MY SURREAL TALE OF THAILAND PART 2
Yes, yes, yes it has definately been a while since my last post, but hey I am a busy man. To respond to Mr.McClaine's response, no I did not get kidnapped by the mob :-), but I think I may have been confronted in the park by a man that was associated with them, but hey that is another story. Ok, lets get on to the rest of the Thailand story. Now where did I leave off..... that's right Wat Pho.
Well after traveling around this amazing site, my tour guide drove me to this jewelry place about 15 minutes away from where I was. This was not really what I had in mind of seeing the city, but hey whatever, I was up for it. While at the jewelry store I was shown all sorts of elaborate looking rings, bracelets, and necklaces that looked like they were worth a hefty amount. I think this was the reason why most of the merchandise was conveniently not marked with a price. While I looked around the store I have to say that I was treated like a king. They gave me something to drink and they let me try on everything that I looked at. Now I began to think, with this kind of treatment they gotta be expecting me to buy something, but you know I am not a professional psychologist yet, so I am years away from making a decent living, so as to not upset them I decided I would buy one of the cheapest pieces I saw. I have to say that the necklace I purchased is pretty nice. It is a Chinese symbol that says Dog (this is my birth sign, for the Chinese calendar has 12 animal signs and they are in accordance to the year that you are born).
After, I left the jewelry shop they took me to a tailor. Now I was thinking are they in cahorts with all of the stores in the area to bring all of the foreigners to these stores. I really was not planning to spend anymore money on things that I really did not need, so after walking around the shop for a while and having a store employee suggest that I buy everything under the sun, I told him that I wasn't really planning on buying a suit while I was there and that I thanked him for his time.
So you think that they were ready to take me home right. Nope, now they decide to take me to a fragrant shop. This place had incense from all over the world, and I have to admit that they all smelled pretty good. But yet again I did not want to spend anymore money so I once again told the employees that I was not planning on buying any incense while I was there and that I thanked them for their time.
Once I departed from the fragrance store, I thought I would put my foot down before they took me to another shop I didn't want to go to like a pet shot or something for all I know. So I told them that I appreciated them showing me around, but I was ready to go back. They agreed to take me back but suggested that I go to this huge electronice supermall. Now I was all up for that so I told them that it would be ok for them to drop me off as long as they told me how to get back. They agreed, and then asked me if I enjoyed kickboxing. Now this was up my alley, I guess you can say that the tour guides and eye were finally on the same page. So they told me that I had 2 hours to look around the mall until another tour guide that worked for the hotel would pick me up at a designated spot.
Now once I entered the giant electronic supermall I didn't know where to begin. This place had everything. New, used, computers, mp3s, dvds, games, you name it this place had it. I roamed all 7 floors of this supermall, until I decided to buy this compilation of 80 songs. Now this cd that I saw which said that it over 50 songs from 80s was a steal indead. But when I was ready to purchase it the store owner told me that it would be ready in 30 minutes. That's when I knew that they had a computer in the back and was going to burn me a cd, but hey for only 2.75US I could not complain. While searching through this mega mall, I found a copy of the yet to be released film Doom. Now I thought this was a little too good to be true, but hey I thought I would give it a try since they were only selling it for 2.75US (seems like everything was that price right).
Ok, it was now about 20 minutes from my pick-up time, so I thought that I better head over to my designated spot. Once I arrived I was greated by a guy that looked to be in his early thirties that told me that I was about to see some of the best kickboxing in the world. Now with an introduction like that, I couldn't wait to get to the stadium. I have to say that the tickets were a little pricey compared to the rest of the items that I saw while there (they were about 35US), but hey I thought to myself, I might never be able to see thai kickboxing (called muay thai) again so I should probably take advantage of this opportunity.
Boy was I glad that I paid the money, because this was by far one of the best sporting events I had ever been to. All of the foreigners were seated ringside and the locals were in the stands making bets with eachother. Now you should know that this is the main sport in Thailand and they are world renown for having the best kickboxers. Kickboxing is so big that everyone in school including the girls are required to learn how to do it as part of the curriculum. I even recall my petite tour guide telling me that she knew kickboxing and could do a number or two on someone if she wanted to (scary huh).
There were 7 fights scheduled that night and the first three fights featured kids that looked to be around 12 or 13. Now I have to say that it was disturbing to watch those fights because I was not used to see kids so young compete in such a brutal sport. Even the other foreigners I was seated next to had a hard time enjoying those fights. But I have to say that it was incredible to see the older guys fight. I saw two knock outs, and we were so close that we could hear the effects of the punches and kicks. After the fight my tour guide talked to one of the fighters, and I was able to get my picture taken with him (it was great to be so close to the action).
On the way back to my hotel I was told by my tour guide that he once fought in the same arena for many years. He invited me to his gym to train with his master for a small fee of course. Now I was thinking, I have to take the gre around noon, but hey there's always time to train with a master kickboxer, right. So I decided to take him up on his offer.
Early, early, in the morning I woke to travel to this gym out in the middle of no where. I rode on the back of this guys AWSOME motorcycle. After a 30-40 minute drive we arrived to this gym, that reminded me of the gym from the Rocky movies. There I was greated by this older gentlemen that asked me if I was ready. Of course I was pumped up, so I told him, "YEAH!". First thing we did was a punching exercise in the ring. He showed me how to punch, then kick, then he put gloves on me while I punched these pads on his hands. Now I know this doesn't sound to hard but imagine doing this consistently until a bell rang which only indicated that you could rest for 5 minutes only to then start back up again.
After kicking and punching in the ring for god knows how long, we went over to the punching bag and I had to punch and kick this thing without any protective gear on my legs. Needless to say I bruised my hands and my ankles, but hey I sported those scars with pride, I mean how many people can you say you know that have received bruises from training with a master kickboxer. Once the punching bag abuse was over, I was directed to some of the gym equipment (now I should remind you that it has been 4 months since I have last worked out so my body was in great pain). After I did some military presses, I did 30 situps on this machine with this kid hit me in the gut with a bag (now I thought this was not really necessary ;-) but I guess I had to keep the rhythm), then I did some pull-ups, only to then be told to do 50 push-ups. Ok I did everything well up until he told me about the push-ups. I knew my body would not be able to withstand anymore, so I did not tell him I couldn't, instead I just squirmed around on the floor on the while until I pathetically got up to 11 push-ups until he told me that I could stop.
Boy was I relieved to hear that but, I wished that I could have finished his grueling workout, but hey I gave it my all. Afterwards, to my surprised he was thoroughly impressed with me and showed me around the gym, then let me take pictures with him and his students. Later, my friend and I had some drinks with his friends at a house near the gym, then he took me to my testing site.
Unfortunately, I was extremely tired for the test so I had a hard time focusing so I did not do as well as I would have liked, but I did not let that stop me from enjoying my stay in Bangkok. After the test I called my friend again (his name is Prayad in case you are wondering) and we went out for some drinks. He introduced me to his friend Jeb Jeb (seriously that was his name), and we went to this karaoke place and drank and sang for most of the night. We ended night by playing snooker at this snooker place (the game is big there, and for those that are not familar with it, it is like pool except the balls are all read and the table is bigger and the rules are a little different).
Well that is pretty much my trip. I had a blast and I would love to go back there sometime. He let me know that if I ever needed a place to stay I could always stay with him and his friends. It is nice to know that that not only do I have friends in the US but I now have a friend in Bangkok.
NEXT TIME: Well it is a Surprise!
Well after traveling around this amazing site, my tour guide drove me to this jewelry place about 15 minutes away from where I was. This was not really what I had in mind of seeing the city, but hey whatever, I was up for it. While at the jewelry store I was shown all sorts of elaborate looking rings, bracelets, and necklaces that looked like they were worth a hefty amount. I think this was the reason why most of the merchandise was conveniently not marked with a price. While I looked around the store I have to say that I was treated like a king. They gave me something to drink and they let me try on everything that I looked at. Now I began to think, with this kind of treatment they gotta be expecting me to buy something, but you know I am not a professional psychologist yet, so I am years away from making a decent living, so as to not upset them I decided I would buy one of the cheapest pieces I saw. I have to say that the necklace I purchased is pretty nice. It is a Chinese symbol that says Dog (this is my birth sign, for the Chinese calendar has 12 animal signs and they are in accordance to the year that you are born).
After, I left the jewelry shop they took me to a tailor. Now I was thinking are they in cahorts with all of the stores in the area to bring all of the foreigners to these stores. I really was not planning to spend anymore money on things that I really did not need, so after walking around the shop for a while and having a store employee suggest that I buy everything under the sun, I told him that I wasn't really planning on buying a suit while I was there and that I thanked him for his time.
So you think that they were ready to take me home right. Nope, now they decide to take me to a fragrant shop. This place had incense from all over the world, and I have to admit that they all smelled pretty good. But yet again I did not want to spend anymore money so I once again told the employees that I was not planning on buying any incense while I was there and that I thanked them for their time.
Once I departed from the fragrance store, I thought I would put my foot down before they took me to another shop I didn't want to go to like a pet shot or something for all I know. So I told them that I appreciated them showing me around, but I was ready to go back. They agreed to take me back but suggested that I go to this huge electronice supermall. Now I was all up for that so I told them that it would be ok for them to drop me off as long as they told me how to get back. They agreed, and then asked me if I enjoyed kickboxing. Now this was up my alley, I guess you can say that the tour guides and eye were finally on the same page. So they told me that I had 2 hours to look around the mall until another tour guide that worked for the hotel would pick me up at a designated spot.
Now once I entered the giant electronic supermall I didn't know where to begin. This place had everything. New, used, computers, mp3s, dvds, games, you name it this place had it. I roamed all 7 floors of this supermall, until I decided to buy this compilation of 80 songs. Now this cd that I saw which said that it over 50 songs from 80s was a steal indead. But when I was ready to purchase it the store owner told me that it would be ready in 30 minutes. That's when I knew that they had a computer in the back and was going to burn me a cd, but hey for only 2.75US I could not complain. While searching through this mega mall, I found a copy of the yet to be released film Doom. Now I thought this was a little too good to be true, but hey I thought I would give it a try since they were only selling it for 2.75US (seems like everything was that price right).
Ok, it was now about 20 minutes from my pick-up time, so I thought that I better head over to my designated spot. Once I arrived I was greated by a guy that looked to be in his early thirties that told me that I was about to see some of the best kickboxing in the world. Now with an introduction like that, I couldn't wait to get to the stadium. I have to say that the tickets were a little pricey compared to the rest of the items that I saw while there (they were about 35US), but hey I thought to myself, I might never be able to see thai kickboxing (called muay thai) again so I should probably take advantage of this opportunity.
Boy was I glad that I paid the money, because this was by far one of the best sporting events I had ever been to. All of the foreigners were seated ringside and the locals were in the stands making bets with eachother. Now you should know that this is the main sport in Thailand and they are world renown for having the best kickboxers. Kickboxing is so big that everyone in school including the girls are required to learn how to do it as part of the curriculum. I even recall my petite tour guide telling me that she knew kickboxing and could do a number or two on someone if she wanted to (scary huh).
There were 7 fights scheduled that night and the first three fights featured kids that looked to be around 12 or 13. Now I have to say that it was disturbing to watch those fights because I was not used to see kids so young compete in such a brutal sport. Even the other foreigners I was seated next to had a hard time enjoying those fights. But I have to say that it was incredible to see the older guys fight. I saw two knock outs, and we were so close that we could hear the effects of the punches and kicks. After the fight my tour guide talked to one of the fighters, and I was able to get my picture taken with him (it was great to be so close to the action).
On the way back to my hotel I was told by my tour guide that he once fought in the same arena for many years. He invited me to his gym to train with his master for a small fee of course. Now I was thinking, I have to take the gre around noon, but hey there's always time to train with a master kickboxer, right. So I decided to take him up on his offer.
Early, early, in the morning I woke to travel to this gym out in the middle of no where. I rode on the back of this guys AWSOME motorcycle. After a 30-40 minute drive we arrived to this gym, that reminded me of the gym from the Rocky movies. There I was greated by this older gentlemen that asked me if I was ready. Of course I was pumped up, so I told him, "YEAH!". First thing we did was a punching exercise in the ring. He showed me how to punch, then kick, then he put gloves on me while I punched these pads on his hands. Now I know this doesn't sound to hard but imagine doing this consistently until a bell rang which only indicated that you could rest for 5 minutes only to then start back up again.
After kicking and punching in the ring for god knows how long, we went over to the punching bag and I had to punch and kick this thing without any protective gear on my legs. Needless to say I bruised my hands and my ankles, but hey I sported those scars with pride, I mean how many people can you say you know that have received bruises from training with a master kickboxer. Once the punching bag abuse was over, I was directed to some of the gym equipment (now I should remind you that it has been 4 months since I have last worked out so my body was in great pain). After I did some military presses, I did 30 situps on this machine with this kid hit me in the gut with a bag (now I thought this was not really necessary ;-) but I guess I had to keep the rhythm), then I did some pull-ups, only to then be told to do 50 push-ups. Ok I did everything well up until he told me about the push-ups. I knew my body would not be able to withstand anymore, so I did not tell him I couldn't, instead I just squirmed around on the floor on the while until I pathetically got up to 11 push-ups until he told me that I could stop.
Boy was I relieved to hear that but, I wished that I could have finished his grueling workout, but hey I gave it my all. Afterwards, to my surprised he was thoroughly impressed with me and showed me around the gym, then let me take pictures with him and his students. Later, my friend and I had some drinks with his friends at a house near the gym, then he took me to my testing site.
Unfortunately, I was extremely tired for the test so I had a hard time focusing so I did not do as well as I would have liked, but I did not let that stop me from enjoying my stay in Bangkok. After the test I called my friend again (his name is Prayad in case you are wondering) and we went out for some drinks. He introduced me to his friend Jeb Jeb (seriously that was his name), and we went to this karaoke place and drank and sang for most of the night. We ended night by playing snooker at this snooker place (the game is big there, and for those that are not familar with it, it is like pool except the balls are all read and the table is bigger and the rules are a little different).
Well that is pretty much my trip. I had a blast and I would love to go back there sometime. He let me know that if I ever needed a place to stay I could always stay with him and his friends. It is nice to know that that not only do I have friends in the US but I now have a friend in Bangkok.
NEXT TIME: Well it is a Surprise!
posted by Bob | 1:03 AM
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