Cliff hanger

As you look at tiny figures clinging to a rock face as if holding on for dear life, rock climbing can seem like an arduous undertaking. But it's not half as hard as it looks, and the mental fear dissipates as soon as you start crawling up the cliff. That's the lesson I first learned when I went rock climbing in Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

At first I froze; then I relaxed and surprised myself at my ability to climb. Each climb seemed like a triumph, and this sense of achievement, coupled with the adrenalin, gave me quite a high.

And I was not even that good or that fit. According to Simon Dilks, manager of China Climb, "Some people are very fit and run up climbs despite no previous experience - we have people who can do six climbs on their first morning out, and even the less than fit can manage two climbs."