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Hello From Thailand

• May 2012
• Hi Steph Simple Living Travel

Hello Steph,
My nickname is Peach and I am from Bangkok, Thailand. I just turned twelve years old three days ago. I have also been itching to write to you since I found your website (which was not all too long ago anyways). I am not sure whether this email is proper or if you will accept it but I am writing to you anyways. I am not even sure if I should have started this email with ‘Hello Steph’ like everyone else on the website did.
I first found you through the yahoo article, my dad showed it to me. Then I remembered your name for a long time without doing anything about it. Last year I really got into exploring and climbing around the school campus so I decided to try Google-ing “Steph Davis”. After that I read about you, have been inspired to climb even more. I have a weird ambition to break rules and usually go into places of the school where students are not allowed. I am very used to the “Get down from there!” call from my parents, siblings, friends etc… I have found that getting into a tree is a very effective way of avoiding your friends, especially if they’re all scared of heights.
I have never climbed on real rock or done crack climbing, the type you seem to have lots of in your website. Mostly trees and the colorful lumps they screw onto fake climbing walls. Whenever there is a holiday, I ask to go to the mountains somewhere in the North of Thailand first thing. I really like hiking and roaming around caves. I have been on euro bungees where you are tied to elastic ropes and flung up to the height of a 4 story building and down again (head the right way up though J I look down anyways to get myself scared). I also do artistic gymnastics as a main sport. I absolutely love doing back somersaults. They are so fun. I should have written this email to you during the Christmas break because that is when my parents have promised to take me to Rai Ley in Krabi to climb on real rocks and I could have included a photo of me climbing. I also like to write. I mostly write about something fantasy, sometimes about my feelings but I usually keep those to myself without telling anyone.
My parents don’t know of the name Steph Davis. They think I am doing my homework in my room but I am writing to you (I didn’t get any homework today. Funny that). I will get to go to the US for the first time in June/July. I even asked my parents about what Utah was like and they told me “a bit of desert and rock towers”. They didn’t question why I asked though, which was lucky. I wouldn’t know how to reply. The first ‘close’ person to me who knows that I look up to you will probably be my PE teacher who asked us all which sports people we know. I have read the first few pages of your book High Infatuation off Amazon.com. I watched about half of First Ascent on youtube then when I came back the next day it was all like ‘this video has been claimed by sender films’ or something so I never finished it.
I think I feel a lot more sure of what I am writing now than when I started this letter. I would be really excited if you replied.
Ganpicha (Peach) Sahasakul

Hi Peach,
Thanks for writing to me: you are a great writer, and I hope you keep it up! And I think you’ve found a very good idea with climbing up in trees to hide out 🙂 It’s great to be around friends, but when you want to write, there are times you need to be alone. Also, have a great time on your trip this summer!
Steph