Safe return?
The boatman, already sky high on ”Thai stick” did not turn up. We couldn’t raise him on his mobile phone but managed to get a friendly Thai neighbor of mine to find him and send him on his way out to get us. As he arrived, the gates of heaven opened up and a true tropical rain pored down. Thankfully we climbed into the boat and under the small canvas roof. Happiness didn’t last long. The rain brought thunder, lightning and high winds. We found our little boat tipping sideways in the towering waves with lightning striking closer and closer to the boat by the minute. Water was rising fast in to the boat.

The other guys new we were in deep shit when they saw me, who was brought up on the rough Swedish west coast, putting a life jacket on with my equipment. The stoned out boatman didn’t seem to appreciate our predicament but we managed to get him to maneuver the boat to a position under the magnificent overhang of the Poda Island. Safe from waves and lightning we started to feel secure even through the darkness was upon us. That is till the boatman, with an ignited Thai stick, hanging from his mouth started to hose fuel from a reserve gas can to the main. We must have had protection by the angels because we actually made it home in one piece. 

Was it worth the trouble?
Of course! A first ascent is a one of a kind experience. It is a fantastic route in a fantastic setting. I recommend you try it out after first spending the morning on the nice beach. Start climbing around two PM. You will easily climb the first three pitches in one hour and then you will have a minimum of 2 hours to climb the roof. We think the grading is around 7c (5.12d) for the crux roof pitch.