Climbing the Karsts
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You will probably be with other climbers, but you are only looking at one to six people in a group. I was lucky enough to be the only customer, so I had my own personal instructor.
My hotel set me up with Sky, from Sky's the Limit.
Sky's personal story sums up the magnetic pull of this intense sport. As the two of us rode his scooter out to the climb, he told me that he was originally a science major from Fujian Province. After graduating he spent a year working in a laboratory, bored out of his mind. On a holiday down south he discovered the joys of rock climbing and once hooked, he soon realized he was destined to become an instructor.
Five years later, here he was - fully certified and hanging on to my rope as I dangled above him.
Celebrity status
Walking around Yangshuo, you are constantly reminded of its status as a rockclimbing Mecca. Thousands come here to climb the surreal karst peaks that thrust up from the rice fields.
I spoke to some experienced climbers who were in town for a month. For them, it was a perfect pilgrimage; cheap, comfortable accommodation, great food and heading out every morning on a scooter to climb cliffs and becoming insanely fit in the process.
If you are sitting in café or a popular restaurant, chances are you will overhear people asking each other where they had climbed in the morning and where they planned on climbing next, paying tribute to what a town that has become a leading rock-climbing hotspot.
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