The Journey Begins

Here I am again, alone and excited. I just got past the security gate and I am just waiting to board. It is 11 PM and I have to board at around 12 midnight. I've been planning for this trip ever since I got back from my last trip.

Last year was supposed to be the ultimate Muay Thai experience for me. When I arrived in Thailand in late August of 2009 I spent 3 weeks of hard core training. On a recommendation from a friend I trained at the famed Kaewsamrit Gym for the first leg of my trip. The training was grueling but what was very rewarding were the friends that I made. Nigel from England, Damien from Poland, Nhat from LA, and Javy from Spain were like my brothers for two weeks.

After I spent an awesome 2 weeks in Bangkok I finished my stay at Fairtex in Pattaya City. Again I met a great group of guys and again the training was so rewarding.

When I came back I figure I go again and make it the ultimate trip. 3 weeks was awesome and so I figure I make it longer and go for 4 weeks. To make a long story short it was not as fun as I hoped it would be. I was pretty much a loner, kept to myself, and I just really trained hard. I made friends but it wasn't the same. As a matter of fact some of the guys that I befriended ended up doing "other" things that Thailand was known for and skipping the afternoon training sessions. Only true bright spots were the Queens Cup Tournament in Bangkok and visiting my good friend Ole Laursen's gym in Ubon.

And so here I am, a few hours removed from work and excited about the possibility of the new things that I might learn in the sport of Thai boxing. I'm also excited about visiting a new country. I originally planned on visiting Japan on my way back from Thailand. I speak Japanese semi-fluently (almost fluent back in (2000 - 2004), watch their dramas, anime, and I play their video games. But after the tsunami and my friend's recommendations that I wait it out for a year or two I decided to visit Singapore.

I've never been to Singapore and I never really read anything about it until now. I've heard a lot of good things and it happens to be one of the most cosmopolitan cities on Earth. I'm only spending a few days there but I did book a high end hotel and I did bring a credit card with 'nice' limit so hopefully I'll have some fun and reward myself after the hard training that I am planning on putting myself into.

But for now I just have to be content. Be content with sitting here in this stall, using my laptop, and taking advantage of the free wifi courtesy of American Express over here at the San Francisco International Airport.