Muay Thai Fights in Bangkok, Thailand

I'm not going to lie... fights aren't really my thing. Aside from watching Hulk Hogan with my dad, my undying love for the Rocky movies, and my fantasy of being a super ninja... I'm not really into it.

So, when the idea of going to a fight came up, I said I would go because it would be a cool experience... but I had no idea just how cool it would be.

After venturing across the massive city of Bangkok, we finally found the stadium in Benjakiti Park where these live, televised fights were being held. Because they were free (yes, free!) we expected the place to be packed with tourists... but it wasn't. Aside from the Dutch backpackers snuggled up to our legs in the jam-packed rafters, there were very few foreigners.

They crammed the place as full as they could, which meant you got really close to your neighbour, but you were right in the thick of it. We sat on some old, rickety rafters and people all around us were yelling out their bets... we had to pass money back and forth to people every round for said bets... we were amidst the chaos of illegal gambling and a serious enthusiasm for the sport. It was anything but boring... 

The beginning of each fight started with what appeared to be some sort of ritual. The fighters would stretch, pray and bow in certain directions, then they would kneel down and sweep the ring with their arms in a rhythmic fashion... it was actually quite graceful. They would do this as the arena "band" kept a steady beat and performed a chant-like melody that continued and intensified as punches were thrown and kicks were landed.

Here are some videos we took that help capture the intensity of it all (the last one is especially exciting)...

To see the rest of the videos we took, click here.

For anyone planning to attend these fights... wear neutral coloured clothing. I was wearing a maroon tank top and they wouldn't let me in unless I purchased a black tee shirt from a vendor outside. No one could explain to me why I had to buy a shirt, but we believe the reason to be one of the following... certain colours are considered offensive, my shoulders were bare, they were still mourning the kings death, or that it's just another tourist ripoff.

Oh well, I am now the proud owner of a black, knock off ACDC polo shirt...

- xomo

January 2017: Guangzhou, China (sort of) + Flying with China Southern

It was exciting... touching down on another continent so we were blinded at the time... but in retrospect, this airport was shit. It wasn't terrible from a style or layout perspective, but from a food and things-to-do perspective it was pretty boring. As we disembarked the plane hopped up on adrenaline and a few hours of sleep, we had already walked to the end of the building before the realization of where we were actually set in.

We had an hour and a half to kill so we thought we'd grab some food and maybe a beer at one of the restaurants they were bound to have. But because we weren't hungry when we initially got there we weren't really focused on food (or anything for that matter) because it was all so overwhelming. So, we had to walk around again to explore our culinary options. No biggie, only took us ten minutes to see it all in the first place.

We had two choices for food because there were only four restaurants in total - two of the same ones repeated. And one of them was McDonald's... safe, familiar, can't go wrong. Sweet ...

... Not sweet.

First of all, it was physically attached to a Chinese restaurant that didn't look near as appealing as a Big Mac and fries. When it was our turn to order, after being greeted by an angry drill sergeant, we discovered we could only order one thing... chicken.

You could have the chicken sandwich, the chicken nuggets, the chicken wings, the fried chicken, or a combination of two that included a drink in a bag... which, as we later learned, was a common occurrence in southeast Asia.

And don't ask for ketchup unless you want to be called a fat American and have your head ripped off for asking. They didn't even offer us a drink choice or any condiments... but I wasn't about to argue for a Sprite over a Coke... (well done Coca Cola [and Pepsi] by the way, for being the assumed drink of choice at most fast food outlets - they either carry Coke or Pepsi, never both, and it's always the default option).

After our fowl feast, and not having internet access because we would have had to turn in our passports in order to get said access (fuck that), we boarded our connecting 3 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand...

+ + +

GETTING THERE

Before we arrived in Guangzhou, we took a 13 hour flight from Vancouver via China Southern, which was awesome. This time, we had decided to splurge for the $300 CAD upgrade in order to be (quite a bit) more comfortable...

Flashback: Five years ago we flew to Fiji via regular economy, and while we got there in one piece, there was a lot of complaining from both parties. So this time, we upgraded to premium economy and it was worth every penny.

We had movies, television shows, video games, blankets, slippers, really good food and semi-reclining seats, not to mention prompt and friendly service. Everything was wonderfully timed and went a bit like this... priority boarding, drinks, drinks, food, drinks, rest time, hot towel, snacks, drinks, dinner, more drinks.

And since this section wasn't quite full, we snagged some extra pillows and created ultimate comfort...

We were also pleased to learn that the food was actually quite good... we would go as far as to dub it the best airline food we've ever had.

What I did learn which I later felt the need to remind myself about, was that I do not enjoy dried shrimp. Nope nope nope.

- xomo

A preview of our trip to Thailand and Cambodia

I've siphoned through 4,000+ images to curate a mini-preview of the various places we visited and the adventures that ensued on our Thailand and Cambodia vacation just a short, few weeks ago... Okay, more like a month ago.

Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou, China was our stopover on our way to Thailand. We were only there for a couple of hours and didn't have time to leave the airport, but it was an exciting experience nonetheless.

 

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok was better than we had hoped and we made the most of our two days there. We went to muay thai fights and go go bars and sipped our first of many Thai beers, all the while attempting to acclimatize with the culture.

 

Cambodia

We regret not spending more time in Cambodia... it was the shortest part of our trip aside from the stopover in Guangzhou and our one night in Phuket. We try to visit different countries when we travel in hopes to see as many as we can, but Cambodia is a country we will definitely come back to.

 

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is what we're calling the hipster capital of Thailand. Located in the northern part of the country and surrounded by distant yet humble mountains, the city thrived on its artsy hipster night market culture.

 

Phuket, Thailand

Finally, a beach. We only stayed in Phuket for one night because it was the 'stopover' part of our journey - we were on our way to Koh Yao Yai which is an island in the south from Chiang Mai in the north. And, as fate would have it (we don't often get good luck so this comes as no surprise), the hotel we stayed in turned out to be the best on this trip... For one night.

Koh Yao Yai, Thailand

I was looking forward to this part the most because I expected it to be quiet, secluded and romantic... it was. The villages were small, the surroundings were gorgeous and everyone was incredibly nice... unless you wear too few clothes into 7-11 to buy beer ice cream... did I mention it's a Muslim island?

 

Ao Nang, Thailand

We knew Ao Nang would be a busy, populated tourist spot and it definitely was, but it didn't feel overcrowded like it easily could have. What I mean by that is you didn't have to stand in line for hours at every point of purchase... you could order food quick, get on a boat within ten minutes and haggle for a successful bargain at a moderate pace.

Yes, those are wooden penises...

As I'm writing this I'm conjuring up so many stories not hinted at here. I'll try to keep the coming posts to the point and within reasonable length, but I'm not making any promises... so, expect some long reads ahead

- xomo

Antigua part 3: Nelson's Dockyard and sick beaches

Sadly, the third part of our Antiguan vacation began with a lot of goodbyes... Everyone who came to the wedding was leaving with the exception of Mark and I, and Jamie and Christina who were staying at the resort another week. We were en route to another area of the island... Nelson's Dockyard, where we would spend our last few nights in a hotel that is rich with history.

Before we said goodbye, however, we continued to explore the island and stopped at a quiet beach where I found what I had been craving the entire time... curried goat. If you ever get a chance, try it! I first tried it in Niagara Falls when we stumbled upon a Caribbean food truck and ordered curried goat roti... after that I was hooked.

Antigua, we discovered, is covered in mongoose, which were imported to the West Indies from India more than a hundred years ago to control an explosion of rats on the sugarcane plantations. They also eat snakes and have since wiped out the once thriving snake population.

After licking my plate clean and fending off the mongoose, we set off for the hotel but first made an impromptu stop at one of the many sugar mills on the island. Mark and I quickly poked our heads in to take a closer look.

(So, this is when we actually said goodbye and made our journey to Nelson's Dockyard, which was very, very pretty.)

We stayed at the Copper and Lumber hotel, one of the original buildings constructed by Lord Nelson. And, as the name suggests, it was used to store copper and lumber for ship building and maintenance.

We booked ourselves in here thinking this would be the romantic part of our vacation, but with me still being really sick and Mark starting to get sick too, it wasn't as enjoyable as we had hoped. We did what we could to practice mind over matter in an effort to make the best of our final few days in this beautiful, historic little town.

(Notice the outside wall?)

Thanks to the research my husband conducts when we go away on vacation, we knew there was a really nice beach nearby... and being sick will never stop us from finding the best beach. So, as awful as we felt (the heat didn't help), we set off on a mission to find it. It was a lengthy walk, but we made it and rewarded ourselves with strawberry daiquiri's to ease the sharp pain in our sore throats. It worked, albeit temporary it still worked, and the beach was indeed beautiful.

By the time we made our way back to the hotel, all we wanted to do was curl into bed, drink some tea and sleep, but because it was our last night and Nelson's Dockyard was home to some amazing restaurants, we mustered up the strength to enjoy one last meal... but no wine. And at the point at which we order tea with dinner in a place like this, you know we're sick.

- xomo

Antigua part 2: St. James' Club and Devil's Bridge

The second part of our Antiguan adventures continued on a different side of the island where the wedding was taking place, at St. James' Club. (If you missed Part 1, click here). About a 45 minute taxi ride from Jolly Harbour, we drove high into the mountains and through some really gorgeous scenery - none of which I have pictures for because I was too busy trying not to be sick from the winding roads, the heat and being in the back seat of a minivan. But boy, was it worth it.

We arrived at the hotel and met up with Mark's brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law right away, since they just happened to be in the lobby. After some giddy excitement, a few beers and a walking tour of the property, the rest of the family started to arrive, and with that, shenanigans ensued. It. Was. SoMuchFun.

A really good family friend, Judy, decided to come last minute. Everyone had kept it a surprise, so to see the look on my father-in-law's face and the tears in his eyes when she walked in was so incredibly special, especially since they hadn't seen eachother in about 15 years.

After that (and a few 'welcome' cocktails in the lobby), we congregated on the balcony of the villa where we were staying and spent hours catching up. And, because my mother-in-law is amazing, they had already stopped and gone shopping for food and booze, so we were all set and good times were rollin'.

Now, you may be wondering what the heck is in this picture below? Well, let me tell you...

After dinner a few of us kept the party going at the hotel bar. All of a sudden, Christina (my almost sister-in-law) comes running around the corner to me screaming "there's a bunny on the dance floor". Without hesitation, I ran over and there he was - a white rabbit hopping around all by its lonesome. Long story short, there was a magic show earlier and as the magician was packing up, he let the rabbit roam around. Did we ask to pick him up? Uhh, of course! That's when we found out there was a dove, too. And they were friends. So without further ado, meet Cotton and Peter! (I'm not gonna lie, I completely forgot the dove's name so I made this one up and for some reason Peter seemed fitting). And yes, they're sitting in a black top hat.

We tried to keep them but eventually (after running around the bar showing everyone including my husband who was super impressed), we had to give them back. But this picture is proof that we weren't crazy or hallucinating on drugs.

The following night everyone headed to Shirley Heights where the view was spectacular and the party was happening. The place was a logistical nightmare and you'd have better luck battling Genghis Khan than trying to get a hamburger, but it was worth it for this.

After the wedding, we rented a car so we could go exploring. Our first stop was Devil's Bridge, and while it's incredibly beautiful, the story behind it is quite dim. Devil's Bridge is a natural limestone arch carved from the sea, where slaves used to go and throw themselves overboard to their death. Hence, the name... Now how 'bout we revel in this marvelous natural formation?

More to come, stay tuned for Part 3.

- xomo