January 2011 in Photos

Wow has it been a busy month for me to start the year. Parties with Saenchai, Casino’s between borders and watching some great muay thai fights. I’m thinking of starting a new segment for this year where i’ll go through all the photo’s i’ve taken within the month and have a small explanation to the story behind them. We’ll see how it pans out and if it becomes a regular on the blog. I think you’ll like it!

Night Markets

Night Markets

Here’s Moo and I at the weekly night markets right by the Tesco near the gym. He’s a quiet boy and one bad ass muay thai fighter. The only time he springs to life is when he wants to embarrass me. During our stroll through the night markets we came upon a large group of Thais. They say Thailand is the “Land of Smiles”, but behind those mischivous smiles they are plotting devious schemes. While emersed within the huddled group of Thai’s Moo decides to let off a loud fart of monstrous proportions, only to move out of the crowd, point at me and start yelling “Farang dtot, Farang dtot” which translates to “the foreigner farted, the foreigner farted”. Unknown to Moo, being an Aussie i was very accustomed to such farting antics and couldn’t help but laugh myself into fits. If you ever come by Sitmonchai . . . don’t go to the markets with Moo.

Sitmonchai Party

Saenchai Visits for A Drink

Saenchai came down to Sitmonchai during the first week of January. He’s very close with the whole Sitmonchai family and since we were having a small party he decided to come down, get drunk and act like an idiot with the rest of us.

Sitmonchai Ninja

Eo dons the ninja mask and boogies down with one of the many “dancers/singers” that Sitmonchai hired to entertain us all. The night get’s far more stranger than this but I’m under direct orders from Saenchai to not publish any photos or he’ll come after me. Saenchai is the last person i want to be looking out for!

Border Run

Border Run

Abigail and I cross the border and find ourselves in between Thailand and Cambodia. The domain that lies between the two countries is home to a handful of casino’s and gigantic resorts. This would have been a great playground for us if we actually had money to spend. We spent most of the time trying to sneak into the VIP section (Abigail’s idea, not mine) and were kindly escorted out each time as we pretended we had no clue it was VIP only.

Pug Love

Pug Love

Bet you didn’t know that between Muay Thai fights and acting Asanee spends time with his little Pug? In this photo Asanee (Beautiful Boxer) show’s some love to his best friend. Asanee has a fight in Chiang Mai on the 14th and most likely another one at Lumpinee within February. I’m doing a little media project on him since i find him to be and interesting character and he’s mesmerizing to watch when he kicks the pads. Pure explosiveness. I think your all going to like what i bring out and if you ask for more, i might even follow this guy around for awhile and document his everyday life as a fighter, actor and lover of playing FIFA online.

Getting Food

Hunting Time!

The Sitmonchai Boys like to take out the sling shots every now and then, go out the back, and bring back a bag full of food! No joke. They go out with slingshots and come back with a shitload of birds.

Dinner Time!

Here’s something not for everyone. I came back to the camp one day and asked them all what they were eating. The answer i received was RATS! haha. This one day all the Thai boys and some of the Farang went out to the fields to catch and eat some yummy rats. Don’t taste too bad i must say!

Deep Cuts

Deep Cuts

I head to Lumpinee to watch small Jomhod fight. He’s a little kid with the biggest attitude. He came out of the fight a bit worse for wear with a long cut across his eyebrow and another in the corner of his eye. He wasn’t phased at all by the damage he took. These Thai’s a tough one’s.

Beatdown

Gut Punch

Swift Kick

Another one to the Tummy

Moo tell’s me all week that he’ll win his fight at Omnoi. He also tell’s me to bet on him because he is so confident. I decide to bet on him because of the kid’s just amazing at the gym. He fire’s off kicks in the blink of an eye and his punch’s pierce the air with incredible speed. We get to Omnoi and i recieve a pass to take pictures of Moo’s fight. He doesn’t let me down. Every round he takes it to his opponent with gut wrenching punches and complete ring control. I place a bet of 1000 baht in the 2nd round. Moo win’s his fight and i get back 2000 baht. The extra 1000 baht I win, I give to Moo. He deserves it.

Two Nong Toom’s

Asanee and the real Beutiful Boxer "Nong Toom"

Another trip to Lumpinee and coincidentally we run into the real Beautiful Boxer “Nong Toom”. Of course with Asanee there how could we not get a photo of them together! If you aren’t aware, Nong Toom (Parinya) is a transexual Muay Thai fighter who Asanee acted as in the film “Beutiful Boxer”.

Tough round

Blood Stained

Peetu has his first fight ever at Lumpinee. Due to bad promoting he ends up fighting someone with 25 fights. Peetu leaves the ring with a broken arm and 9 stitches to the head.

Lumpinee corner

Cornering

I get to corner with Pii Bun at Tams fight. Unfortunately he fights a boy from Sitsongpeenong gym who i know. Tam goes all 5 rounds to win on points.

Looking at all my photo’s that was only a small part of the big month i had. Hope you all like the photo’s and small stories to go with them.

Born in Australia, training in martial arts since the age of 9. My first trip to Thailand was back in 2007. Since then i have made numerous visits back to the "land of smiles" to feed my addiction of Muay Thai. During the month of November in 2010 i had to decide between working a 9 to 5 job back home for the rest of my life, or sell all my worldly possessions and move to Thailand to live and train for the next few years. Thankfully i chose the latter. I now spend my time training Muay Thai, meeting new and interesting circles of people, sipping coconuts under palm trees on the beach and measuring the cost of everything on how much Pad Thai i could buy with that money.

Mike (Admin)

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