Muay Thai anybody????

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My last few days in Bangkok have been as good as the first few. I was able to check out the weekend market and fortunately made it out alive. I have NEVER seen a market like this before. I'm not too sure how many vendors were in there but I walked around for a few hours and am sure I only saw 15% of them. Given that all the "stores" are about 10 feets wide, you can sure cram alot of them in. I was able to find some good deals but bartering all day was quite exhausting.

The following day I was able to check out some Muay Thai at the local TV station (yes, I made it on Thai TV). I was probably very easy to spot given that there were only 4 white people in the whole place, 3 of them side by side (I went with 2 people that were staying at the same guesthouse). The fights were really cool and the crowd really gets into it. Given that you can make bets after every round, the 4th and 5th rounds get intense. Everyone is screaming after every little kick, whether it landed or not. The first fight looked like 12 year olds. I felt bad for cheering these kids on to fight, but quickly got caught up in the moment. We were able to see 6 fights, the 4th being the best. It was the 128 KG class and there was a huge knockdown in the 3rd round. The guy tried to get up, made it halfway and collapsed. Overall, very interesting to see.

Given this was my last night in Bangkok and was able to see the city and culture over the past week, I would recommend this stop to anybody. The warm reception from everyone, the ease of getting around and just the vibe of the city makes this a place I/we will definately return to.

Tomorrow I fly to Laos and am really looking forward to this part of the trip. Not only have I heard amazing things about the country, but that also means I'm one step closer to coming home to see you Meghan, can't wait!!!!!!!!!! Miss you lots and love you more.

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Photos

Muay Thai
Me among the throngs of Thai people at the fight. I think I counted 3 other white people in the whole TV studio (2 of which I was with).

I used to look like that
albeit it was in another life, but still!!!

Comments

[Blair]

shite
Fuck me Huch. Its like you're playing where in the World is Carmen Sandiago, but you're actually looking for the bitch. When are you getting home?

[Mike Huch]

Finding Carmen Sandiago
I was looking for her but found out she died in 1995. I guess that's why they had to cancel the show at the end of '95. Suppose they figured it wouldn't be too hard to find a dead person!