Boxing Anyone......

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A trip to Bangkok would not be complete without a visit to the local boxing ring. Muay Thai is the National sport of Thailand, and is filled with traditional dances, pre-fight rituals, and knees to the stomach, back.....well anywhere really. Basically, 2 guys in a ring try to kill each other. Think about it, one knee to the gut for me, and I am goin down...for good, but these guys, yeah, they take it constantly and don't even cry......completely nuts, But, it is really entertaining!! A not to be missed experience. There are 3 different levels of seating and cost. The nosebleed, the middle and ringside. We went ringside, but the middle seemed way more fun. You have to sit behind a chain link fence, but that kind of adds to its hard-core appeal! Locals sit in this section, and the betting action becomes frantic with people yelling out and waving money......almost as fun to watch as the fights....Cost is between 20 and 50 bucks, but for that you get 10 matches. Each match lasts around 3 - 5 rounds, but some go longer.....craziness......we even got a knockout......they carry the barely breathing guy out of the ring on a stretcher.....really just so they don't delay the next fight start. We were fortunate as we had secondary excitement going on in the group of "tough", loud and insanely into it, englishmen behind us. The more the one fellow drank, that crazier it got. He sat behind me and pulled my hair and shouted and spit....after a while he started walking up ringside to "coach" the boxers....not well accepted by the refs etc. When he threw the chair and hit the judges, I pretty much thought it was all over. Their antics escalated, and as we were leaving they were about ready to brawl in the streets.....we ran. We went to the Ratchadamnoen Stadium, which the locals say is the better of the 2, as it seems to retain the true "feel" of Bangkok. Just hang out on the steps outside and have a beer......watch the hundreds of shady charecters, the market, the food.....never a dull moment. Note to anyone who does attend, when you come out of the stadium, and if the stench of tiger balm and BO has not quashed your appy, and your tummy is grumbling, take a right and walk to the corner. Here you will find a very dirty little diner with ducks and chickens hanging in the window, and a pushy owner proclaiming the "best bbq chicken in Bangkok", go in. It was completely amazing....He was so excited we came in, he stood over our table and watched us eat and kept asking...."Is good, is good?"....and yes, it was delicious and I have never had such great chicken. Likely another variety of "Garden" chicken, but who needs to know. A mickey of mekong whiskey is served to each table with...you guessed it, 2 dirty glasses. Now the whiskey goes hand in hand with Jesse's theory that if we have alchohol with every meal it will kill any bad bacteria that may have made us sick. It is a solid theory as we followed it and neither of us spent a second the entire trip with stomach issues.....so that would be a good tip for all travelers to follow.
Next on the must do list....Patpong night market. The brochure proclaimed the market to be even more exciting then the Patpong Pingpong matches that the area is famous for. More exciting than a ping pong match....ping pong show, wow, that sounded like perfect family fun. Well, didn't take long for the true story to come to light....seems the "pingpong matches" are not played with paddles at all......not even a table, but there are ping pong balls, not sure how to explain this but lets say Patpong is the biggest red light district in all of Bangkok and is filled with strip clubs and shows, each advertised to be more outrageous than the last....and the buskers trying to get you in have no trouble explaining what you are about to see....use your imagination on this one, or just let it go, your choice. Other than that, the haggling and bargaining is at it's best here. You are dealing with the tough sellers in this market, but with a bit of effort, a bargain can still be had.

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Photos

Sign on the bathroom wall
Please check your belongings before Learing? Ok then.