Once again I am reminded why I love Thailand so much - the cheap prices for everything and the quality time spent with new friends. Here are some before and after photos. :D
Peace from Phuket.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Paintball Saturday
Yesterday after morning training some friends and I went to get our paintball on. Having an Indian in our group meant that we were going to get the best deal in town.
Once again I am reminded why I love Thailand so much - the cheap prices for everything and the quality time spent with new friends. Here are some before and after photos. :D
Peace from Phuket.
Once again I am reminded why I love Thailand so much - the cheap prices for everything and the quality time spent with new friends. Here are some before and after photos. :D
Peace from Phuket.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Parasailing @ Patong Beach
Sunday rest day activities - parasailing for the first time.
We went to a couple of beaches to check out the prices and finally settled on 1000bht or $30 Canadian to do parasailing at Patong beach. I was initially scared because I had never done it before and don't know how to swim. Luckily I had my friend with me so I asked him to go first, you know cause I am such a good friend and all. And I wanted to see if he would drown, in which case I would skip parasailing (lol).
Anyways it went off without any problems, the Thais are really efficient in getting you strapped up and secured in. And the safety instruction amounted to keep running until you are in the air. It was really fun and exhilarating. At the end, you plopped down into the water and had to be pulled up into the boat. But luckily the life jacket prevented me from drowning.
Peace from Patong Beach.
We went to a couple of beaches to check out the prices and finally settled on 1000bht or $30 Canadian to do parasailing at Patong beach. I was initially scared because I had never done it before and don't know how to swim. Luckily I had my friend with me so I asked him to go first, you know cause I am such a good friend and all. And I wanted to see if he would drown, in which case I would skip parasailing (lol).
Anyways it went off without any problems, the Thais are really efficient in getting you strapped up and secured in. And the safety instruction amounted to keep running until you are in the air. It was really fun and exhilarating. At the end, you plopped down into the water and had to be pulled up into the boat. But luckily the life jacket prevented me from drowning.
Eating insects
So today is Saturday which means tomorrow there is no training! With the extra time and upcoming rest, my friends and I headed to the night market tonight.
On the menu: insects, lots and lots of insects. I saw this vendor last time, but didn't have the balls to try them. Well this time I would not walk away without a bite. So my Denmark friend Phillip and I tried 3 types of fried insects: big grasshoppers, small crickets and a huge larvae of some sort, maybe it was butterfly cocoon. Anyways there were surprisingly good, so good in fact I almost forgot I was eating insects that were oozing with juices - especially the cocoon.
In addition to the insects, I also bought some gifts and souvenirs for back home. Unfortunately I couldn't find a specific gift my friend Adam requested (it was a bottle of liquor with something foreign in it - as in a scorpion or snake shell), But I will keep on looking!
Peace from Phuket.
On the menu: insects, lots and lots of insects. I saw this vendor last time, but didn't have the balls to try them. Well this time I would not walk away without a bite. So my Denmark friend Phillip and I tried 3 types of fried insects: big grasshoppers, small crickets and a huge larvae of some sort, maybe it was butterfly cocoon. Anyways there were surprisingly good, so good in fact I almost forgot I was eating insects that were oozing with juices - especially the cocoon.
In addition to the insects, I also bought some gifts and souvenirs for back home. Unfortunately I couldn't find a specific gift my friend Adam requested (it was a bottle of liquor with something foreign in it - as in a scorpion or snake shell), But I will keep on looking!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The advantages of looking like a Thai
Last night one of my friends fought at Bangla stadium. His name is Floris and he is from Holland. He faced an opponent who was bigger than him but was shorter. I bet some money on him for moral support and actually won! It was really good and I felt really happy for him and my wallet.
But the cost of the ticket to get into the stadium was too expensive for me. So I decided to try to sneak in. Here in Phuket, the Thais get to go into the stadium for free whereas the foreigners have to pay around 1300bht which is about 15 meals or $30. I want to say I charmed my way through the door. But pretty much I just show up and looked like a Thai and proceeded to walk past the guard. In my defense, I did at least say hello. But it was probably really off, if I were to say it in English it probably would have been like "top of the morning to you- sir and or madam".
In conclusion: looking like a Thai while in Thailand is great :D
Peace from Phuket.
But the cost of the ticket to get into the stadium was too expensive for me. So I decided to try to sneak in. Here in Phuket, the Thais get to go into the stadium for free whereas the foreigners have to pay around 1300bht which is about 15 meals or $30. I want to say I charmed my way through the door. But pretty much I just show up and looked like a Thai and proceeded to walk past the guard. In my defense, I did at least say hello. But it was probably really off, if I were to say it in English it probably would have been like "top of the morning to you- sir and or madam".
In conclusion: looking like a Thai while in Thailand is great :D
Peace from Phuket.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Watching real Muay Thai fight at Bangla stadium
Yesterday I went with the rest of the Sinbi students to the biggest fight of the month at Bangla stadium. 3 of the fighters here at Sinbi were fighting for championship belts. The governing body of Muay Thai in Thailand is called WMC and is created by the Thai government. So 3 WMC titles were contended for by the Sinbi fighters. And they all won!
It was really cool to watch the people you train with everyday win something big like this. It made you feel like you were part of something bigger and with that comes pride.
At multiple points during the fight we were up on our feets going OEY, OEY, OEY as our fighters struck their opponents with knees, kicks and elbows. One of the fights was really entertaining but also brutal, with both opponents drawing blood from elbow and knee strikes.
At the start of each fight the fighters did this traditional Thai dance to seal the ring and show off to the audience their Muay Thai skills; this also helped the betters place bets accordingly. And there was a lot of betting going on. If you sat at the bottom of the stadium you can see men and women waving their arms wildly as they called out odds and enticed the audience to partake in the excitement.
As I began my journey on this trip I had the goal of getting into the best shape of my life as well as fight in one of these Muay Thai bouts. But after watching these fights and hearing the stories, I changed my goal to just the fitness part. I am definitely getting better in my technique and power, but I am nowhere near the skill level of the fighters out here and don't think I will be in 3 month. So safety first is the motto :D
Peace from Bangla stadium in Phuket
It was really cool to watch the people you train with everyday win something big like this. It made you feel like you were part of something bigger and with that comes pride.
At multiple points during the fight we were up on our feets going OEY, OEY, OEY as our fighters struck their opponents with knees, kicks and elbows. One of the fights was really entertaining but also brutal, with both opponents drawing blood from elbow and knee strikes.
At the start of each fight the fighters did this traditional Thai dance to seal the ring and show off to the audience their Muay Thai skills; this also helped the betters place bets accordingly. And there was a lot of betting going on. If you sat at the bottom of the stadium you can see men and women waving their arms wildly as they called out odds and enticed the audience to partake in the excitement.
As I began my journey on this trip I had the goal of getting into the best shape of my life as well as fight in one of these Muay Thai bouts. But after watching these fights and hearing the stories, I changed my goal to just the fitness part. I am definitely getting better in my technique and power, but I am nowhere near the skill level of the fighters out here and don't think I will be in 3 month. So safety first is the motto :D
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| Fighters doing the traditional Thai dance prior to the bout |
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| Blue is the Sinbi fighter Justine from America and Red is the Lion Muay Thai gym fighter from Germany who has the WMC title |
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| Bangla Stadium |
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| Blue corner is Sinbi |
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| Blue corner is Sinbi |
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| Really brutal fight. Both fighters were bleeding from cuts from elbows and knees |
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