noodles you ordered not 10 minutes later is a very satisfying way to eat. To get technical (backed up by Wikipedia) the noodles we enjoyed so fiercely are called la mien noodles pulled in the Lanzhou style. Evidently this means that they are pulled in straight quick jerks in the tradition of the Hui people of Northeast China, instead of with a twist (as they are prepared in Beijing).

Another thing I have so enjoyed putting in me these past days is pearl milk tea or “bubble tea” as it is sometimes called in slang. Essentially it is just black milk tea with some sugar in it, but with a chewy twist. Small globules of tapioca like substance sit awaiting your poised straw at the bottom of every glass. So that as you sip you chew, and as you chew you smile. This tea is delicious on biblical levels and is intensely coveted by even me, a professed scorner or tea (although I’m learning).  So, now that you are edified on the infamous, edible, eatables from Yangshuo – let’s get onto other things.

The real reason for our lingering in Yangshuo was not, in fact, the eating. That was just a pleasant coincidence. The true nature of our visit was a more sporting one. It is the climbing mecca of china. As climbing is loved by both Bjorn and myself AND we happened to be carrying shoes designed for just such a purpose, we couldn’t pass it up. It was glorious climbing to be sure. Ultra sustained  classic limestone climbing was the name of the game and it was epic. One event however sticks out in my mind a little more than all the pure movements, treks to the climbs, or conquered routes together. This was… the fall.

This fall is what you term in the climbing community as “a whipper.” It is a thing not sought after not coveted, but it is an important part of climbing none the less. In sport climbing you clip yourself into bolts fixed in the rock as you climb a route, so that if you fall, you only fall to your last bolt and are caught. I was chin level with the final bolt of the climb, my feet a good body length above my last clipped bolt. I did not realize the distance was so great to my last bolt however and so I was showing more bravado than is customary for me and even though my hand placement were precarious, I was “going for it” (said with a grunt). My hands were on two gritty slopers and were casually working themselves off the hold as I tried for a very high step. It was sometime near this point that my palms utterly betrayed me and before I know it I was calmly floating through the air! Past one, two, three bolts until the slack caught me and I swung harmlessly into the rock feet first. Then the blood starts pumping furiously and you whoop with adrenaline upon realization of what just occurred. This is the excitement of climbing. Not for everyone, but great. (Lest you worry about my safety and are not familiar with climbing apparatus… a typical climbing rope can easily hold a car… or 23 of me. The key is to trust the system, and your guardian angel 😉

I’m ME! I shouted as  the Chinese border official glanced repeatedly from my passport photo to my bearded face. This was the gist of my exit from china. I was detained for 45 minutes while the Chinese border official confirmed that I was, in fact, myself. Despite the fact that I had with me: a passport, old passport, birth certificate (original copy), drivers license, two student IDs, three credit cards with my names on them, an rei card with name, and a lifeguard certificate all avowing that I was indeed Jeremy John Weaver and not some infidel trying to sneak OUT of their country. Their logic escaped me. Oh well, I am in Vietnam now… good morning.

-Weaveroftales