The first installment of John Wolcott's anticipated documentary on muay thai in Thailand has been released. Episode one features Pornsaneh (Pornsanae) Sitmonchai. You can read my interview with John regarding the series here. If you'd like to keep abreast of episode releases subscribe to Muay Thai Journal's YouTube page. Episode 1..... Great work John. Looking forward to watching the series unfold. … [Read more...]
Photo Series: Kanchanaburi
For Thailand hotel reviews, travel information and tips, check out Backpacking Thailand, my free Thailand resource. … [Read more...]
6 TIPS FOR TRAVELING THAILAND OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
After approximately one week back from roaming Thailand, I find myself combing through my travel notes, all of which are scribbled and crammed on a variety of writing surfaces in a variety of scripts. I've chosen the following observations to share: 1. Despite the unifying characteristics that make each area Thai, I found each destination to have distinct regional differences. I loved picking up on the subtleties, be it in the food, the accent of the people or the dress of the children, each spot we hit offered something distinct to investigate. I suggest really taking advantage of this opportunity when crossing the country. See something interesting? Want to … [Read more...]
Notes From The Road: The Duenshine Resort, Kanchanaburi
Transcript Hello! Hello! Three days at the Duenshine Resort in Kanchanaburi. Very secluded and mostly empty. I love this aspect. Partying is cool, but I find for the most part, partying bores me, it has become cliche. Not partying in itself, just more the form partying seems to take more often than not despite which city or country I'm in. Too repetitive. Little depth. The last three days were spent lazing about. A lot of time exploring the grounds, tapping into the rhythms of the place and introspection. I needed the break. I can feel change brewing inside of me, although at this point in time, I have … [Read more...]
Notes From The Road: From Tak To Nakhon Sawan To Suphanburi To Kanchanaburi
Transcript January 3, 2012 Leaving Tak towards Kanchanaburi was a little more complicated than anticipated. On the morning of our departure (yesterday), we were told we would have to stop in Suphanburi to transfer. This meant Tak - Nakhon Sawan - Suphanburi - Kanchanaburi. We hit the bus station in Tak before 9:30 am and was told in Suphanburi at 7:00 pm that all buses to Kanchanaburi had stopped at 5:00 pm. We stayed the night. How was the ride? I believe it was approximately 3:00 pm when we saw a sign indicating Suphanburi was 53 km away … [Read more...]
Hotel Review: THE DUENSHINE RESORT, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND
Upon setting foot at The Duenshine Resort, my initial impression was, WTF? Someone embellished online. Although technically within Kanchanaburi City limits, the hotel was by no means anywhere near what I would call city life and comparing the reality of the aesthetics with what was viewed online.....perhaps the photos were either over a decade old, or someone was either a great photographer or pretty swift with Photoshop. The main reason I stayed by the time I got there was, I was exhausted and just wanted a bed. That being said, I stayed four days/three nights and completely enjoyed it in that tumbleweed (very quiet and nearly empty), laid back, away … [Read more...]
Sitmonchai Gym Review
Within a few days of arriving at Sitmonchai Gym, I was out of commission. If you're interested in reading about it, you can do so here. Otherwise, to keep it brief, a wonky mattress + an old injury + allergies to the meds for the old injury and wonky mattress combo = no training. Too sick to return to Buriram, but cognizant enough to hang out at Sitmonchai for two weeks and pay attention to all it is that makes Sitmonchai a family style gym. If you're looking for a review on training, unfortunately, this isn't the post. I'm not going to write on that which I couldn't fully get into. If you're looking for all that surrounds your training, for that which is meant to … [Read more...]
KO’d At Sitmonchai
The intent was to make the seven plus hour trip to Sitmonchai Gym, Thamaka, Kanchanaburi to hook up with friends, write a review of the gym and pick up on Sitmonchai's style of delivering devastating punches and low kicks. Low kicks score minimal points in Thailand. As a result a number of gyms pay them little mind. For example, I had the habit of annoying a past trainer by delivering low kicks during our pad sessions. He kept telling me they were ugly. Not mine particularly, just in general. Sitmonchai fighters in contrast are known to utilize low kicks to disable their opponents by KO. Ironically, one sentence into this post and I received a text that … [Read more...]