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Saturday 27 December 2014

Christmas at Charn Chai

The gym is buddhist as is the majority of Thailand so Christmas really could have slipped by unnoticed if it weren't for the effort made by Bee, Kerri-Ann and some of the fighters living here in Pai.

Training was on as usual but I took the day off. Largely because I was hungover from Xmas eve where I mixed way too many different drinks until far too late.
Around 10am I had a knock on my bungalow from Ben and Ally inviting me to join them and a few others at a nice hotel restaurant for a xmas lunch together. We sat round drank red wine and ate good quality western food that wasn't burgers or pizza. It was really nice, beautiful location, good wine, lots of food, xmas music and good company. Exactly what xmas is supposed to be.



In the evening we all met up at the gym where they had set up a xmas tree, bonfire and various embarrassing party games. I've commented before on how the trainers seem to love physical humour. No change here. I couldn't avoid getting involved and we ended up in a race to eat a cucumber hanging from a line above our heads... followed later by a game where you have a balloon tied around your waist and you have to pop each others balloons whilst preserving your own... not using your hands.... like i say 'physical humour' ensued. Check my instagram for a little video of the macho proceedings. Head trainer Bee shaking his little stinger whilst wearing a santa hat. This place is a far cry from the steroids, tribal tattoos and macho nonsense i have heard is synonymous with Phuket and other gyms down south. I think we are all really grateful for that!







There are chicken coops at the gym. I always thought these where just functional farm animals. Turns out the gym also raises and trains fighting chickens. So on the right hand side we have the matts and the ring and humans and on the left we have the coops, the sand and all their supplements and training tools. I had no idea but its a massive passion of the trainers and they love these chickens. They even have them spar in little training pads so they don't get hurt. So as part of the xmas celebrations we had a new member of the team arrive at the gym, A (Bee's brother) seemed pretty chuffed.


Needless to say the Sangsom and beers were flowing and everyone had a great night together. With Pet leading the charge as always!


Friday 26 December 2014

Num leaving the gym and Wit's knee injury

So my previous post about Num leaving the gym due to a liver injury seems to have been a little misinformed.

Num was lying about being injured. He is and was well enough to fight. His father had sold him to a gym in Bangkok.

Now that the dust has all settled it has come to light that Num's father and Bee never had a contract relating to Num and his time training and fighting for Charn Chai, largely because Bee did not feel it necessary. An open discussion about re-locating Num to Bangkok to fight for a different gym was possible but instead a slightly underhand approach was taken (which I prefer to think was directed by Num's father as opposed to Num himself).

Either way the result is the same. Num ducked a fight which led to Wit getting seriously injured. Num now trains and fights in Bangkok but remains in contact with the Charn Chai trainers. I really think this was out of his control and his father has just seen both the chance for him to be in a closer location and also a bit of pay day when signing a contract so has just moved Num around like a pawn.

I wonder if he'll ever get matched up against a Charn Chai fighter in the future.


Wit struggling on with his crutches:



Tuesday 23 December 2014

1 round of pads with Bami

Using the GoPro I made a video of one 4 minute round of pads with Bami.

Hopefully I can compare this with earlier footage and see how far i've come in the 2 months in Thailand.



Anyway, back too it. Temple run in 20 minutes.
REALLY don't want to go... it's so damn cold, even in my bed fully clothed with an electric blanket I'm shivering.

Num - Leaving the gym

If you also follow me on Instagram you will have seen a video of a really nasty knee injury from the fights at Kalare Night Bazaar last friday. This knee injury befell Wit who had stepped in for Num who was injured. Wit is now back in Pai, in a full leg cast, resting. They hope he won't be out too long but knee ligament injuries are hard to predict. The feeling around the gym is his recovery will be anything from 6 weeks to 3 months with some (people with old knee injuries) saying he may never be the same again. Sad news but Bee seems to remain positive about his recovery so fingers crossed he bounces back like the young man he is.

Still that video of him crying and screaming in pain is hard to watch, especially when you know how tough these guys are.

The whole incident with Wit has somewhat over shadowed the injured Num. I was under the impression Num had received a rib injury in training and was out for that one fight whilst he recovered. I was wrong. Num is in the middle of the picture below. (Gow, Num, Dan).



It turns out Num had received an injury to his liver and after consultations with his doctor he had been instructed he could no longer fight. As quick as that. One minute signed up for the fight card and in training, the next his entire fight career is over and more than that his time at the gym.

Num's family live much further south closer to Bangkok, and had essentially signed him over to the gym to train, live and fight in the hope of a lucrative fight career. But with the news from the doctor and before word had really spread Num had left and returned to his family.

It's really sad news, especially with him leaving without a proper goodbye. He will definitely be missed, not only because he was  regular face around the gym and a really nice lad but he was a damn good aggressive fighter and always really exciting to watch. He fought a very forward head down aggressive style that never seemed concerned with the judges score card.

There is talk of sending him a Christmas care package from everyone at the gym. I really hope that happens.

Monday 15 December 2014

Visa Run - Mae Hong Son

Yesterday I took the day off from training and made the 240km round trip to Mae Hong Son on the border with Myanmar (Burma) to go to the Thai immigration office to apply for a 1 month Visa extension.
Essentially if i get this extension on each of my 3 entries i get an extra 3 months in the country. So 6 months becomes 9.

It was a beautiful ride through the mountains. So many steep climbs and decents and some truly amazing scenery. Problem with having the inevitable wait at the immigration office meant you can't really stop to enjoy the views. You need to crack on because before you know if you have turn around and head back and you don't want to run out of day light. Largely because the temperature drops so much.
It's a weird balancing act between setting off late enough that the dark side of each mountain has had some sun to dry off the road but not so late you are riding back in the dark. Wet slippy roads on these off road knobbly tyres is so sketchy.
I almost got it spot on but was glad to have a hoodie, gloves and tracksuit bottoms for the last hour. I set of at 10:30am and got back around 18:30. Like I say its just pure twisting mountain roads the entire way. I was making a good pace and it still took all day.

Before heading to the Immigration office make sure you have passport photos of yourself to hand over and photocopies of each important page of your passport relating to your stay in Thailand. I didn't know about this and finding places to get this done in Mae Hong Son wasn't particularly difficult but it was a little stressful and meant I had to queue twice which was a big waste of time.

My Visa extension was approved and with the fee of 1900 baht paid they stamped my passport and sent me on my way. Next visa excursion will be 18th January where i actually need to leave and re-enter the country. Need to do a little research but i believe that is a ride to Chiang Rai and then across into Laos.

Although these Visa runs are annoying they do force you to adventure and by bike you end up seeing some weird and wonderful places. The photos can't do it justice. There is this on valley the Mae Hong Son road (1095) that is straight out of Avatar.  Giant flat faced mountains sprouting out of nowhere with a layer of vertically growing trees. Like giants teeth.



All in all, a successful trip.







Friday 12 December 2014

Morale - The run up to Xmas

So this last week has been tougher than most.

Instagram is full of group pictures from London of people enjoying the cold weather, Xmas shopping and drinking in pubs with open fires. It's a beautiful time of year back home and i really feel like i'm missing out. I have been reaching out to more people via email or whatsapp in an attempt to stave off the feeling of loneliness but both the time difference and the fact most people in the UK are busy with their working lives makes it difficult. Either that or I'm out of sight out of mind. It's hard not to let these feelings sneak in.
Everyone is all cosy and prepping for the family time together... i'm alone eating the same 'Super Health Salad' as I have had twice a day for god knows how long now.

It might be time for a food binge.

In fairness my training is suffering as I don't have any energy and i can't concentrate.
Could be time to stop being so militant and just start eating more.

Right now I'm 87Kg's. I'd want to fight at 80Kg's. Cutting this 7kg's whilst still fuelling my training is going to be real hard. When I was last in Chiang Mai for the fight night I bought some basic protein powder aimed at training recovery as opposed to building muscle. I really hope this makes a difference as everything is just getting on top of me a bit. The isolation from home. The hunger. The fatigue.

It's not that I want to quit or go home. It's just the thought that this is all voluntary and I could just as easily be on a beach in Southern Thailand eating and getting drunk or in America learning to hunt. Instead i'm here, running in the heat, sweating my balls off and hop scotching from one injury to another. I'm in the grind. Running the same stretch of road, hitting the same bag.

My right shoulder is proper fucked.
Bami is having to create a fighting style for me that solely uses the right hand as distraction and defence. The moment i reach out anything past 70% extension or above 9 o'clock i get shooting pains through the rotator cuff. It's horrible. It aches 24/7. Tiger Balm and Voltarol pain relief gel take the edge off but i can still feel it. Once I get back to the UK I am going to see a shoulder specialist and see what they can do for me. I suspect I have a grade 2 torn AC ligament and it may require surgery or extensive specific physiotherapy. The massages I have been getting here have helped but my recovery seems to have plateaued so I'm just bouncing between slight improvements with rest and then slight backwards steps after training.

It is what it is. Just got to plough on.


Wednesday 10 December 2014

Mr Baan's massage - Pai

Having sampled many of the massage places in Pai I can honestly say this is my favourite.

I think it's the closest thing I will find to a physio here in Pai.

They are trying to help recoup my shoulder. Limited progress, but still some progress.

Been about 8 times now. After each session my shoulder swells for a day or so and then is slightly more mobile than before.

Convinced I have torn the AC ligament in my shoulder. It's on my to do list to get it looked at by a specialist once I'm back in the UK.


Tuesday 9 December 2014

Personal Training in Thailand - Making the most of your time in the gym

So the traditional thai style of training is great. 2 sessions a day, both with a heavy conditioning and fitness element with a singular technique focus each session allowing you to drill and then lightly spar with gym mates before taking to the pads with a trainer to work them into you're progressing fight game. For example, switch kick in the morning and then clinch trips in the afternoon before pad work or sparring with the same trainer who is preparing you for a fight.

As a farang you can expect something slightly different. Or at least this has been my experience so far. The class sizes have been absolutely massive. A gym which usually caters to 8-12 tourists seeing over 40 show up. With very few being repeat visitors. This has turned the group classes into a Muay Thai themed fitness bootcamp. All well and good to get fit. But doesn't work for developing new techniques or being able to work repeatedly with the same trainers to address weak points or missing skills.
It now makes way more sense to me why the trainers seem so laid back. They are spending these sessions teaching beginners the same basics again and again day in day out, the faces change but this is their grind. Their 9-5, and you can forgive their slight disinterest. They will still try and correct what they can but 90% of the faring will do their best then ask to pose for photos before buying a t-shirt or shorts and leaving never to be seen again.
Its funny to think how many pairs of 'Charn Chai' Muay Thai shorts are heading home with people who still have no idea how to position their feet, wrap their hands or throw a jab.

With this in mind I have stopped attending the morning training sessions and instead have opted for a 1 on 1 personal training option with Bami. We meet at 11am and do at least an hour of pure technique on the pads, working with plenty of space simulating a fight environment. During the night it is bloody freezing. I have actually bought an electric blanket. Getting out of bed at 7am in the freezing cold to go train is damn hard. Its so nice to be able to wait for the sun to warm things up and then train at 11am.

This is a massive positive change from the group classes. Its 'High Season' here in Pai, meaning it's their busiest period of the year for tourism. This is due to it being the winter and the Thai's travel here to see the mist and feel the cold and generally experience something different to the dry heat of the south of the country. What that means is that Pai is its busiest for short term visitors from November until February.

Only down side of the 11am start is there isn't much of a rest gap between the 1 on 1 and the afternoon group class which starts at 3. But that is a price i am very willing to pay for those extra hours in bed whilst its freezing out. The training is just better and it is helping a shit load with my morale. Being able to chill in bed and wake up slowly then go for a run on my own to warm up is really nice. By the time we train I am actually fully awake, fed and ready to concentrate.

Anyway, back to the personal training and choosing the right trainer:

Over the first month of group classes I have managed to get a feel for the different trainers, their strengths and areas of focus. Within the gym you will find excellent trainers, bored trainers, retired fighters and active fighters. Sometimes it takes a little time to figure out who is the best fit for you.

I have noticed that the retired fighters will drill lots of kicks, kick catches and trips. The bored trainers will just make you repeat the same movement countless times (the usual 30 kicks left, now right) without offering any corrections.
Some retired fighters who were known for certain skills (boxing, clinch) will favour this.
The young fighters will tend to want to mess around and play physical humour jokes on the other trainers. They also seem to have the shortest patience when instructing, and get frustrated with the language barrier easily.

These factors make choosing the right trainer really important. At a basic level all of the trainers have so much to offer so once you can get them to invest in you I think they will all be really good value. But i felt i wanted to find a trainer I could communicate with (the language barrier is an issue) who could shape the skills i have to a more fight oriented style i.e. teach me the glue and linking movements that brings everything together and would allow me to flow when in the ring. This meant I wanted to train with an active fighter. Someone who will push the conditioning element and teach me the basics of winning a fight without mindlessly drilling pads or skipping onto clever trips and counters i am not ready for.

For me there is also the physical element to consider. A lot of the Thai trainers are just too small to hold pads for me. Don't get me wrong they are strong as shit. It's just they can't hold the pads high enough to simulate a target for me and as a result certain techniques can't be mastered. The knee being the most obvious. They want me up on my toes and throwing my hip forward. When I do that my knee comes out over head height for some of the smaller guys.


Having watched others doing 1 on 1 training sessions I have seen a couple of trainers I want to work with eventually to develop my head movement, defence and most importantly my clinch game. But as a first step i have started to be trained by Bami (you can see him fight in an earlier post). Bami is Dutch/Korean, has had about 70 fights and fights at 75kg's. So far he has been amazing, definitely the right choice.
First thing he did was chat about any injuries I had, any strengths/weaknesses I wanted to focus on and what I wanted to get from my training. This was exactly the conversation i was hoping to have. I was able to explain some of the long term injuries i carry and he has shaped the training to work around these issues so I don't feel quite so broken. Being right handed and having a busted right shoulder has killed my confidence, not being able to throw right punches or elbows made me feel like there was no hope of fighting because i was missing such a key ingredient.

By training in a way where we warm up the shoulder fully and throw combinations that don't require big right hands or elbows I have started to believe again that i could fight. So far we have not had many sessions but they are such better value than the group classes. The learning curve is so much steeper. Training with him is exactly what I was hoping for out here. The one on one attention analysing what works for me, steadily building my confidence in sparring and giving me more tools to go to that I am actually able to employ in a free moving sparing environment.

Bami having trained in Holland also brings a slightly more Dutch style to his fighting compared to the traditional Thai. He doesn't neglect the boxing element and favours more powerful strikes and a more stable stance rather than a higher frequency of kicks approach that a lot of the Thai's use. This is just perfect for me as it's teaching me to move better and use my reach without feeling I am limited to single kick strikes and counter kicks. It is also very familiar to the Bas Rutten instructional DVD's I used to watch when i first started out oh so long ago.

Doing the 1 on 1 sessions has also lead to improved communication when working the pads which is a massive issue here. When you skip from 1 trainer to another each session you never build up the short hand and familiarity with a trainer where you are able to quickly process what he is asking of you.
All the combinations become so wooden as you need a second to translate what they have asked you and then interpret what that means from that specific pad holder.
To give you an example, when the trainer Gow says 'Left hook' what he actually expects is 'left jab, left hook'.
When he says 'Right hook' he actually wants 'Right straight, Left hook'.

And the best of all... when he says '1,2, Hook' what he holds pads for is... 'Jab, cross, left hook to the body, left hook, right straight, left hook, pause, left hook, right straight.'

Each trainer has different short hand and different amounts of English and different levels of patience when you do what they ask but not what they meant. Often you'll just see people stop and have to say 'Show me' because what they call out and what it means might not have anything in common. This would all be fine if you could always pad with the same person as you'd figure it out pretty quickly but like i say you have to really go out of your way to ensure you get the same pad holder each session and it only takes one session with someone different to undo a lot of progress and make you feel like a novice.

However, the most important benefit of the 1 on 1 sessions I have felt is the mutual investment in progress towards a fight. Once you utter those words "i'd like to fight" (no matter how many caveats they come with) the team spirit kicks up a gear and you go from a tourist passing through to a member of the gym who may eventually represent the gym in the ring. All of a sudden you are not in it alone.

Monday 1 December 2014

Daniel 'Bami' Van Corler - Charn Chai Muay Thai (Fight Video)

Another trip down to Chiang Mai night bazaar to watch several of Charn Chai's fighters in action. Hugely successful evening seeing all 3 Charn Chai fighters win (Op and Bami by KO and Mae by decision).

Mae won her re-match by decision against a very experienced and tough girl from Singapore who must have had 10kg's of muscle on Mae; and knocked her out 2 weeks earlier.
It was amazing to see and had one of the best crowd reactions of the whole night. Huge respect to her for getting in there and taking the victory.

Daniel 'Bami' Van Corler of Holland also took a victory in knockout style. He looked massively confident and comfortable in the ring and it just seemed a matter of time before something big landed.
Then it did.

 Below is a highlight video of Bami in action:


I have not edited or posted the Thai fighters fights as yet. Largely as they don't seem bothered. They would rather watch the uncut footage once and then move on. I guess as they fight so often it doesn't carry the same spectacle.

Monday 24 November 2014

Dan Fraser - Charn Chai Muay Thai (Fight Video)

Here is a highlight reel I put together for another Charn Chai International fighter, Dan Fraser. It was a great fight but his more experienced Thai opponent got the decision. Dan was far more aggressive and his boxing looked great, but his opponent knew how to score with powerful body kicks and knees during exchanges. These tactics put him ahead on the judges score card. However, Dan is preparing for a fight career in K1 so this performance bodes pretty well for his future.

Saturday 22 November 2014

Adventure riding - Taking the Honda off road (Video)

Took the day and rode my bike in a loop from Pai over 2 mountains through a national park and down single track 'dry season only' routes mapped out by other bikers.

Our GPS tracked us and by the end of the day we had ridden 123km and elevated 3200m.

It was exhausting and dangerous but a lot of fun. Only minor damage to myself and the bike. Burnt calf from the exhaust and a snapped bolt that holds the exhaust on.






Here is a GoPro video I threw together using one of the GoPro Studio edit templates... probably why it's a more appropriate length, and not another self indulgent ten minutes!



Ben Dewan - Charn Chai Muay Thai - (fight video)

Travelled down to Chiang Mai to film Ben fighting on a local show at the Kalare Night Bazaar.


Ben is one of the trainers/fighters at Charn Chai and as a favour I made a little souvenir video for him detailing his fight.

Below is a copy of that video:


Lantern Festival, Lai Krathong - Pai (Video)

I have now visited a couple waterfalls and a therapeutic hot springs. Still trying to make the most of the days when I am not training. Almost feels like i need to use up all the distractions so i can get  them behind me and just know which are my favourite relaxation spots.

Also managed to take a trip to Chiang Mai and buy a Honda CRF 250L. Have totally fallen in love with this bike. Must resist the urge to be a boy racer.

We have just celebrated Lai Krathong (lantern festival). In buddhism it is a time to reflect on regrets and negative energy from the previous year, then take the time to process and let them go. This is done in two ways, firstly a floating candle wreath can be lit and released to be washed away by the river. The second is to light a candle within a lantern and release it to float into the sky. It was a really beautiful act and one that all of Pai turned out for. Filling the river and the sky with beautifully ornate lights that dotted the sky and the river.





The local temple and its grounds were turned into a large festival environment. Somewhere halfway between a music festival and a New Years celebration... but with a distance Thai flavour i.e. Muay Thai fights... Video below (sorry it's a little long):


Tuesday 11 November 2014

Training in Pai

My experiences of training in Pai so far.

The first week was so damn hard. 3 days into training was our rest day and as a result we all went out drinking. The next 2 days heavily featured a hangover plus what I can only assume was sickness due to the water (probably melted ice in drinks). I was bed ridden for 2 days just being sick and sweating. Eventually when I made it back to training I was so low on energy I spent the entire morning session feeling nauseous.
This absolutely ruined my confidence. After the few days of hard training before the rest day I was hoping to find the sessions a little more manageable. It was really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point.


Being ill wasn't helped by my roommates... the Ants nest and countless mosquitoes and flies.

Laying in bed ill was rough, to then notice Ants all over your keyboard and laptop screen was an annoying reminder that my bed and all my clothes were clearly full of ants. No wonder everything itches and you constantly find little bites everywhere.

But the bugs come with territory as do the snakes. Only seen 2 so far, first on a road run, just had to hop over a little snake, probably 50cm long, that was braving the grass at the side of the road. Freaked me out because I thought it was a stick as I approached then it moved. Second was a tad more dramatic. Riding my scooter up the little mountain roads toward a waterfall I came across a snake sunning itself on the track. As I approached and beeped it moved off into the grass. This beast must have been 2.5m long and thick, oh so thick. Curled up as it moved off the road it could cover the entire width of the track. I thought I was going to have to run over it. Fortunately it moved quick enough. No idea what type of snake it was, but it was muscular and large. Very different to the little fella I had met days before.

I guess it just comes with the territory. It's sometimes easy to forget when sat in Pai that we are surrounded on all sides by tropical jungle. The nay reminder being the storms, although infrequent, when it rains here it really really rains. The poncho and bush hat were wise investments.



Tips for anyone else considering a Thailand training camp:

We do so much skipping. It really screwed my calf muscles in the first week. Seemingly over stretching my Achilles tendon (very familiar to bare foot running shoes). Skip before you come, stretch a lot and if possible use deep heat or tiger balm on your tendons before exercising.

The altitude and heat sap your gas tank like you wouldn't believe, both physically and mentally. I was comfortable running 12km a day in England. 5km here is a real struggle. Its all hills and it so damn hot and the air just doesn't seem to be rich enough to recover. A deep breath doesn't feel worth as much as it used too (altitude?).

When I arrived at the camp I paid for 1 month and didn't make it clear I was thinking about being here a lot longer. I regret this. Although the trainers are lovely and attentive when you get their attention, there is clearly a divide between what they see as tourists passing through and the people worth investing in. The level of training is still excellent but any interest in injury recovery, treatment or specific personalised training is non existent. The fighters get it. But you have to make it clear thats your goal to benefit from that level of attention. I made the mistake of keeping my head down and now I struggle to get the help I need. The head trainer Bee has never said 2 words to me. Never enquired as to my level, my progress, what I want to achieve. Happy to take the money but has not done what every other coach I have worked with has done, had the short conversation when you first meet "How long have you done Muay Thai? Have you done any other martial arts? How comfortable with sparring are you? Any injuries or weak points I should know of?"

Makes you feel like a pay cheque when no one seems interested in your progress.



Monday 10 November 2014

Pai in the Sky

Life in Pai is a slow burn.

So many travellers come through here for 2 or 3 nights as they move across the north of Thailand and they seem to miss the entire point of the place. Slow down.

Pai has realised two important financial factors:
1. You can charge western tourists crazy amounts for alcohol and they will stay pay it out of desperation to get drunk, get laid and turn this little corner of the world into yet another Ayia Napa.
2. Chinese and Japanese tourists will pay through the nose for comparative luxury and a well staged photo opportunity with appropriate drinks vendors and cute souvenirs.



That is Pai at a glance, 2 or 3 days here and you would be forgiven for only seeing this side of the beautiful remote town. During the day the town centre is essentially 5 roads in a square all lined with restaurants offering both western and thai food, the modern conveniences you would expect, pharmacies, 7/11's, hardware stores and travel agents. Once night hits seemingly the exact same locations are replaced with massage parlours, themed bars and tourist novelty shops. The place comes alive with a night market full of street food all cooked to order. By all accounts safer and more hygienic than most of the restaurants due to quick turn over of stock. In the short time I have been here I have seen so many people come through the gym experiencing Muay Thai for a day or 2 at a beginners level before being distracted by the night life and then moving on. This isn't helped by the cliche of some trainers not only loving to drink their body weight but also their pursuit of the exotic flower that is the white woman. I'm talking in stereotypes, but thats because they seem to be important here. People stay so briefly that they get boiled down and over simplified time and again which only further perpetuates the stereotypes.

So far the stereotypes I have witnessed to be true:

1. Muay Thai trainers drink lots, gamble lots and still make it to morning sessions.
2. To a thai man western women are very exotic and if successfully seduced provide great kudos.
3. Asian tourists are an absolute danger on the road.

 I have anecdotal proof of all three points. 1 and 2 in the same story. Halloween night, friday night. After training we all meet at the gym for drinks and a BBQ before heading into town. About 70% of people have made small effort with costume. Once the trainers start drinking they get inspired and break out the face paints and turn themselves into ghosts and ninja turtles using belly pads as shells. We head into town and drink until 5:30am. At this point trainer Pet is so drunk he passes out in the bar. 30mins later he wakes up, stumbles to his scooter. Passes out again folded over the bikes seat. Sleeps there for about 30mins before disappearing. He doesn't show up to morning training Saturday morning. Largely as it starts at 8am and he will have only been home about an hour by this point. The head trainer goes and wakes him and drags him to training. When scolded for not showing up on time his excuse is "I was so close to having sex with this white girl, but then a big english came and stole her". All was forgiven. Seemingly a very understandable situation that we are to be sympathetic too.




Point 3. I have hired a scooter twice. On 2 sundays here in Pai I have seen more scooter related injuries and truly awful road decisions than i would in 2 months in London. Stuff that just leaves you dumb struck. Every single time i have been out on the bike i have witnessed several Asian tourists riding on the wrong road side of the road. I have had to catch up with them and flag them to move over, even when they are coming at you head on they don't put 2 and 2 together. Just blindly against traffic carry on. About 20% of Asian tourists on scooters are also sporting bandages on their knees and chins, and if you pay close attention at junctions you often see a bike off to the side and someone treating a bleeding elbow or knee from a slow speed fall. It's amazing to see. Almost unbelievable.
When i mentioned this to the locals their response was very candid "oh yeah, 2 died yesterday... the police don't publicise it anymore. It happens so often it would be bad for tourism". Makes me very appreciative for the years of riding in central London and the west of England. It has prepared me well for the roads out here. Put simply they are unpredictable. Beautiful stunning views and long sweeping corners followed by pot holes, sand left on the road and the most worrisome; pick up trucks coming the other way in the centre of the road with no intention of pulling back to their side of the street.
They love the racing line.

So far looping around Pai has brought back my love for motorcycling. Something that had wained since my last crash and all the resulting hand surgeries. Pai is situated on flat land surrounded on all sides by jungle mountain regions. Pai is a little concrete development on an otherwise unspoilt vista. Riding round the fringes and up the mountains on all sides just makes me want to keep going. I have loved the riding here and it's making me very tempted to get a bike and ride south. Take a week and just have my own little 'Long Way Down'. Maybe ride down and fly back up. Even on a scooter it is glorious. Maybe I'll do my visa run by bike and take a trip into Burma or Laos like that.





But for right now I am happy here in Pai, watching the world go by. Getting to know some locals and finding my favourite spots to spend my down time. The tourists come and go, drinking all night and then moving on. Or arriving in mini buses at beauty spots, taking all manner of selfies without ever stopping to appreciate the place. Too busy trying to share it on instagram. Pai really offers both, stop, slow down and enjoy the thai speed of life or plough through, drink the drinks, take the pics and then hit the road. Either is good. There is no right way.

Friday 7 November 2014

Wednesday 5 November 2014

Road to Pai and joining Charn Chai Muay Thai - Video

Second video documenting my travels through Thailand and my Muay Thai training. This video sees me arrive in Pai and find my feet at the Charn Chai Muay Thai gym.

Monday 3 November 2014

From York to Chiang Mai - Video

Video thrown together using GoPro footage from my first couple days on the road.

Sunday 26 October 2014

Charn Chai Muay Thai (Pai)

Pai = Mosquito heaven. And at night... the crickets take over. They are so damn loud. Fortunately by the time my head hits the pillow i am too tired to care. But if you are a light sleeper ear plugs would be a must. I arrived at the gym during the evening training session yesterday. There were a hell of a lot of people there. It wasn't the most welcoming atmosphere, but then gym's never are. Everyone has resting bitch face cause they are tired and stare at the fresh meat because its just a new face in what is often a tightly knit community. Either way, found Kerri-Ann who I had chatted with via email and she sorted me a place to stay and explained the training regime. She told me that the next day would be much quieter as a lot of the trainers and students were heading into Chiang Mai the next day (friday) as they were fighting Saturday night. I'd seen the flyer when in Chiang Mai so already knew about the event. It did mean that todays training, my first session at Charn Chai, was missing the head coach Bee and all the killers. Which I gotta say I am very happy about. It was really nice to have my first session without that pressure. Find my feet a little and get over the unexpected without the fight level guys in the room/barn. Without a clock or any perception of time sometimes you need to survive that first training session so you know how much to give. I went a little easy on the pad rounds because i didn't know how many we were doing or what came next. Now I know I can do everything, it's about working harder.

Friday 24 October 2014

Tips: Packing notes

Things I regret not packing: 

 Rash guard - it's so sweaty and i don't want to go shirtless. 

Hand wraps - The ones i bought are elasticated and I wrap too tight. 


 Things which have been amazingly useful: 

 Re-usable zip ties - dealing with my luggage these are amazing. 

Aerosol Bug repellant - spray yourself and it clears the room your in.

Chiang Mai - Temples

During my walk around the old city i took some snaps of the various temples. Seen one you have pretty much seen them all. I realise thats slightly rude. But its the same with Christianity. Walk the streets of York or London and you pass churches constantly without realising it and they rarely differ. Some are slightly more ornate, some are slightly larger. But they follow a theme. Granted its a very pretty theme.
And check out these lovely tourists who didn't fancy walking between the beautiful sights. Hilarious. Lazy buggers or just mad efficient?