Enter Sinbi Muay Thai

I've been falling behind on my blog so I'm going to go through what has happened the last few weeks really fast.

I had the longest bus ride from Surat Thani to Phuket.  Honestly, I should have taken a plane.  My bus arrived 3 hours late at 9:30pm.  I almost lost my luggage too as there was some confusion when I was switching buses.  I had to get a taxi to catch up with the bus and get my bag.  At the bus terminal in Phuket town I took a cab to Sinbi.  Unfortunately no one was there so I walked around to look for a phone.  I went to the restaurant closeby and they recommended I talk to the massage place next door.  The woman knew the manager, Gob so she contacted her for me.  After two tries she got through and I got my room.

My roommate was a Russian named Sergei.  He was from Russia and didn't speak much english.  Very talkative, I'm sure I'll figure out how to get along.  Apparently he trains morning, evening, and has private sessions everyday.  He's here for 2 weeks I think so it makes sense.  I've been eating lunch/dinner with him and Zaur, another fellow Russian speaker who lives in Latvia.

Training

Training at Sinbi is definitely different than Chorenrit.  You start off with 10 minutes of skipping, 5 minutes running around the ring, and then stretching.  Afterwards you wrap your hands then it's shadowboxing.  Beginners are given a lot of attention.  I apparently knew some stuff so my technique looked good, but they corrected me a little bit and refined my knees.  After that it's padwork/heavy bags.  5 rounds of padwork, very light so I don't die all 5 rounds.  Then we worked on the heavy bag by ourselves.  Some bags are really hard so you have to watch out if you decide to kick one with your shins.  After that was clinching practice, which I skipped this time.  There are so many people that you can pretty much skip the later half of the practice and no one stops you, so you don't have to complete the entire 2 hours which is a welcome relief.

Nai harn

The area where my camp is located is called Nai Harn and it's a chilled laid back area where people just live and relax.  There is a nice beach nearby.  Lots of different food around so you will never get homesick and never want to leave haha.  Lots of massage parlours and bargirl bars around if you want thai girls.

Infamous Bangla Stadium

On Friday night, I took a bus to Bangla stadium with some of my teammates to watch a girl from my gym fight.  Her name was Stephanie, but I added sexy in front of it because it was very appropriate.  The guys I hung out with were two couples from Ireland and a Canadian.  Surprisingly the fights started on time.  The thai's fought first, with kids going first followed by age.  The last of the lot were foreigners fighting thai's or really good fighters who fought for belts.  It was Stephanie's first fight so she was nervous and it was back and forth, nothing impressive, don't think she was accumulating a lot of points.  In the 4th round after a barrage of knees in the clinch, as you can see in the video below, she barely scrapes her opponents face then they stop the fight due to doctors orders.  Dunno what happened, but it's not the first time a Bangla Stadium fight ended in controversy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNbXvN_Ldc&feature=share&list=UUtn88MoJEG_uMZ3GrSMgWFg

Patong

The entertainment capital of Phuket, Patong is a crowded party city with an ok beach.  One of the things that stands out is Jungceylon, a giant shopping mall right in the middle.  The motorcycle parking is very narrow, but doable.  It's an oasis in a sea of chaos.  I go here to watch my movies.  Phuket town looks pretty shitty.  I like the place, it's clean and organized with good expensive food.  I'm definitely going to spend a night here to party to see the nightlife.

Training with Fhad

Booking private training sessions with trainers is really popular here.  There is a buy 5 get 1 session free deal for 2,500 baht.  I was given Fhad.  So far the sessions are good, my technique is corrected and I've been learning some new tricks.

Food Poisoning

Getting food poisoning is a rite of passage in Thailand.  I stopped by Tesco to get some things and grabbed a thai omelette with rice.  I felt fine that night, but I didn't feel right that morning.  I ended up throwing up and getting diarrhea.  I felt like death the entire day, just sleeping in and out.  I felt slightly better at night, but I still couldn't eat solid food.  I regret using the Imodium to stop the diarrhea since it's backed me up the entire week.  Got some laxatives, hopefully I get better soon.

Well that's it for updates, Sinbi has been good to me so far besides the food poisoning.  I've learned a bit more and have been able to survive more sessions.  I think I just need more practice.  My private sessions end Wednesday so I will be free to set my own schedule.  I plan to go to Koh Phi Phi and spend 1 night in Patong.  2 more weeks then it's off to Chiang Mai to explore and play tourist again.  In my next post I will post my friends muay thai fights and discuss my training again.

Haad Rin Full Moon Party Mayhem

I know it's been a while since I made a blog post, this entry will explain everything.

After Chorenrit, I took a taxi to Haad Rin.  After being dropped off at Arena muay thai, I had to take a good look at my map to figure out where I was.  My hostel (Dancing Elephant) was right around the corner.  The owners were there, but the managers weren't.  I took a seat and waited 30 minutes for them to show up (they were late).  At least they had free wifi.  Apparently Eddie and Andrew were hungover from the night before (a good sign since I hadn't partied in a long time).  I go to my room, put away my gear and explore the town.

Haad Rin is apparently very tourist friendly.  It is created around the full moon party.  Lots of British/Canadian tourists around.  Heck that was what the entire city was full of as well as other Europeans.  Pretty much mostly young people.  I walked across the city and saw the nice beach as well as the pier.  I even stopped by the gym Arena Muay Thai and told them I would stop by the next day.  That night I checked out the restaurant next door, Nic's which is known for it's amazing pizza.  They used good ingredients so I didn't get an allergic reaction like I usually do to pizza hut pizza.  Apparently Nic's is very popular and after I was done I was asked to move.  It was then I decided to talk to some cute Irish girls from my hostel.  They were on vacation for 6 weeks and had just come from Chiang Mai.  They recommended that I go trekking when I'm in Chiang Mai.

Later that night, everyone gathered outside the hostel at 9pm and started drinking.  We had our own bar right outside our hostel.  Everyone seemed pretty cool.  I remember having 2 drinks and 2 buckets of alcohol.  I remember walking out with some Canadian guys and some German girls.  Somewhere along the lines I had to take a piss in the ocean and lost them.  I end up stumbling around really drunk and making it back to the hostel at 12am and being the first to pass out.

Day 2

Turns out my friends went to the Reggae bar and got some mushroom shakes (magic mushrooms) and their night went downhill from there.  People who drink shakes from there act weird.  This night I vow to stay up till 2am.

During the day I finally check out Arena Muay Thai.  It's definitely a smaller gym.  It was just me and a girl from Finland.  The trainer knows Mot Dang from the other side of the island.  The session is 1 and 1/2 hours long.  He does some padwork with me and shows me different kicks to add to my arsenal.  3 different ways to teep along with a deadly elbow attack.  Not too shabby.  Haad Rin is full of people who get drunk so this session was perfect for me since I was hungover.

Later that night I go out with a group of people and split up again.  I meet two Japanese girls and although their English was bad, we run around the beach and have fun.  They had a foam machine at the fire whip station that was hooked up to the seawater.  I ran in a lot of people from my hostel that night and they were having a good time.  Very good night with alcohol and fun people.

Day 3

I went back to Arena and the trainer wasn't there.  He was out promoting the fights for that night.  That night I went to the muay thai fights.  My trainer was cool and got me in for free and got me a beer too.  The younger kids usually start the fight followed by older kids to adults.  My trainer had the microphone and frequently gave it to people in the crowd to narrate.  It was kinda chaotic yet organized.  The fights were ok, but towards the end you could tell there were some mismatches.  He asked me if I wanted to place a bet but didn't tell me that you could only bet on the red corner so I lost 600 baht:(

After the fight I went back to the hostel and got a drink.  Everyone was going to the Jungle Party so I got back in time for that and had fun on the taxi there.  Unfortunately when I got to he Party I felt like I didn't have enough alcohol so I had to wait in line for 30 minutes before getting a bucket.  Unfortunately alcohol + energy drink didn't make me feel well and I ended up bailing the party early.  I took a motorbike taxi back to Haad Rin since it was cheaper and I didn't want to wait.  It was quite the experience going up and down the hills at a high speed.

Day 4

I have a hangover.  I decide that on the day of the Full Moon, I'm going to go all out and have fun.  I rest most of the day and come out at 9.  I get drinks without energy drinks in them.  I talk to everyone that I find appealing.  Night goes well.  There is a huge party outside our hostel.  I pose for a lot of pictures.  I meet a crew of people I get along with and head out to the beach with them.  We dance and run around the beach.  It was a great night.

Day 5

I feel like shit and all 4 days of partying have caught up with me.  I have to buy diarrhea medicine and cough drops.  I sleep early and feel better the next day.  Everyone says their goodbyes and head in different directions.  Some to Ko Tao to scuba dive and some to Cambodia where it's super cheap.  I was the only one headed to Phuket.  Hopefully I get better soon.

I have some pictures below, but here is a complete link to the entire night of debauchery.

http://phanganist.com/content/dancing-elephant-fullmoon-warm-june-23

Wrapping up training at Chorenrit, time for Haad Rin

Today I finished my last session at Chorenrit Muay Thai.  It's perfect timing since I've been getting more tired day by day and need a break.  I think I also need to eat more when I train so I get more energy.  Overall it was a pretty good place to train because they taught you as an individual at your level and focused on what you needed to improve on.  I started off with really crappy technique and ended up refined very well.  I definitely have more to work on and more to learn, but it's a start.  Right now I'm going to rest, regain my energy, enjoy the Full Moon Party, then jump right back in when I head to Phuket.

Tonight is my last night in Thongsala, I did enjoy some things, but it was quite boring.  I don't think it's what I really wanted out of a muay thai vacation, but not all was lost as I gained valuable technique and learned what I really wanted out of a muay thai camp: good training and training partners to hang out with after class. Plus I hear there is a 4D theater in Patong I would like to check out.  You live and you learn.  My next accommodation is a hostel so I definitely should be meeting more people who want to have fun together.

Tito, Rob, me, and Mot Dang

Never Settle

3 more days.

Then I leave this boring place and head to Haad Rin for the Full Moon Party.  You know you are bored when you are listening to Gregorian, a band formed by singers pretending to be monks singing in 7 scale tone.

My boat trip to the Ang Thong Island was cancelled today due to bad weather so I'm here in my room writing my blog.

Training

So far I've been doing small group sessions with Rob and Mot Dang.  The drills we do everyday seem to vary, based on what we need to work on.  They are very technical and correct our forms.  The environment is kinda relaxed so I don't have to worry about passing out from exhaustion.  Sparring so far is pretty light, I still have the same problems, but I'm slowly working on them.  I would definitely say that I'm improving loads.  I think with a smaller group and a more private session, you definitely get much better training.  But if I were to do it again, I would pick the other camp with more people.  Now that my technique is much better, I think I can thrive in a more populated camp.  So far we have one very experienced guy from Montreal, and another from Switzerland who is obviously here for a vacation.  People come and go.

I definitely recommend starting your Muay Thai Journey in Thailand at a Tourist oriented camp to make sure your technique is good.  Being around people that are in the same state as you are is important too.  I'd say Thai oriented camps are for the more experienced in technique and physical condition.  Plus you gotta know some Thai too.

Finding a massage place

In Bangkok, massage places were plentiful in Khaosan Road.  With the amount of competition, you definitely had to be good at massages.  Unfortunately in Thongsala, the selection isn't so great.  The only way to find a good one is to try out a bunch of places.  After a few duds, I've finally found a good one that can prep me for muay thai.

Due to the hilly nature of the island, it's hard to drive far outside the city.  As a result, you can only do things around here or take a taxi or boat around the island.

New Hotel

Last Monday I moved into my new accomodation, Lime N' Soda.  It's a small low priced resort with people around my age.  Right now it's very dead and off the main road.  It has a nice bar, pool, and lounge area.  Not too many people here, even this past Half Moon party.  So far it's been filled with sausages and kinda boring.  My last hotel was actually much better since the room was nicer, but this one is more bigger and has potential for a nice social environment, but the mood isn't so great.  Everyone is self isolated doing their own thing.  Good thing I'm relocating for the full moon party.  I will be at a popular hostel so the environment for meeting people will be much better.  Hostels host events to meet each other and it's easy to talk to people especially if they live in the same quarters.

Food

The food at the hotel is ok, but I think it's much better outside.  I don't recommend getting any of the bbq food on the weekends as the meat isn't high quality.  Santorini unfortunately has closed for the season, which leaves me to the Mason Arms mainly and wherever I wander.  I always bring my kindle to get some good reading time in.

My reservations are confirmed for Sinbi Muay Thai, and it looks like it will be a blast.  Heard there was heavy rain in Phuket, hopefully it clears up by the time I get there.  Not much to update at this time, my muay thai is a slow process, but I'm getting better.

The First Week Ends

Training

In my first week at Chorenrit, I've been training once a day.  I'm trying to acclimatize to the weather and get my body use to the movements before doing 2 a day.  I think I should be ready next week.  So far I'm the only person who shows up to the gym every day, with 1 random tourist coming by to check out the gym.  Dunno if they are going to come back though.  Even though the training is good, the gym looks like a run down traditional thai gym which could turn people off, especially if they decide to check out the other gyms.  Right now I'm trying to perfect my roundhouse kick and learn new moves, like the roundhouse front kick combo.

So far I've planned my next two months of training out, with training until the Full Moon Party, then going to Sinbi Muay Thai in Phuket and training for another month.  Afterwards I plan to travel around, starting with Chiang Mai.

Food

Thongsala has quite a few food options, and I'm still in the process of trying out many different places.  The cheapest place to get food hands down is the Street Market by the 7-11 in town.  Food ranges from 10-50 baht.  But of course, fried cheap food isn't exactly the healthiest way to maintain a training diet.  This has led me elsewhere.

Khunpen: Restaurant owned by thai people, but serve thai and western food for good prices.  Decent food for decent prices, restaurant is ok.

Mason's Arms: A nice British looking venue just right outside the main city.  Serves authentic delicious British food.  Price on the high end 200-300 baht.

Bangers and mash, yes it's not thai but sometimes you need comfort food.

Santorini: Restaurant run by a former executive chef, whose name is, "Chef God".  Don't laugh, his food lives up to his name!  Gourmet food for around 200-600 baht, it's worth every penny, forget going out to eat an expensive meal at home.

I pretty much rotate my restaurants so I don't get bored of my food.

Day trip around the island

After being bored of driving around the island, I decided to take a tour on my day off, Sunday.  I chose to do a tour going around the island.  We took a ride in a pickup truck to Chalok Lum and took a longtailed boat to go snorkeling.  There were plenty of fish in the waters so it was a nice experience.  Unfortunately I don't have my underwater camera with me.  One woman was wearing a thong which was very nice.  Next we stopped by Bottle Beach and relaxed for 45 minutes.  The beach is really nice and scenic.  Our guide Bao tried to teach me how to spin the fireballs on ropes, but I had no luck.  On the boat ride back, everyone got sprayed with water.  If you ride a boat, expect to get wet.

Next we had a nice buffet lunch.  We had rice, curry, crocodile tail with vegetables, noodles, and fruits.  Afterwards we got to ride the elephants.  They were pretty small, but amusing to watch.  I got my own elephant.  She was old and slow:P  They basically took us around the area through various terrain.  It wasn't too bad, I wouldn't mind riding one again.

Since the waterfall was dry this time of the year, we went to the Wat Pho temple to get a good view.  Afterwards we went kayaking to a small island across from Thongsala.  There was a nice small lagoon to cool off in.  That was pretty much my Sunday.

Next up: More training and my new accomodation.

The Quest Begins in Koh Phangan

After a 10 hour bus/ferry ride from Bangkok via Lomprayah, I arrived in Koh Phangan, Thailand famous for it's full moon party which attracts a crowd of young revelers who want to party hard.  Upon arriving, it was really sunny with the humidity nibbling at you.  I walked all the way to my hotel and checked in.  The room was really nice, but small.  Afterwards, I put on my suncreen and mosquito repellant and walked around Thongsala.  It was hot and sunny, and remembering just only a few days ago, I was working in the hot sun and felt like dying.  There were shops everywhere with bad unkempt sidewalks.  Walking around was tough.  You could see people on mopeds passing by every second.  Bus Taxi's would also pass by and honk at you if you need a ride.  I had to no idea where I was going so I kept walking, just trying to see the sights.  There wasn't really anything of interest so I headed to my first place, Chorenrit Muay Thai the next day.

Chorenrit

The gym was run by Rob and his thai girlfriend.  The head trainer who was the only one there was Mot Dang, a 5' 3" thai man one year younger than me.  It was a rusty gym with a dirty ring and carpet on concrete.  Definitely not upscale and had the real gritty Thai look.  I was the only student.  The session started off with some skipping.  After that we stretched.  Then was shadow boxing.  Mot Dang watched me throw some punches then stopped me and started me from scratch.  First he corrected my stance.  My back foot was supposed to be standing on the ball.  When it came to throwing punches, I needed to rotate my fist and turn my hips.  After that he worked on my roundhouse, knees, and elbows.  My entire striking techniques were reshaped in a day.  Afterwords I hit pads and worked on the heavy bag.  The bag was hard.  I had to avoid going 100%.  After bag work was stretching and sit ups.  The session ended for the day.  I definitely had a good workout.

Afterwards I talked to Rob and he said it was low season so there wasn't much going on in Koh Phangan.  He also said if I wanted accomodation, I should head to Lime and Soda since they had a nice backpacker crowd there.  Flash Forward 4 days: Rob was right, there was a young crowd and lots of hot girls.  Plus a beach too.  Back to the present, I'm staying at The One Boutique Hotel and while it's nice and new, there isn't really anyone here.  There is a Pharmacy and Tesco Lotus (Big Supermarket Chain) nearby so no shortage of supplies.  There also is a big night market where food is grilled and sold on the streets every night.  It's pretty crazy.  I had some meat on sticks and fruit shakes.  Nice place to go if you need a cheap quick meal.

Chinnarch

The next day I checked out Chinnarch.  They had a lot of other foreigners there and the equipment looked much newer and nicer.  Chin (owner) had recently come back from Spain and was hanging a Spanish flag with lots of signatures on it.  There was about 10 people for the 1st session.  Quite a few hot girls.  The session started off with skipping, then stretching, then shadow boxing.  They worked on my kick and had me practice my kicking angle until I got it right.  Next was pad work/heavy bag.  Everyone had 3 rounds.  After everyone had their rounds we did some drills.  I think it was Clinching.  Then after that we stretched again and the session was over.  There was free cold water and a shower if you really needed to rinse off.  The vibe there was nice and friendly and there were a lot of Thai trainers and fighters.  Everyone seemed to be staying around the area and had mopeds.  I made the mistake of doing 2 sessions in one day.  The next day I paid for it greatly as I felt like death.  I ended up having to get a massage afterwards and the day after to get my body back to training.  Massages are very cheap in Thailand, about 250 baht (About $9).  You can abuse it as much as you like haha.  In the US it's about $60 an hour.  Big Difference.  Then again there are tons of people who know how to massage.

Getting sick of walking everywhere, I decided to face my fears of getting a moped.  I rented one from my hotel for 150 baht a day.  The day before I practiced on the dirt lot by the hotel.  I felt I was ready.  I started it and drove slowly, hanging to the side of the road to let the more experienced motorists by.  I knew how to increase the speed and brake so all I had to do was practice.  As I kept driving, my confidence kept going up and up.  I then filled up some gas took my new set of wheels for a spin in the hills of Haad Yao.

Haad Yao

Haad Yao was a more rural path less traveled area.  Here I could practice driving without constantly watching for passing motorists.  This was my training ground to get to journeyman motorbike riding.  What I didn't know was that the area was very hilly.  I knew how to use my brakes so going over the first hills weren't a problem.  When I felt I got a hang of it, I let go of the gas and let myself roll down the hill at full force, steering the motorbike.  It was quite a rush.  Going uphill I had to crank the gas.  Pretty simple.  As I got a feel for it, it was like I had become one with the vehicle.  Don't get me wrong, I still have a long way to go, but it was a good start.  Crossing intersections and getting onto busy roads can get dicey as you have to measure the pace of the incoming traffic.

Which camp?

As of now I've decided to pick Chorenrit as my camp.  Even though it's deserted, I feel that I'm getting much needed technical training and learning moves I have never done before.  I will be staying at a resort with other people come Monday so I'm not worried about being deprived of social interactions.

And so my Muay Thai Quest begins...