Obviously speaking to my sweetie is always good. The problem was that it was close to 2 am Wednesday morning when our conversation ended. I went to sleep but when I woke up at 6:30 am to run I realized that it wasn't a smart idea and that I should take the morning session off so that I can catch up on some sleep and recover.
I slept for a couple of hours and when I woke up I was able to catch the last bits of the morning session. I don't recommend skipping training sessions but sometimes skipping one during the week is a good thing. Not only was I able to heal up but I was also eager to train for the next session.
After breakfast I couldn't sleep and I didn't really know what to do. I had 4 - 5 hours of free time before training and so I decided to visit a gym that I've always wanted to check out but never had the opportunity to do so.
Eminent Air Muay Thai (http://www.eminentgym.com) is a gym that I've always to see but never had a chance. Along with Kaewsamrit it has a reputation for hard training and being accommodating to foreigners such as myself. Last year I probably could have gone there but I ultimately decided to train at Kiatphontip Muay Thai (http://www.kiatphontipgym.com). Training at Kiatphontip is a decision I didn't regret and I would like to train there again sometime in the future. However, visiting a new gym or scouting a new gym for the future seemed to be a good idea for me.
It took me a few taxis before I realized that Eminent Air is in a different part of Bangkok. My contact Melissa told me to have the Taxi driver take me to the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) station and just get off at Punnawithi Station. I told the taxi driver to take me to the BTS but he ended up taking me to a BTS station that was so far from where I had to go. I didn't realize it at the time but I was taken to Wangjian Wai station and Punnawithi was on a different line.
Luckily for me the transit map was in English and so I was able to track where I had to go. I ended up taking a train to from Wangjian Wai to Siam Station. That took about 20 minutes. And then from Siam Station I was able to catch the train to Punnawithi. After I got off I was able to catch a Taxi and the Taxi promptly took me to Eminent Air Muay Thai.
Eminent Air is clean but small compared to Kaewsamrit or even Kiatphontip at least training space wise. Like Kaewsamrit it is located in a nice residential area. It's located off of a small residential road and if you were going northbound the gym's apartment housing is on your left and the gym is to your right. As soon as you walk in the open training area is staring you in the face. The gym sign is located above and there are photos of champion fighters everywhere. Also there are belts and trophies chronicling the success of the gym. To the left are two boxing rings side by side with the logo emblazoned on the floor. Also there are weights and other exercise equipment. Unlike Kaewsamrit the open training area is not matted it is just concrete. It was around 1 PM and therefore no one was training yet. The gym was empty save for the owner of the gym who politely greeted me. Also, a foreign fighter by the name of Claudio Amoruso showed me around. I find out that Claudio, who's originally from Italy, has been living and fighting in Thailand for the past 4 years. He speaks fluent Thai and English and politely served as my translator.
After getting all the particulars I find out that the set up is not much different from the gyms that I've had the honor of training at. You train twice a day and the times are similar. However, the routine is a little bit different. Eminent's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday sessions are similar to what I've done in the past. Their Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning sessions are quite different as they do extensive weight training.
After buying two shirts from the gym as a way of saying thank you for their hospitality, Claudio offers to give me a lift to the BTS station. It was a grand gesture and one I won't forget. At the station the attendant, who speaks fluent English, told me that I should get off at the Victory Monument station and get a taxi back to the gym.
The train ride to the Victory station wasn't long and I was able to get a taxi ride to the gym. I was able to make it back to my room a little past 2 pm. I took a quick nap and about 2:55 pm I woke up, took my supplements, and made my way back to the gym.
Because I missed the morning session I was so hungry to get back in the ring and start training again. Also, another fighter, this time from Spain, arrived at the gym. Marco, from Spain, had just arrived and immediately started training. I got along fine with Marco, he gave me respect which is all I ask, but he came off as being arrogant to other people.
It all came to a head early on in the training. Wednesday afternoon training sessions are sparring sessions. I was politely asked if I wanted to participate this time around. Cheng, the head trainer, told me I was welcome but that everybody in the ring participating this time were professionals. I politely declined and thanked them for asking me. I diligently worked on my technique with my trainer while the sparring was going on. Marco was in the ring and sparring with Chanachai Kaewsamrit. Chanachai is a 6'2 former World Champion that is currently scheduled to fight in the Isuzu Grand Prix of Kickboxing.
As I was training all of a sudden I hear a loud thud on the ground. Marco was on the mat clutching his ribs and acting as if a sniper on the gyms balcony got him. It was a painful sight to see but the trainers who were monitoring the sparring were mockingly counting as if he was down for the count. I smiled and went back to my training. Chanachai was then sparring with James from Australia. James along with his supportive father Jeff had come to Thailand. James had a fight in Australia coming up next Friday and was in Thailand training for that particular upcoming fight. James sparring with Chanachai was uneventful as James just kept fighting from the outside on the perimeter of the ring.
The end of the first half of my afternoon session coincided with the ending of James sparring with Chanachai. I then decided to take a 10 minute break as Marco, who apparently had just recovered, wanted another go at Chanachai. Just a few minutes into the round Marco takes a right cross to the nose from Chanachai and goes down again like a sack of potatoes. He's slow to get up and blood is running from his nose. Sparring promptly stops and training resumes.
By now I'm used to the routine and I'm just on autopilot. After the training session ends I head off to shower up. Afterwards I go to the cafeteria for my dinner. I'm just joined by the four Frenchmen, two Aussies, a samurai from Japan, and Marco from Spain. One look at Marco and after only one day of training he looks like he's had better days. Busted nose and a black eye. I can't prove that he did anything wrong but something tells me he did or said something to cause his demise. I was later informed that he signed up for 6 months of extensive training. Something tells me that he trained somewhere else and the gym wanted to show him no mercy.
Thursday's training sessions were more or less the same. However I feel that my body peaked on Thursday afternoon. I felt incredibly fit, strong, and fast. My training went flawless and I was able to complete it without incident. However, a few of my french companions did not train that afternoon. Some would train in the morning but not in the afternoon. Or two would train in the afternoon but not in the morning. Rarely did one of them train twice in the same day.
After our training session there were privates for most of the evening. Parents were taking their children to box and company workers were getting their exercise. Their training wasn't as intense as ours but it was nice to see them getting authentic training. I say authentic because back home in the States the Muay Thai training is so watered down it's sad. I used to spend upwards of $100 a private session at Faitex Muay Thai in Mountain View, CA. Include $40 for round trip fuel, $15 for a meal at applebees, and I would have spent $155 to $160 just for one private session. I thought it was awesome and it was but it's garbage compared to what you get in Thailand.
Anyway, after torturing myself on Thursday I just wasn't up to eating at the cafeteria this time around. I was craving fast food again and I took a taxi to Khao San Road. It's a touristy area that a girl introduced me to a few years ago. It's the closest Burger King to the gym and tastes just like the BK back home. I order a whopper meal and a coke and I ate it like it was my last meal on earth. After buying two shirts from a local vendor I was able to catch a ride back home.
Friday's morning session started just like all the other sessions. However, during the middle of my training a wayward soul trickled into the gym. Head trainer Cheng had a concerned look on his face, stopped what he was going, and promptly started speaking to the kid in Thai. The young man stated that he wanted to learn how to box. I asked Cheng what the deal was and he informed me that he thinks the kid is drunk.
Cheng's got a good heart. While the wayward soul was watching; Cheng was teaching a new student by the name of Che. I was informed that Che is 17, was from the mountains, and that his father had just died. He wanted to find a way out for his family and he feels that Muay Thai can get his family out of poverty. I've been able to watch him train and he diligently works his craft with Cheng on a daily basis.
Anyways, after Cheng was done training Che he immediately turns his attention to this kid. The boy informs the gym that he dreams of being a champion in Muay Thai. But then the scene turns a little hostile as Cheng and fellow trainers Ong and former world champion Kapton Kin corner him. They speak to him in Thai so I couldn't understand exactly what they were saying. However I then see Ong get what seems to be an alcohol test and hand it over to Cheng. Cheng then informs the kid to take the test but if he fails then the gym is going to ask him to leave. The kid complies and the test looks similar to a pregnancy test a girl would take. A few minutes later the test is administered and the kid totally fails. They promptly kick him out as if he's leper from the stone age.
After training and breakfast I take a nap. I also start to think about my time here knowing that the afternoon session is going to be my last in Bangkok. I do not love Thailand but I love the environment and the camaraderie of the gym. People who have experienced something similar would know what I am talking about. I lost a lot weight, learned some new techniques, and made some more new friends.
The afternoon session was tough not only for me but for almost everybody. The training has taken its toll somewhat on us foreigners training there. I was able to complete my training but it was hard. I just had a hard time getting my engine going.
When word got out that Friday was my last day of training I started getting well wishes from the trainers and the fighters. I told them what my plans were and they all wished me luck. It also helps that the gym is bilingual and that they all speak fairly good English. I was then asked by James and Jeff from Australia if I could go with them to Khao San Road.
James and his father Jeff are great guys and its their first time flying out of Australia. However, they've kind of had a rough time finding their way around Bangkok. I agreed to go with them and the funny thing is the real reason why they wanted to go was to eat at Burger King. I told them to meet me at 6:30 and we'll go together.
I was able to get a taxi, told him Khao San Rd., and the Taxi promptly takes us there. We arrive and James and Jeff inform me that this is the best place they've ever been to in Bangkok. We ate like Kings, no pun intended, at Burger King and afterwards I take them down Khao San Rd. They buy a few things and afterwards we promptly get a taxi back to the gym.
As soon as we get back to the gym they both thank me for the flawless road trip and then we call it a night. It's now about 12:30 AM Saturday morning. I'm going to catch some z's. I have a lot to do and I depart for Pattaya on Sunday.
1 comment:
There are many opportunities in Bangkog to look for like studies. I don't think it dangerous.In House Training
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