Muay Thai and the Night Market
Trip Start
Apr 06, 2007
1
56
110
Trip End
Jul 23, 2007
Bangkok, Thailand
Friday, May 25, 2007
Anyways, we ended up at the same mall we had been at yesterday - it is a cool area full of shops, smoothie and milk tea stands, and lots of good people watching. We were extremely HOT though, so we ended up going back to the movies (like i said, we are on vacation). We saw the movie Next, which was really really good - surprisingly! We also did some pretend shopping at the designer stores - Jose had a good time at the real Armani and Cavalli inspecting their suits in comparison to his new ones!!
Anyways, after some more browsing, we decided to head towards the Muay Thai arena. Unfortunately, the traffic was ridiculous, but fortunately we had opted for a cab with A/C - instead of the open air took-tooks!!! When we finally got to the arena, we were hounded just stepping out of the cab with women selling tickets to the fights. We were a little suspicious, but after showing us her official badge, and Jose dragging her to the ticket window where they gave us a reassuring "thumbs up", we bought ring-side seats! They were more expensive than anything we've bought in Thailand - and well worth it (and still only about $30 total). The rest of the seats in the stadium are standing only, and that is where all of the betting goes on - and the fights following it. So, I was pretty happy with our front row seats next to other tourists!!!
The Muay Thai Boxing match was absolutely amazing. It started off a little slow, since we had arrived a half an hour early. They had some very skinny kids doing regular old American boxing - still pretty entertaining to watch though. They were both very aggressive. But after two normal boxing matches, the place started to get more crowded - and then the Muay Thai began. The first two matches the guys supposedly weighted 55 POUNDS. No, I'm not being a dumb blonde and confusing pounds with kilos - they said POUNDS repeatedly over the loudspeaker, and these guys were so tiny. It was kind of like having an anatomy and physiology lesson right in front of you - you could see every muscle, bone, and anything in their bodies. Anyways, they were fun to watch for sure. The betting action in the cheap seats was just as entertaining though! Guys would start going crazy waving their hands between the second and fourth rounds (there were 5 rounds - two minutes each). Some people were definitely going home with some money!
Anyways, after 7 different Muay Thai matches, of which the heaviest guys weighed 114lbs.....it was time for the main event. But first they had a quick demonstration of the ancient art of Muay Thai - mostly for the benefit of the tourists. It was pretty cool - although the "demonstrators" were not the greatest actors. It reminded me of those TV wrestlers! Anyways, back to the main event. These guys weighed in at about 135lbs, and at least looked like they wouldn't fall over if the wind blew to hard. They were all about the fight as well - so into it! The main difference with Muay Thai boxing is that the fighters can use their knees, feet, elbows, head and fists - something about 9 points of fighting? Anyways, these two focused mostly on kicking with their feet and knees, and had some amazing punches and kicks. I was rooting for the guy in red - mainly because I liked his hot pink shorts! Jose was rooting for the guy in blue because he was tall and lanky. Lucky for me - hot pink shorts man won! It was a close one though - and pretty intense. The sweat was flying everywhere!! Also, I forgot to mention - between every round, when the coaches are giving the fighters water and massaging their muscles, they drop something down their shorts! And then they either pick them up or grab at their crotch and jiggle it around a little! It was pretty crazy to see at first, but I guess we got used to it!! LOL. I also forgot to mention that the beer was extremely cheap at this stadium, and being ring-side, we got everything delivered to us. I felt like a princess! What a deal! After the main event, there was another couple of matches, but they only weighed about 100lbs, and it just wasn't as exciting. Overall - Muay Thai is really cool to watch. Even just watching them in their warm-ups is beautiful - it is very ritualistic - lots of bowing, kneeling, and very fluid stretching. Also - these guys are super flexible. I would love to see Mike Tyson put his leg to his nose like these guys!!
Anyways, after getting our fill of boxing for 5 hours (yes, FIVE hours), we headed down the street to the "night market". This was a huge marketplace full of vendors, shops, restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, it seemed much more touristy than the last market we had gone to, and the prices were as such. Jose opted for a massage while I wandered around shopping - and by midnight, all of ths shops started to close. There was some really neat stuff - beautiful pillowcases, bags, and furniture, as well as cheap clothes and shoes. I didn't find anything though - still too stubborn after I'd already seen such cheap prices for the same stuff.
By midnight, most of the restaurants were closing down their kitchens, so we rushed a cab home to get to our Indian restaurant, which was supposedly open until midnight. Unfortunately.....when we arrived at ten to midnight, they had already closed the kitchen. They gave us some leftover fish curry - which was suprisingly good - and a bunch of water, and we headed off to bed.
Another good day in Thailand!
Love,
Jose and Andrea
Comments
shopping frenzy
sounds like a great place to visit/shop. do you bargain here too? we're in a foreign place too right now--Orlando!! We're on International Drive and tomorrow we're going to the world market at Epcot--probably more expensive than Bangkok!! Keep up the reporting, and having fun. Love you!