Chiang Mai After my mind, body and soul sculpting in Phuket, it was time to meet up with Vince and Tam for a bit of a cultural injection. The meeting place was Bangkok airport. I had flown in from Phuket, and they had flown in from Hong Kong, both flights arriving at around the same time and we were all booked onto the same flight into Chiang Mai from Bangkok. After a quick meal in the airport we were flying north and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the cultural centre of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai. Vince had managed [View Full Entry]

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Imagine this: I am sitting on my balcony contemplating my time at Tiger Muay Thai. My gear is hanging on a drying rack just in front of me. The rack is blue, made up of two A-frames on each end joined by horizontal bars. My hand wraps dangle like worn ribbons, waving gently in the warm breeze. I could say that they had failed me once, not preventing my knuckle problem, but I’d be the proverbial workman passing the buck. My compression shorts hang next to the innocent hand wraps. Very fortunately I had no occasion to rely on the little [View Full Entry]

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The Intermediate Training Sessions Report Having managed to weather the storm of heavy cardio conditioning, pass the scrutiny of basic technique, and recover from the mainly self-inflicted injuries, all falling under the umbrella of “beginners training,” I had graduated to the intermediate class. Many of the faces I had seen before, and indeed learned from, when I had first joined the beginners’ class. They had served their time before me, (and usually with longer sentences than the two weeks I had taken...he says big-upping himself) and now with their super [View Full Entry]

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My expectation, before I arrived at the Muay Thai camp, was that all the standard amenities and sustenance goods purchasing could be done within walking distance of my accommodation. This was true insofar as one could live on the food available in the many cheap restaurants and also purchase water and fruit nearby. However, when it came to goods such as cereal, milk, bread, tuna, cheese etc, Tiger Muay Thai proved somewhat isolated. In order to make up my own meals, made up of the latter, saving a tiny bit on the expenditure, I had to go a little further afield. [View Full Entry]

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Phuket Vegetarian Festival On a prior scooter expedition, where I had been “exploring Phuket Town,” which could be roughly translated into “getting lost in Phuket Town,” I came across crowds all dressed in white milling about under banners that read “Phuket Vegetarian Festival.” Although there was initially a slight pang of excitement at my unwittingly landing up in the midst of a cultural event, I must admit that my only thoughts at the time were concerning the mediocrity of such a celebration. That’s not to say that I hold a grudge agai [View Full Entry]

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Muay Thai Camp - Training Session 7 Report Monday, 19 October 2009, 19h23 Results! During this morning’s yoga I felt like I was ever so infinitesimally more flexible than I was last week. Baby steps, but progress is progress. As for this afternoon’s Muay Thai, for the very first time since I’ve been here, I can honestly say that I completed everything I was instructed to. There may just be the most ridiculously unexpected outside potential possibility that I am actually getting fitter. Oh yeah! Scores: Yoga - 2 ; Murray - 2 Muay Thai - 4 ; Murray - [View Full Entry]

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Muay Thai Camp - Training Session 6 Report Sunday, 18 October, 21h55 Saturday afternoon training sessions are relatively tame compared to the rest of the week. That doesn’t mean that they’re comparable to sunning oneself on the beach, but certainly not as intense as the previous sessions. A chunk of the time was also spent learning one of the “Wai Khru” dance rituals that fighters perform as a sign of respect for the teachers, God / Buddha and man. Nonetheless, I finished the session feeling like I could have done more so I’m taking the point! [View Full Entry]

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Muay Thai Camp - Training Session 4 Report Thursday, 15 October, 12h34 After my much needed Wednesday rest I was up at sparrows again for my second effort at yoga. I am still about as flexible as the barrel of a petrified canon, but I knew what to expect so I managed relatively well compared to my debut on the sweaty matt. I am still getting serious shakes when I try and hold certain simple poses, and I can’t even get into others, but I finished the class not feeling like I had been through a wash cycle in a prison [View Full Entry]

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Muay Thai Camp - Training Session 3 Report Tuesday, 13 October, 19h38 Today we ran. This is not something I enjoy doing or something I am good at, let alone something I have paid to do! “How far?” was the question. “To the airport and back.” was the answer. A joke. A good joke. “Really, how far?” was the protesting push. “Around six kilometres.” was the answer. Another joke? No - truth. “Meet in front.” was the instruction. A small group of guys congregated at the front of the training camp, running shoes on [View Full Entry]

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Muay Thai Camp - Training Session 1 Report Monday, 12 October 2009, 11h13 I am sitting on my little balcony looking out through lush vegetation at a blue/grey sky mottled with different white and grey shades of fluffy clouds. In the tropical garden where my bungalow sits there are more shades of green than even Microsoft Word 2007. Sorry Bill. As for those who have had the fortune to appreciate an Australian movie entitled “The Castle:” “How’s the tranquillity!? Location, location, location.” Bearing this in mind, I imagine you’re thinking that all [View Full Entry]

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