Day 17: SPOT Night

Whoever said that the French are snooty must have been snooty themselves. From the first morning that we walked around the village of Connaux, I experienced nothing but friendly greetings and sing-song “bonjours!” that sounded like characters who came straight out of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Every day, I was always tempted to burst into “Belle” when we went out to buy croissants for breakfast!

And I wouldn’t say that it’s just because we were “inside the little village”. The warm reception was everywhere: When we came across someone at a parking lot, in a park, in the supermarket, and also when we had our “official business” in the city of Montpellier.

Our second to the last evening in the south of France was reserved for a “SPOT Night”. SPOT stands for Sharing, Progressing, Opening, Teaching. It’s a little project that Caroline and James started soon after their first trip to the Philippines, with the goal of exactly doing what the acronym stands for, in the context of rock climbing.

SPOT is the reason why they went back to our country for a second time (something they rarely do as professional athletes – given that sponsors would normally, incessantly require them to discover new, off-the-grid locations). Our job, for that night, was to help drive attention to the project and conduct a fund-raising activity, by raising awareness about SPOT to the climbers of Altissimo Gym. We would do this by sharing a little bit of how SPOT has impacted the Filipino climbing scene.

Welcome to Altissimo Gym!

The gym was busy by the time we got there (around 6pm). We climbed a little bit, then setup a small reception table displaying SPOT shirts for sale, and climbing gear which would be raffled off after our talk. As climbers entered the gym, they would see the setup, show interest in the items; Caroline and all-around-helper Coralie would explain what it was all about, and every now and then, someone would purchase a shirt or a raffle ticket before they proceeded to their real business: climbing.

We didn’t think people would give much attention, knowing that they were in the place primarily to get their dose of exercise. After all, it was a decent gym for roped climbing, and boasted a 15-meter lead-climbing roof! (Caro says it used the be the main training gym of the French team). But when it was announced that the SPOT talk would start, some people actually stopped climbing, until a group of about twenty gathered around us and listened as Caroline translated our stories and offered her own comments to our slides.

We talked about where the Philippines is, how we are known for our white-sand beaches, but how limestone crags exist amidst our tropical landscapes. We shared about the kinds of rocks we have and how Climb Philippines came to be. We highlighted all the help that SPOT has lent to the community in the past three years, and how much it has helped the local scene grow.

Sample slides: Where is the Philippines?

Sample slides: The SPOT Project effect

After the talk, we did the raffle and sold more shirts. A few of the gym regulars stayed to chat and share pizza and beer. It was a pleasure talking to some of the local climbers. Despite the language barrier, they were interested to discover how a bunch of two Filipinos ended up in a gym in the south of France, and I was equally curious to know more about what a typical French climber was like. What do they do when they’re not climbing, how often they hit the gym vs. crags, what drives them to climb.

I wasn’t surprised, but was continued to be in awe, of how climbing can open gates to understanding and harmony. We can climb for different reasons, prefer opposite styles, and progress in various degrees, but we will surely end up united in certain things, too: Respect for nature, finding calmness in the more bold and taxing routes, and a big appetite for growth.

It was a shame we couldn’t stay for long, as we had a one hour drive back home, and DUI is a more serious matter in France that in Manila (haha!) To our delight however, back in Connaux, as we were entering the front door, a familiar figure emerged from a block away: It was Lucas, another French climber that Miel and I met in our trip to Thailand and Laos. He finally arrived after doing a three-hour drive from his home in Chambery.

By that time, it was already past midnight. But it sure didn’t stop Lucas from giving us one of the warmest hugs and “bonjours!” we have ever received in our lives. 

Our little table setup

Coralie and Miel. Last night with this girl!

The "tombola" AKA raffle

Closing time...