Happy Holidays from China

It has been a while since I've posted anything.  It's been a combination of being busy and too lazy to write anything.  But I figured I should write something for the Holiday and catch people up.  I'll probably break this up into parts for easier ready and writing.

* Climbing in YangShuo is world class.  As good as anything in Thailand and Spain but cheaper.  Finally went Trad climbing again and this time we found good rock.  Hard to find but the rock was worth it.  By the time I left YanghShuo I had redpointed a 12b, China Whit, was comfortably redpointing 11ds and onsighting 11as.  So my climbing strength and ability had improved a lot.  I say 'had' because I've been in NanJing for the past week sitting on my ass doing nothing and being sick.  So any of you want to go climbing in China, YangShuo is it.

* ChinaClimb makes most of it's money from International Schools in China.  These essentially meant a week of rich spoiled kids under our charge for a week.  Some of these kids just drove me nuts and some of these kids would never have survived a US Middle School/High School.  I was belaying a bunch of these kids around Baby Frog Crag.  There a small ledge with a slope between climbs and kids had to negotiate this ledge between climbs.  So this boy negotiating this ledge dropped his shoes down the slope.  He stands there looking at me and I look back at him and shrug, he looks at his shoes, then me, then the shoes... etc...  Then one of the girls just says 'I'll get it' and he lets her go down the slope for HIS shoes.  WTF!?!?!  He was 12 years old, he should be getting his own shoes!

* So why am I in Chin and not on some tropical beach in Thailand?  That is because I met a girl and she's in China.  I'm staying around here for a bit and see what happens.  Also trying to look for a job here, which isn't going very well.

* Christmas in China has been interesting.  It's a truly commercial holiday.  There is no religious aspect to it at all.  It's all about Sales! Sales! Sales!  There are tons of Santas and no Mangers.  I guess this is China after all, not too surprising.  Christmas Eve is a shopping bananza, the stores and restaurants are packed and the local Wal-Mart is open until 2am.

* Got a Christmas gift from my mom.  Orbitz gum, surprising but none the less awesome.  Cause gum in China is like chewing melted rubber; it's either too soft and disintegrates in your mouth or too hard and breaks your teeth.  Orbitz is just good old American Gum.  Thanks mom!

Anyway, just a few thoughts for now.  Happy Holidays all!