Where does the time go? - 16/07/2012

Hello readers,

A lot to update you on. So after a weeks training in the beginners class I was quickly moved up to the intermediate class. There are a lot of good fighters here, some of whom have professional fights back home in the UK. I decided yoga was a bit too spiritual for my liking so started doing the morning body fit sessions instead. This was run by a lady called ‘Ocean Bloom’ who is a celebrity fitness instructor back in the US. Body fit is a punishing workout which includes sessions such as running up buddha mountain, running with tyres tied around the waist, walking up a whole flight of stairs backwards on all fours (as if we were a spider), beach training and lots of circuit training.

I also started doing one on one private sessions with the trainers here. The trainers have a vast amount of experience and certainly know what they are talking about. For example one of the trainers fought Manny Pacquiao (currently rated pound for pound best boxer in the world) back in the day. Another trainer has fought just over 200 fights winning 175 of them and has a world champion belt aswell as 2 belts in the highly regarded Lumpinee Stadium. I have certainly benefited from the private sessions with a noticeable improvement in form and technique.

After 30 days in Thailand my visa came to an end and it was time for me to leave the country. I decided to fly to Cambodia and spend a week travelling. I headed for the capital of Phnom Penh checking into my hotel (88 The Backpacker) late in the evening. I was expecting to unpack my bags and get an early night when 3 French people checked into the dorm at 12.30am. A few drinks later and I can say that was the most random night out I’ve ever had. My new French friends spoke fluent English which made me feel guilty that I am unable to fluently speak another language. Although I think my phrases of ‘Je m’appelle Andy’ and ‘Je voudrais un Heinneken’ would be enough to get by in France.

I spent 4 days in Phnom Penh visiting S21 and the killing fields. S21 is the prison site where thousands of Cambodians were tortured under the Khmer Rogue regime during the 1970’s before being sent to the killing fields. It is estimated that a quarter of the Cambodian population was wiped out during this time. I found it an interesting few days to understand the history of Cambodia and the struggles the country has been through.

After Phnom Penh I travelled by bus down to Siem Reap. I was hoping to sleep for most of the 7 hour bus journey but the bus driver was adamant on beeping his horn every 30 seconds. I checked into the Siem Reap Hostel where I stayed for four nights. The hostel was situated in a perfect location and I made some amazing friends during my stay here. My French friends from Phnom Penh also joined me down in Siem Reap for a few nights out. Whilst in Siem Reap I visited the temples of Angkor Wat which are truly phenomenal and made for some fantastic photos. I also visited an orphanage site located in one of the poorest slums in Cambodia, where I soon became a climbing frame for 50 enthusiastic kids.

After Cambodia I decided to go back to Thailand to surprise my friends and get back into training for a couple of weeks. I took the bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok (approx 9 hours) and then flew down to Phuket. Training was tough to get back into having spent a few too many nights drinking in Cambodia. My two weeks back at the training camp went incredibly quickly. Unfortunately, I came down with a stomach bug in my second week back which put me out of action for a few days. I was only granted a 15 day visa when coming back across into Thailand by bus so once again it was time for me to leave my friends behind.

Next up is the beautiful country of Laos. At the time of writing I am currently on the sleeper train heading from Bangkok to Vientianne (capital of Laos). I am looking to spend a week here before moving onto Vietnam.

Will keep you posted.

Andy

Sawadee from Thailand - 26/05/2012

Hello readers,

I think the first entry on my blog is long overdue. This is the first time I’ve written a blog but I plan to use it to keep close family and friends updated on my travels. It has been hard saying goodbye to everyone over the last few weeks but I’m sure this will be an exciting and rewarding experience. The initial plan is to head out to Thailand for Muay Thai training before travelling through Asia and making my way down to Melbourne where I plan to work for a while before heading back to London.

First stop on the agenda is a Muay Thai training camp located in a remote area of Phuket, Thailand. Muay Thai is often referred to as the ‘Art of Eight Limbs’ because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knees strikes. I arrive at the camp late Sunday evening and checked into a budget fighter room. Key word here being ‘budget’ with no air conditioning and a mattress which makes the floor look more comfortable. The humidity out here is really intense and coupled with the jet lag makes for a sleepless first night.

A typical days training will start with Yoga at 7am. I don’t have much experience of Yoga but decided this will be a good way to increase flexibility and help prevent injury. The session was more spiritual than I was expecting. There is a lot of focus on positive energy and channelling this to those around us. The other day our instructor, or ‘Yogi Chris’ as he prefers to be called, preached to us about the dangers of the media and the powers of the illuminati whom are said to be a powerful group controlling world affairs. At this point I decided to switch off and focus on the task in hand. We are put through all sorts of stretches, positions and poses exercising muscles I never knew existed. The session ends with 15 minutes of meditation during which I find myself constantly opening my eyes to check that the rest of the class haven’t disappeared. Am I a Yoga convert? Not yet, but I will continue to give it a try.

During the morning I will also try to hit the gym to work on strength and conditioning. The gym is overseen by Peter aka the ‘Thai Hulk’ who has competed in numerous national Strongman and Body Building competitions. The Hulk is there to correct form and ensure you get the most out of your training regime.

Afternoon Muay Thai training lasts a gruelling 3 hours. The main instructor, Kru Deng, doesn’t speak the best English in the world but he does threaten to hit you with his stick if you don’t do as you’re told so I think it’s fair to say that he often gets his point across. I’ve decided to start off in the beginners’ class knowing full well that this class will test the fitness levels whereas the intermediate and advanced classes focus more on technique. Also, my experiences in martial arts to date have primarily been in Taekwon Do and I am relatively new to Muay Thai. A typical training session includes a combination of stretching, running, pad work, sparring, clinching and rounds on the kick bags. I’ve quickly learned to keep my guard up which often deserted me when I used to compete in Taekwon Do. The differences between Taekwon Do and Muay Thai are huge. Everything from weight distribution, stances to parts of the body used for striking are different. At the moment I am finding it difficult to change to the Muay Thai way. Each training session ends with a casual 100 push ups and 300 sit ups. Oh and for some of the sit ups the instructor will kindly pound your stomach with a 6kg medicine ball. Nice guy that instructor!

At the moment I am up to 5 hours training a day but I hope to increase this gradually over the next week. Words cannot describe how tired I have been feeling recently. Right now my body feels like a car crash and I seem to discover a new bruise every time I look. The trick here is to stop looking. At this rate I will soon be dictating the blog from my bed side.

Right I better drag my body along to another training session. Will post again soon and hope to get some photos up at some point.

Andy