Thailand Bound

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls (maybe getting a little head of myself, I wouldn't be surprised if I were the sole reader of my blog), the time has finally come for Thailand. I've been aching for months to get my trip set in stone and after much research, time, and, unfortunately, money, I've got my flight booked and Tiger Muay Thai in beautiful Phuket, Thailand awaits!

TravelCuts, a student travel service was instrumental in booking my trip, giving me a hefty discount and arranging all of the necessities for the trip. 5 vaccinations and many phonecalls later, I have my flight booked from Montreal on this Friday, the 20th of June to Bangkok. Word to the wise: a flight from anywhere to Phuket usually is significantly more expensive than 2 separate tickets to Bangkok and then to the island. I'll be employing this frugal tactic, flying into BKK on the late-night flight and crashing wherever I can until the ticket counter opens at 7:00am. Tiger Muay Thai has arranged a cab to pick me off at the airport and swiftly deliver me to my home for the next 2 months, none other than the luxurious Budget Bungalows of the TMT compound! Your eyes are not fooled, it does say cable and maid service. Now I was doing my best to rough it, but 12,000 baht per month is still only $400CDN and I figured training twice a day would make comfortable digs a necessity.

Will at TMT has been very helpful, providing all of the information necessary in planning my stay. The camp offers several training facilities (see tour video and website below), a dining area, and living quarters, of which I am taking full advantage. Together with the Bungalow, a food card for the TIGER GRILL, a motorcycle (say a prayer for me), unlimited training, and a 10-private-lesson card, the grand total rounds out to $1000CDN/month. That may seem steep, but to put that into perspective, my rent, all things considered, is $700/month, with training over $150, and food tipping the scales considerably. Will has told me that a Thai meal runs about 60-100 Baht, which rounds out to less than $3, music to my insatiable appetite.

For the next 2 months I will be training under the tutelage of "Magical" Ray Elbe, an accomplished MMA fighter, sporting an impressive 22-11 MMA record. His camp has played host to many established MMA fighters and of late has been the training location for Mike 'Quick' Swick prior to his UFC 85 victory of Marcus Davis (what a fight). Ray has guaranteed a fight for me within the 9 weeks that I am a guest at the camp. This time will build upon my rudimentary knowledge of all things MMA and will beat me into shape; I'm no glutton for pain, but I do intend to make the most of this foray into MMA and all things Thai.

Monday-Friday, the day begins bright and early with a yoga session starting at 7:00am sharp; if so inclined, guests can join the fighters on a 3-7km jog in and around the hills of Phuket after 1/2 hour (might be a fine way to get to know the area); shortly thereafter, training begins. TMT offers twice-a-day muay thai and MMA sessions, so it is up to the guests discretion which to choose. Within each type of class, several classes are held based on skill, fitness, and experience. The TMT staff has told me that Ray Elbe will be the one planning my training routine and I intend to implicitly follow his instructions); he is, after all, the man with the MMA plan. After warm-up, drilling, conditioning, and techniques for 2-3 hours, it's time to relax until the whole operation is repeated in the afternoon beginnning at 4:00pm.

Between sessions, the facility offers a wide array of fitness equipment and fully stocked weight lifting facility (kettlebells!). Recently, the 'Thai Hulk' a well-known body builder has joined the ranks of TMT and I intend to take on one of his intense training regimes. Moreover, with a wealth of knowledge at the camp, having over 30 trainers, some being well decorated muay thai and MMA champs, the camp offers affordable private sessions. I have arranged a 10-session pass which works out to less than $10 per 1.5 hour private session; to put that into perspective, the equivalent in Canada would come at no less than $50, with some fighters charging several hundred dollars for a single 1-on-1 lesson. Nonetheless, each standard group lesson provides enough trainers so the 1:1 ratio is maintained at all times. This is a big change from my days at GAMMA in Montreal where Fabio Holanda would have classes of 20+ to himself (though I will miss training along side George St-Pierre and David 'The Crow' L'oiseau).

With that said, I'll leave you with the video tour of the TMT facility, guided by none other than Ray Elbe. I hope to update you with more information about the trip and the camp itself as my trip approaches/progresses. Hopefully I'll have enough time to post on here, but between zipping through traffic on my new thai motorcycle and flexing with the thai hulk, I may not!

Take the Facility Tour