For those of you who have asked me how I feel about Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu's highly debated GoFundMe initiative, this is my response. To begin, a bit of history on my time in the muay thai blogging landscape... Aside from a handful of posts on my now defunct MySpace page in 2007, I began blogging about muay thai in 2008. I had sold most of what I owned to fund living and training muay thai in Thailand until my course changed. Nopadon Wongpakdee of My Muay Thai was in correspondence with my friend Ange. Ange and I were making the trip together and Nopadon offered to support us by allowing us a voice and setting up a donation button on the site. … [Read more...]
The Will To Fight – The Daniel Ketley Fund And Documentary
On June 8, sometime between 12:30 and 2:00 am, Australian born nak muay Daniel Ketley sustained extensive injuries enroute to visit a friend in Naiharn, Phuket, Thailand. From The Phuket News: Daniel left a friend’s house in Laguna around half past midnight, on his way to the Rawai/Naiharn area to see another friend. His last memory is of being in the Soi Saiyuan area, near Icon Bar and the 7-Eleven, and seeing a self-service petrol pump. After that it’s all a blank. He believes he may have stopped for petrol and been attacked then. Police in Chalong are treating him as yet another motorbike crash victim, but Daniel and his … [Read more...]
Blackmail And The Illusion Of Sex
The cold water hit my spine and slid down my back. I was in the women's change room of the community pool in Buriram, alone. It was approximately noon. I had finished my laps and was preparing to go pick up some lunch. There was a knock on my shower door. This was unusual. I asked who it was. It was one of the pubescent boys I had met in the pool. The conversation as I remember it: "I'm showering. I'll see you when I'm done." "I want to shower too." This confused me. "I'll see you when I'm done." "I want to shower with you. Can I shower with you?" The fact this individual was … [Read more...]
The Drone- Sexual Predatory Behaviour In Thailand
It's difficult to convey a nameless feeling that encroaches with time, one that shadows the furthering of one's understanding of their place in a culture alien to the one they left behind. This difficulty is deeply accentuated when little is written on the subject and the subject itself is taboo to approach. For those of you who read MBSB regularly, you are keenly aware that for months now, I've been discussing my experiences as a Foreign woman in Thailand with tenacity. Today will be no different. Today's entry is a direct result of my post, Visa Runs In Thailand And Why I Now Fear Them. However, the stories presented on this day have no summary, no effort … [Read more...]
Officers – My Experiences With Thai Police As A Solo Female Traveler
Please note, for the sake of the privacy of all people involved and my own personal safety, I have omitted names and cities and will not respond to any emails inquiring about either. My dealings with the police in Thailand have been as varied and seemingly random as most other things here, which lends both to the country's beauty and its instability. The Thailand I know is not as systematic as Western countries I'm familiar with and the accountability of one's actions is often overlooked. This is dependent on, but not limited to, one's connections, social standing (which is often dictated at birth), wealth and the Thai convention of not approaching things directly. … [Read more...]
Visa Runs In Thailand And Why I Now Fear Them
The stress, frustration and rage that I felt this passing week in regards to my upcoming visa run to the Cambodian border exasperates me. I'm confused by my response to it. I judge my inability to be impartial to it. I wonder if living in Thailand has made me stronger or it has broken me. I will not leave this country the same as when I arrived. To be brief, visa runs essentially fall on the dates Thai immigration deems you must leave the country. You are allowed back into Thailand on the same day without having to obtain a new visa. For example, I was given a triple entry tourist visa after not being able to extend the business visa I was allowed for … [Read more...]
A Taste Of Cookie: How I Overdosed In A Filipino Hospital
Written on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 This happened yesterday. The effects of my sickness have yet to wear off. Even the rhythm of the sea's waves as it reaches my ears causes nausea. I'm writing you from Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union, The Philippines. At this approximate time of 5:00 pm yesterday I was vomiting in a San Fernando hospital, less than a twenty minute drive away wondering if I had been poisoned. The day began with a late morning surf at the area known as Cement Factory which is a twenty-five minute drive in the opposite direction on the same stretch of highway leading to San Fernando. … [Read more...]
Broken Bones And Losing Face: The Breaking Of My Hand In A Bangkok Muay Thai Gym
I try to force normal range of motion of the pinky finger of my left hand and so visits the memory of how it was lost. The reasoning behind the incident which led to the permanence of my injury is but speculation, an attempt to understand why a teacher should feel the need to assault a student, why a man of significant size, strength and martial skill should feel the need to fracture the bone of a woman. The situation in question was born on a weekday morning in the heart of Bangkok. It was 2009 and I was training at one of the country's prestigious muay thai gyms. I had completed my morning run and as I entered the gym, the shirtless trainer immediately informed me he … [Read more...]