LOCALS ABROAD
TUFA WRESTLERS UNION
Bat Wall | Borneo, Malaysia
MY HEAD WAS POUNDING, rhythmic pulses of pain which were thwarting my attempts to make sense of my situation. Had I really amidst my drunken stupor made a 3 am attempt to reschedule our 7 am flight in some sort of misguided hope that I’d be able to indulge in some of the local limestone? Had I even been successful in changing the flight reservation or more likely had I failed and we’d now simple missed our flight? Had my all consuming urge to squeeze in some tufa wrestling pos- sibly jeopardized the entire trip?
This was after all a work trip, something that should be insulated from my rock inspired whims. And how was it exactly that I was supposed to connect with the local climbers who had originally spawned this idea anyway? My nausea suddenly intensified with the conclusion that I’d endangered the entire work project just so I could squander the day nursing a hangover in our hotel.
12 climber MAGAZINEism |
// Photos From Christopher Beauchamp
And then... salvation in the form of the ringtone from the cellphone Tama, my traveling companion, had dropped next to my bed the night before. Asang! The night before we had been at the Funky Gibbon, a local watering hole where Asang, along with a few other climbers, tended bar.
The evening consisted of a single scene playing over and over, Asang serves up some beer, then proceeds to tell me how good the climbing is at the Bat Wall and then suggests we should change our plans and come climbing tomorrow. I reluctantly inform him that as much as I’d love to we had a pretty tight schedule and we were only in Kuching for that one day stop over. But no one could withstand Asangs persistent enthusiasm forever, particularly when coupled with his generous pours of home brewed Tuoc, the local rice wine moonshine.
Now on the phone Asang was announcing that he’d be by in ten minutes to get us. An hour later and we were driving the car right into the gaping maw of a giant limestone cave dripping with stalactites in an incon- ceivable variety of formations.
Drive-up sport climbing on what is often regarded as one of the more remote islands on earth? My jubilation was temporarily dampened when it was announced that we’d neglected to bring a stick clip which was more or less mandatory equipment at the Bat wall owing to the fact that most of the routes started 15’ off the ground and required a Batman start; stick clip the first bolt and then haul yourself with your belayers help up to the start holds and go.
JULY AUGUST 2011 |
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