Training Day 4

Despite the long night and the punishment of yesterday's training, I was able to get up in time for the morning run.

After my morning run, I was able to stretch, and finally it was time to start training. I was paired with a new older trainer who went by Ta. Ta is one of the older trainer's in the gym but he's not really old, just old compared to the other trainers that were training the foreign boxers. I immediately took a liking to Ta because he had a no nonsense approach to training me. Don't get me wrong, I really liked training with Ong but he gets totally distracted with what's going on in the gym.

With Ta training me he went on a slow but consistent pace. There was no time to rest because he was always barking out instructions. So even though I was not going rapid fire I was going on a slow pace but always throwing techniques. The morning session is always my favorite session because it isn't that difficult compared with the afternoon session and the weather is cool.

After breakfast and taking a nap I was ready to go for the afternoon session. I was then reunited with an old friend from Sweden who goes by Toby. Toby Alexanderson is currently the WPMF (World Pro Muay Thai Federation) World Champion. He won the title last August. I met him last year and both he, myself, and another fighter, Sam from Australia, would always hang out after training. Toby was actually planning on staying in Thailand for just a few days as he had a fight lined up in Beijing that unfortunately fell through. With no fight planned, he decided to stay at Kaewsamrit and take up the hard training.

I was paired with Ta again and with my body so sore I was barely able to make it through the session. To make matters worse, after the training the trainers had me run about 2 miles to finish my workout.

After dinner I agreed to go with Toby to Tesco Lotus (Thailand's Walmart) to buy groceries and other goods. I wanted to tag along as there is nothing going on the gym after training. At Tesco I was educated on the diet of a pro fighter. Toby bought muesli, nuts, and fruits. Not only did he buy those ingredients, he was informing me why he was buying them and what it did for him performance wise. After the nutrition lesson we went to the mega mall Central Pin Klao.

At Pin Klao, the world champion who educated me on performance diet had a craving for "american" donuts and ice cream. After the training we just went through I did not any of it and for the time being I was able to politely avoid it. However, after Toby bought some donuts, master Cheng called us out. Apparently Cheng and a few others had gone to Pin Klao to help some of the foreign boxers exchange money. They were all at Swenson's an ice cream chain similar to baskin robbins back home. And with everybody eating ice cream I decided to do so as well. Two scoops (one cookies and cream and one Reese's) hit the spot.

On our way back home Toby and I decided to get a Thai massage. I've had Thai massages in the past and they have been both tough and strenuous but not painful. Last night was brutal as the masseuse just pounded my legs. I kept biting my lip and cringing as the masseuse looked like she was slightly getting off on seeing me in pain. It was a weird feeling but thank goodness nothing crazy happened after that.

After the walk back home I sat back and chilled. I can't believe it, my first week in Thailand is almost over.

Rajadamnern

It rained hard last night and it continued on until the morning. There was no running today and almost everybody engaged in rope skipping. My body has been aching for the past couple of days so it was a little harder to really finish the training.

After the training was over I was given word that one of the resident fighters, a former champion, Yuthajack Kaewsamrit was going to be fighting at Rajadamnern Stadium. Rajadamnern, Raja for short, is one of 2 major boxing stadiums in Thailand. It has a seating capacity of over 10K people and ringside seats cost about 2000 baht ($60 US). Since I was going with the gym I would only have to pay 1500 baht ($45 US).

I expressed interest in going with the gym but none of the other "tourist" boxers wanted to go. Yuthajack seemed touched that I was actually going to go watch him do battle. I wouldn't miss it, I am training but I'm also on vacation. I wouldn't miss it for anything.

After eating breakfast my friend Carlito, a friend and former World Champion from France, decided to visit MBK. I had my lunch there and then he, referred me to a store called Action Sports Zone. I bought stuff over there but then I also went to the Top King Store to buy some equipment for my gym back home.

At the Top King Store I met a girl named Bea. Bea, who looked liked Kim Tae Hee from the Korean Dramas, was the employee working the Top King Store. I bought what I needed to buy but then she asked me if I was studying Thai boxing. I replied, "yes, I train at Kaewsamrit". Then she stated, "if you are training Thai Boxing, then why are you so fat?" That totally sucked because I've lost a lot of weight since I arrived. But then I just gave a wry smile and she gave me hint that I better come back to see her again.

I was able to get back to my room by 1 pm and rest for a few hours before I went back to bang the pads. I've been working with Ong since my second session last Monday. Working with Ong has been good but an old nagging injury had started to plague me. A couple of months ago, my left foot had a nagging nerve injury right at the arch by the heel of my left foot. I've been able to deal with it, it hasn't been painful, but the aching really got to me. I was able to finish the majority of my workout when the gym owner and a couple of trainers told me stop, take a shower, and get ready to leave for the fights. There was still another 30 minutes left to train but I was happy to stop and get ready to watch live Muay Thai.

I was able to ride with the team and watch fights. Watching live Muay Thai is an experience every fight fan should watch. With the spectators screaming and yelling after every punch and kick it becomes such a great atmosphere to behold. During the intermission I was able to reconnect with an old colleague Rob Cox from England. Rob currently lives in Thailand, owns his own house, and owns his own gym (Kiatphontip Muay Thai). He had a fighter fighting in the show and his fighter was a betting under dog. Since Rob is well connected in the Muay Thai world I asked him about the girl at the Top King Store. Rob was like, "you mean Bea?" I said "yes." Rob replied, 'well, since you're a decent looking American I suggest you ask her out before you leave for the States.'

Rob's fighter ended up winning a close decision. It was then time for our fighter Yuthajack to fight. Yuthajack had won multiple titles in his day but I was getting the impression that he may be a little bit old. The first couple of rounds were good but by the 4th round it was apparent that Yuthajack was getting tired. By the end of the fifth and final round, one of the trainers that was standing next to me told me he lost, this was even before the decision was announced.

It was not all doom and gloom for me. I was able to meet both Nong-Oh Sit Or (AKA Super Boy) and Sam-A. Both are superstars in Thailand. I was able to take photos with both of them. Also, I was notified that both are going to be fighting at a Mega Show in Lumpinee Stadium (the most popular stadium in all of Bangkok).

After getting back to gym I was notified that I appeared on the Bangkok Times as a result of the documentary crew that came to the gym. I purchased a couple of copies and will be bringing these back home with me.

Need to rest up. I'll update tomorrow.

Training Day 2

Well there are no apparent gaffe's this time around. I woke up at 5:45 am and I was out and ready to go by 6:15 am. I did my run and boy did it feel good. The weather is not so hot right now in Bangkok. It's a cool breeze and running with my new $150 Nike's with the custom fitted orthodics made running a lot more enjoyable than it has been in the past. I was able to make it back on time to warm up, stretch, and wrap up.

I worked with Ong again as Cheng was tied up with a couple of professionals. There was an American TV crew that came to the gym today to film our training and to do a tour of the facility. The film crew which included two guys from Orange county had just arrived from Sitsongpeenong gym and they are doing a documentary of sorts from the top gyms in Thailand. I was actually interviewed on why I was there, who referred me, and what I thought about the training. I just answered that I was there to train, my friend Marc from the UK referred me, and that the training was hard core which it was.

It is kind of ironic that I feel better when I run and then train than to just train and not run. After running 3 - 4 miles I'm feeling limber, greased up, and just ready to go. When I do not run I'm pretty cold and it really takes a while for me (like 20 minutes) to get my engine going full blast in the training. The morning session ended up in a good note. Good to the point that i did not have to sleep right away to recover.

After breakfast I decided to visit MBK which at one point was the biggest shopping mall in Bangkok. It has since been surpassed by Central World and Siam Paragon. I had my lunch there and then I went off to look for something that I wanted that was unique to Thailand.

These past few months I've been watching a lot of soccer or football as it's known outside of the USA. I've bought a couple of authentic jerseys such the Dutch national team (made by Nike) and Real Madrid (made by Adidas). After Muay Thai the biggest sport in Thailand is football and they have their own league which is the Thai Premiere League. I'm not a big fan of the league nor do I know who's the best but I did want to buy one or two authentic jerseys of two of the teams which I thought had the coolest looking jersey.

I was advised to go to the National Stadium to buy authentic jerseys. Unfortunately for me the stores were closed and the stores that did sell jerseys only sold knock-offs. It was so disappointing but I was ok. I took a taxi back to the gym and I was able to arrive early enough to get some rest for the next session.

The afternoon session of the day is always the most strenuous and brutal. I worked with Ong again and towards the end of my pad session I can feel myself digging deep just to finish the session. What gets me through these sessions is the fact that I am training with two world champions (one from Swiss and another from France), two fighters from Japan, and a slew of fighters from Spain. I just wanted to keep up and keep pace and you know what? I was able to keep pace.

After the brutal 3 hour session it was finally time for dinner. Dinner was healthy but I wanted something different. I was able to finish enough to the point where I was satisfied and would not have to eat again until breakfast the next day. I then trekked to the internet cafe with my fellow training mates and my friend who runs the cafe advised me to go to SuperSport at Central Pin Klao (another major 5 story shopping mall) and I should be able to find the jersey that I was looking for. I did find the store and did find some jerseys from the Thai Premier League but the two teams that I was looking for were sold out.

So here I am in my room typing this. I have a big day tomorrow. The customary training sessions but I am going to watch live fights at Raja Stadium. One of the boxers from the gym will be competing. I can't wait.

Training Day 1

It didn't take long for my first screw up on this trip. Like the last two years I was under the impression that the fighters did their road work at around 6:30 or 6:45 am. They run about 4 to 5 miles daily. So I wake up around 6:15 am, drink my green tea, got myself limbered up, and I'm ready to go. The only problem is that when I came out of my room the fighters had already ran, stretched, and were ready for training. I apologized for my apparent gaffe and I was told to get ready for training.

For the morning session I was paired with Cheng. I couldn't believe that I would finally be able to work with him. I've been wanting to work with him for ages. Master Cheng, who also speaks English, is renowned in the kickboxing world as the trainer for K-1 Prodigy Hiroya. I did not get the chance to work with him in the past simply because he was training "fighters" and I did not bother to ask him to work with me. This time however I was given such an opportunity and I tried to make the most out of it.

At Kaewsamrit the first part of training is the pad work. The trainer holds pads for punching, kicking, knees, and elbow strikes. You pretty much shuffle around the ring, following your trainer, and you pretty much throw what your trainer tells you to throw. The pad rounds are 5 minutes in duration for a total of 4 rounds. Combine that with the heat and humidity and it becomes taxing. After the pad rounds I was told to do bag work and after 4 rounds of bag work I finished off with technical training. To add it all up it was 3 hours of punishment and my shirt and shorts were so drenched in sweat you would have thought I came out of a swimming pool.

After breakfast I went to the nearby 7/11 and purchased water, sports drinks, and canned green tea. The can for the green tea is awesome, I was pretty much sold on the design of the can.

After a quick nap it was time to go to lunch. For today I went to the nearby food stand by the gym and ordered traditional "Pad Thai" with a Pepsi. I am kind of cautious when it comes to drinking Pepsi in Thailand as it is so much more potent than the Pepsi back home in the States. The food was awesome and it only cost me 42 baht ($1.35 US). I've paid about $15 for the same thing back home and the food back home sucks.

When I got back to my room it was still only 1 pm and had 2 hours to burn before I head off for the 2nd training session of the day. I played the first episode of Pride which is one of my favorite Japanese Dramas. I've brought a few Japanese drama's with me to kill time.

The 2nd training of the day is a lot more strenuous than the previous training. Instead of running you skip rope and you do that for about 30 minutes. I did not get to work with Cheng this time as he was training a true pro that was going to fight next week. I ended up working with Ong who was known for his murderous kicks. Ong's pad work was not as strenuous as Cheng's but I did get a good workout and I learned a few techniques with my elbows. After four rounds of brutal Muay Thai bliss it was time to work the bag again. I worked the bag for about 5 rounds and then it was time to do clinch sparring which is worse than pad work. Luckily I was paired off with a fellow American who knew less than I did and was not in such a good shape thanI was. We went 10 out of the total 20 minutes and my neck was sore but I felt good. Then it was off to run with the boxers for about another 10 minutes before we closed the session with a cool down. My body is sore but I would not want to be anywhere else.

It's about 7:30 pm local time and I've got things to do. More to come tomorrow.

Arrival

After 19 hours of flying I finally arrived in Bangkok. The two and a half hour flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok was relaxing. And after the lengthy process of immigration, baggage claim, and customs I was finally able to look for my taxi.

Baggage claim and customs are relatively easy and short to get to but the killer is immigration. Immigration is not particularly tough for me, or any other American for that matter, but it takes really long for other people from other countries. I must have waited in line for about 20 - 30 minutes, and when it was time for me to step forward and speak to the immigration agent I showed him my passport and was out in less than 2 minutes.

I was finally able to find my ride (complete with a custom sign for me). And after I got in the car the long ride to Kaewsamrit gym commenced. It never gets old for me, riding shotgun on an expressway of a big city. I never get used to the sights and even though this is the 3rd year in a row that I visited Bangkok everything looks so new to me.

After what seemed to be a 30 - 40 minute ride back to the gym I was finally escorted to my room. I always take the deluxe room with the AC and my own refrigerator. And after icing my room with the AC and the electric fan I decided to relax. The long flight took a toll on my legs and feet. My left foot in particular was swollen from the long flight. I was not sleepy at the slightest and I started to grow restless because it was only 2 pm local time (11 PM US time). I decided to take a taxi and get a massage. The massage center was deep in the city but it was well worth it as my legs were pounded and loosened.

After the massage I went to Central Pin Klao (shopping mall) to have dinner. I had a steak at Sizzler and I was sitting there alone I felt good about how this whole trip may pan out. After dinner I went back to my room and was only planning on taking a nap since it was only 8 pm but I ended up in a coma like sleep and I did not wake up until 5 am Monday morning. Training is going to start soon so I better get ready.

Hong Kong Stop Over

I just finished my breakfast and finally found my gate for my flight to Bangkok. The flight was pretty brutal to Hong Kong, for starters I did not get an aisle seat (makes a big difference) and also the seat was so hard on my ass. I was able to get some sleep but not as much as I would have liked. One of the few positives was that I did make friends with the two people I sat next to.

After we arrived in Hong Kong I immediately got captivated with the view from the airport. Through the wide panels of glass I was able to see the city scape and a huge chain of mountains in the background. It was so much better than when I had a stop over in Taipei. The background looked straight out of HWY 99 in Stockton.

After the customary security check I looked all over for a decent place to eat. There were a lot of places to be sure but I just was not in the mood for Asian food. I figure I was going to be eating Thai/Chinese and maybe Japanese food for the next 3 weeks so I was looking for something American. After a long walk down the terminal I was able to find it, I was able to find my beloved McDonald's. Nothing better than a Sausage Egg McMuffin breakfast meal at 7 AM Hong Kong time.

So now I'm just here at Gate 34 waiting for my flight. Excited and anxious to get this vacation started.

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.