Spiderman & Clumsy Gecko @ Tung Lung Chau Part 1 (Getting There)

Sunday morning, 8am, I jumped out of bed, feeling much better than the day before. My nose was still stuffed and throat parched, but no lethargy or muscle aches... a good sign. Tung Lung Chau (TLC), here we come... D and I met Ah Jun and other friends at the Sai Wan Ho MTR station at 9.30am, and walked/ran briskly to the ferry terminal, some 500m away, to make the 45 min journey to the island. It was a smooth ferry ride and a great feeling to be out of the hustle and bustle of HK. When we reached the little pier at TLC, it was hot... summer has definitely arrived and temperatures will rise even further. We walked on a narrow concrete pathway that weaved through some dense foliage for about 10 mins and reached a small local eatery for some breakfast. Different variations of instant noodles with dumplings, chinese sausage, ham, egg. More of Ah Jun's friends joined us for breakfast, and these were the real local expert climbers, whom D & I had seen in action at climbing competitions and demostrations. I suppose the HK climbing community isn't too big, given that I do see the usual faces. But in my mind, it's good to get to know more locals, rather than simply hanging out with fellow singaporeans. After breakfast and quick toilet visits, we plodded on to the climbing area. Actually, D and I had no idea where it was, we just followed. All we know about TLC is that it is the premier climbing area in HK and has lots of different climbing spots. Took some scenic pics of the island while we walked... D commented that he was already tired from the walk even before the actual climb... in a way, I was also quite worried of how things would turn out as I am actually doing my first outdoor climb, away from the thick safety mattresses and sheltered gyms. Now, I know the climbing spot that Ah Jun took us to is called Technical Wall . To get to this crag, we had to negotiate numerous granite boulders of various size, just off the pounding waves. Being in flip flops didn't help much, as I was totally not confident to climb up and down the boulders or jumped across some treacherous gaps. Numerous worst-case scenarios raced through my adrenaline-pumped mind - I could slip and suffer some bad cuts on my head and arms; sprain or break some bones; meet Mr Death as I fall into the open sea. Ok, I am very KIASI... Anyway, I survived that, with lots of help from David who had to carry my Adidas bag so that I would not blame it for any possible injuries or death. It is by far, one of those scary things that I never thought I would do... but I am glad to have done it... imagine that, since I usually take awhile to psyche myself up to cross a darn uncovered drain. We finally reached the Technical Wall, which is at least 10m high, but the great thing about it is, we were just on the huge bedrock with the pounding waves behind us. The sun was on us for a few hours, but after 3pm, it was behind the crag and so we had a breather from the heat and nursed our already burnt skin. According to Ah Jun, this bedrock we were on would usually be flooded during high tide in winter, and the Technical Wall will be exposed to strong winds. Hence climbers would usually climb there during summer. Some distance away, I saw this huge gaping cave, only accessible to kayaks and boats I suppose. Actual Climbing next on Part 2...