| I
have been asked to share this story from when we traveled to
Thailand. The story had to be condensed to fit into a program for
a fight we were promoting. I'm not even going to try to duplicate
the mind-set I was in when I wrote it almost four years ago and edit it
in anyway. I'm including it in it's original state.
|
|
“You
guys wanna go to Thailand?” That was
a question asked by Hope to my husband, Tony, and me in
November of 2000. Hope and Tony had thought about going to Thailand.
In
fact, Tony had mentioned it several times. I just never thought I would
be going!
But,
we started making plans. Things got very interesting when Hope found out
she was invited to participate as a representative for the United States
in the 2001 International Muay Thai Tournament in Bangkok.
Lek’s friend, Tua, helped us plan and deserves much thanks. |
|
We
decided to go to Chiang Mai first— that way Hope and Tony could train
at the Lanna camp and we could also have a vacation.
When
we arrived in Bangkok it was around 1:00am.
We were getting our luggage, exchanging our money and looking for
a cab. It didn’t take us long to realize the humidity in Bangkok likes
to act as the Director of
Travel and Tourism and greet you first thing. We flew to Chiang Mai the
next morning and was greeted with cooler weather and lower humidity. |
| Our
first cultural experience was called a tuk tuk, which is a 3 wheeled
motorcycle taxi. It was a cultural experience until we also realized it
could be a death defying experience. Traffic lights and street lines in
Thailand are just to make the tourist feel better. No one stops at the
lights or stays within the lines. However, Americans could learn a thing
or two about driving in Thailand. Yes, the experience tests your bowels,
as well as your blood pressure medication, but there is also no road
rage. As you find yourself careening up the rear end of a moped with a
family of 5 and their groceries on it, as you pass them, you smile and
wave and they do the same. And you continue on your journey. |
| The
people in Thailand are extremely friendly. They like to get an idea of
your personality before they reveal their own. But once (and if) that
barrier is broken you can feel the genuine gracious nature of their
culture. They will do whatever they can to help you as the three of us
found out when one of the tuk tuk drivers borrowed his parent’s car to
take us to a fight in another city. But, don’t be fooled by their
generous nature, they will not be taken advantage of and can sense a con
quickly.
|
|
Hope
started training, we visited temples and a silk factory, Hope trained
hard, we even ran up a mountain leading to the temple, Doi Suthep, and
Hope continued to train hard.
We
went to the Night Bazaar, similar to a flea market, where everything is
for sale. At the Night Bazaar you need to bargain for everything —
it’s expected. They have thai boxing every night with the same 6
people. These guys fight twice a night and with the same intensity at
each match. The endurance and spirit of each one were an inspiration. |
| Hope
flew back to Bangkok to meet Carla, one of her students that had came
over to help with the fight training. Tony and I took the train from
Chiang Mai. That was a
great way to get familiar with different aspects of Thailand.
We saw workers in rice fields, monkeys walking down the streets,
statues and carvings in the mountains, temples and beautiful scenery. |
|
When
we went to the National Stadium in Bangkok, we found drinks are served
in large plastic bags with handles and a straw. Part of the reason for
this is the safety of the athletes in the stadium (think Cleveland
Browns stadium after a questionable referee call).
We
decided to go to Lumpini Park and take an early morning run and maybe
work out. Taking into account the humidity and heat, as well as
anticipating a crowd, we got up a little earlier than usual and got to
the park at 5:30am. At the
entrance to the park was a platform with a huge set of speakers and a
crowd of about 100 doing aerobics. Walking through the park, there were
hundreds of groups of about 10 people each doing tai chi, meditation,
aerobics and dance. There
were also many people walking,
jogging, and doing sprints through the park on their own. Did I
say we were anticipating a crowd????
Tony and Hope found a gazebo and did some light pad work and
sparring. After a few minutes a crowd gathered to watch.
When Tony and Hope were done, they drew a round of applause and
were thanked for putting on their “show”.
Even though Hope was tired and considered it “training”,
those watching respected seeing muay thai practiced in its traditional
style. That was pretty cool. |
|
We
went to both Lumpini Stadium arid Ratchadamnoen Stadium to watch muay
thai fights. Foreigners are escorted in and you sit in the first few
rows. I’m not sure which was more interesting — the fights or the
men frantically gambling in the stands.
Traffic
in Bangkok is a lot like any other big city. It’s much busier on the
roads in Bangkok, but the thrills and daredevil driving wasn’t the
same as in Chiang Mai. We saw policemen stand and stop traffic already
on the freeway in the mornings so cars could get on the freeway and the
side street traffic would continue to flow. There are a lot more cars
and less tuk tuks and scooters and the roads are more maintained. |
| We
ate almost every meal every day in a small restaurant down the street
from our hotel. The woman who cooked spoke very little English and her
husband spoke broken English, but good food is good food, and just the
smiles on our faces and the sound of “mmmmmm” is universal.
When Tony and I went in to tell them we were leaving the next
morning and how much we enjoyed their food and service, they gave us
gifts. Proving once again the Thai hospitality and kindness. |
|
Hope
fought in the tournament and took her vacation. Tony and I headed home.
The
next time I may be asking Tony and Hope “you guys wanna go back to
Thailand”?
Jane
Mosley |
