One Of The Reasons I Love Dogs

Here’s a little story I saw in my Lonely Planet guide and a picture I took of Hachiko’s statue in front of Shibuya Station:

"In the 1920’s a professor who taught at what is now Tokyo University kept a small Akita dog named Hachiko. Hachiko accompanied the professor to Shibuya Station every morning, then returned in the afternoons to await the professor’s arrival. One spring day in 1925, the professor died of a stroke while at the university and never came home. Hachiko continued to turn up a the station daily to wait for his master, until Hachiko’s own death 10 years later. The dog’s faithfulness touched the locals, who built a statue to honor his memory in the place where he died. Nowadays, Hachiko’s statue is a favorite meeting spot, so fittingly, he’s usually surrounded by people waiting for their someones."


Here's to you, Hachiko. May all of us, canine and human, take something from your example.

Tokyo Diary: Days 2 and 3

On my second full day in Tokyo I took a bicycle tour with a small group (one British couple a few years older than me and our guide, Ekiku). The ride started at 9am and went through a variety of neighborhoods, some of which I went to the previous day and some of which were new. It was a very enjoyable day, especially after the previous day spent on my own. Some of the highlights included:

1) Eating a tasty mochi sweet that Ekiku purchased at a fancy Japanese pastry shop while we sat in a park and watched some Japanese preschoolers play.
2) Riding through the sumo “stables” that are the training camps for sumo wrestlers. Unfortunately they were all at a tournament outside of Tokyo so we didn’t see any in the neighborhood, but it was still cool to see.
3) Picking out our lunch at a department store that had a food court in the basement. We chose pork buns, chicken skewers, chicken/rice balls, and dumplings. We also saw a $200 cantaloupe at the store. I didn’t know they existed, but they do. $200, I kid you not.
4) Eating our lunch at a park along the river and enjoying the sunshine.
5) Sitting in the grass and having a beer at a courtyard on the campus of Tokyo University.

After the bike trip ended, I walked around in Ginza a bit before heading to my hotel and getting cleaned up for dinner. Dinner at the New York Grill (the restaurant/bar that was made famous from Lost In Translation) was certainly memorable. It was a gorgeous night and the views were absolutely ridiculous—much better than they are even in the movie (note--the city view pic was not taken from the restaurant, it is just something I snapped from my hotel room). I have to say that Tokyo is much bigger than it felt when biking around the many backstreets that we rode during the day. There it seemed quiet and intimate, but from my restaurant view it was expansive. The city stretched on in all directions as far as I could see (and from the 52nd floor, I could see a long way) with no discernable breaks. The service during my meal was also pretty unbelievable—almost too good. I think if I were to drop my fork then someone would have been there to catch it before it hit the ground. Fortunately that opportunity never arose. As for my meal, here’s what I had:

Appetizer: Red wine soup with bacon, comte cheese, and a massive amount of black truffles
Dinner: Rotisserie duck with five spice
Sides: Duck fat french fries and green asparagus ragout with mushrooms

I considered topping the meal off with a $15,000 magnum of Screaming Eagle wine (which they had), but instead decided I was too full for that or even dessert (although I admittedly picked up a dark chocolate bar on the way back to my hotel). All in all, it was a delicious, albeit extremely overpriced, dinner.

For my last day here in Tokyo, I decided to hit a few final spots I hadn’t had time for previously. I first went to the Mori Art Museum, which is at the top of a 50ish-story building in the Roppongi neighborhood. Unfortunately, it was closed as they prepared for a new exhibition opening in a week. So instead I walked to Shibuya, which is where Tokyo’s Times Square is. Apparently it has the busiest street crossing in the world, and I don’t doubt it. Once through the sea of people, I walked around and did some minor shopping before heading on to the Meiji Jingu, which is a Shinto Shrine. It was unreal. Apparently, this shrine and the park that surrounds it was a gift from Emperor Meiji to his wife. And what a gift it was. I think this is probably my favorite urban park in the world (sorry Central Park and Hyde Park), although it is very different from my other favorites. They are still better for laying out, throwing the frisbee, or having a bbq. Meiji Jingu wins on the peaceful scale, however. The park has a huge path with several arch-type structures that you walk through en route to the shrine. What impressed me most, aside from the arches and shrine, were the gorgeous old trees that were everywhere. They completely shut out the noise of the city and created a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. Apparently this park is also one of the best places to view Tokyo’s cherry blossoms, which should be blooming in about another week or two.

After the park, I had my final ramen (again, delicious) and then headed for the airport. After 3.5 days here, I have to say that Tokyo is certainly one of my very favorite big cities in the world. I still think London edges it out for me, but it is nipping it heels for sure. If you ever get the opportunity to go—take it.

Tokyo Diary: A Busy Day 1

Today was my only full day on my own (tomorrow is a biking tour with a small group, which should be great but won't be my own schedule) so I wanted to make the most of it. And looking back on it, I think I did.

I started off my morning by waking up at 6am with a plan of leaving the hotel promptly at 6:15 in order to get to the Tsukiji fish market. I left my hotel "promptly" at 6:30, but that was good enough. Or not good enough, since upon my arrival I discovered that the fish market was apparently not open today (my Lonely Planet guide conveniently says "closed on some Mondays and Wednesdays." SOME??). As I was walking dejectedly about the few stores that were open, however, I happened to notice a ramen shop and recognized the cooks from one of the photos on the NY Times Tokyo ramen guide I had seen online (given that I'd read up on ramen shops for about 3 hours prior to this trip, I should recognize something like that I guess). It was lucky and, as it turned out, very tasty as well. The ramen shop spoke no English but didn't need to, because they only served one dish anyhow (aren't those kind of places that serve one-and-only-one-thing always the best?). Anyhow, check out the NY Times pic and my pic--not too different, huh?

After the market and this glorious first bowl of ramen, I went on to the Hama-Rikyu-Teien garden, which I felt was the ultimate definition of "urban oasis." This epitome of Japanese gardening had 300-year-old pines and wild baby duck ponds and everything in between. I took a variety of pics to show the mix of nature and the surrounding big city, such as the one to the right.

I then went on to do some window shopping in Ginza, Tokyo's version of New York's 5th Avenue. Unfortunately, it was only 10:30 and most of the stores didn't open until 11. One of the larger (and more impressive) department stores was open, however, and I managed to go on a bit of a surprise shopping spree. After buying too much there, I planned to go to the Sony building (apparently it is pretty cool, with a variety of Sony products that include some which haven't been released for sale yet), but couldn't find the damn place--I must have still been delirious from my over-shopping. Instead of searching aimlessly, I went on to the Imperial Gardens. These gardens, which are in the center of Tokyo and contain Japan's White House as well as some gardens open to the public, were perfect for a stroll. I was particularly impressed my the massive moat and stone walls surrounding everything.

I continued walking north towards my next ramen of the day. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this spot either, but instead stumbled into a different noodle shop. It was 2pm by now and I'd been walking for several hours, so I jumped at the chance for more potentially delicious food. Delicious it was. It was a tiny spot with a few old people cooking behind the counter. When the lady motioned to me to order, I quickly found that we had a serious language barrier. One guy in line stepped up to help me and I ended up getting udon noodle soup and a mixture of tempura shrimp, fish, and eggplant. There was tons of writing on the wall that apparently represented things one could order, but as far as I could tell, the only decisions people made were udon or soba noodles and tempura in or next to their soup. The food was wonderful, and my English-speaking friend even brought salt over and told me to dip my tempura into it, which was a clutch call.

After all that walking and eating, I decided to go across town to a neighborhood the NY Times called Tokyo's hippest (and by hippest, I think they mean most Brooklyn-like) neighborhood. Nakameguro turned out to be amazing. Once there, my first stop was to have a dopio cappuccino at Madeline, a store that was really a big cappuccino maker in the back of a guy's car (he actually had to get into the back seat in order to use the machine and make drinks--so awesome). The spot looked just like what I had seen in the NY Times article. Check out our two pics--yes, theirs is more "professional" but mine is more authentic. Making it even more impressive was the Beagle that held court by howling down at us from his second floor balcony (PS--my first dog was a Beagle named Bagel--coincidence???).

After the cappuccino, I checked out the ridiculously overpriced and painfully cool Cow Books before doing more shopping at some equally overpriced and boutique-ishly cool stores in the area. At that point, I needed a break for some vino at one of the many cool local bars nearby. I have to say, Nakameguro is a great neighborhood. If I ever end up living in Tokyo for some reason then I hope to be in an area this cool.

I ended my evening by going to Sushi Sei, which took forever to find but was worth it. I was seated next to a couple Japanese businessmen, who almost immediately poured me a glass of their sake. This turned into a two-hour conversation with many more glasses of sake to go with my sushi. The conversation was filled with off-color remarks by the senior of the two businessmen who had drank too much sake, but was generally incredible. At some point our conversation ebbed and they went back to speaking together in Japanese. Soon after, a friendly English-speaker came across the bar and invited me to have a drink with him. He turned out to be a Canadian working with the government to promote Canadian food in Japan (apparently since the beef scare, many of the Asian countries have been incredibly reluctant to allow American and Canadian beef back into their countries--I had no idea). After a few beers and some good conversation, I ended my evening by returning to the hotel and writing this (exhaustive) post!

Now it is off to bed to rest up for my all-day bike tour of Tokyo's Sumo neighborhoods tomorrow--should be a heavy experience (boom).

Tokyo Diary: Day 0.5

I arrived in Tokyo earlier this afternoon (late enough that I don't feel I can justify calling this Day 1) on my final trip before heading back to Seoul and then on to America (wow--that's unreal). After getting settled in my clean-and-nice-and-convenient-but-unremarkable hotel, I quickly made two dinner reservations: one for tonight at Cha Cha Hana and one for Thursday night at the New York Grill (the place from Lost In Translation, which is supposed to be very good and have some of the best views of Tokyo). I then managed to navigate the labyrinthine, busy, clean, and quiet Tokyo subway system to the Shinjuku neighborhood. I had an hour or so until my dinner reservation so went to the Golden Gai, which are a collection of bars in Shinjuku crammed into some alleys, which are known for their diversity and size--they are tiny places, some only having room for a handful of drinkers. I went to one recommended by my Lonely Planet guide, which was not busy yet and interesting enough. After having a beer and watching the bartender/cook make dumplings in the smallest bar kitchen I've ever seen, I left and headed to my restaurant.

Cha Cha Hana was recommended as one of the top three places to dine at by the NY Times. It was also predictably hard to find (it is featured in a slide show and article title Hidden Tokyo: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/06/15/travel/20070617_TOKYO_SLIDESHOW_1.html), but I managed to stumble onto the place. Once there, I was escorted to my seat, which was happily at a bar-style table that actually faced an open kitchen. One of the many interesting things about this place was that the open kitchen area I faced, as well as the spot I was sitting at, were both sunken so when you walked up it looked like you were going to be in a low table even though you weren't (it also had heated floors, which were clutch since it is snowy tonight and everyone goes shoeless in the restaurant). Fortunately, they also had an English menu. The food was served in tapas-sized proportions, so I had five items and dessert (which was enough to fill me up but not overstuff me). The menu was impressive, so I wrote down the printed descriptions of each item:

1) Blanched avocado and boiled beans dressed in bean curd skin sashimi-style
2) Braised pork slices and "Arame" seaweed in sweet soy sauce [this dish also had slices of lotus root, which were tasty]
3) Salmon in sweet vinegar marinade
4) Tempura brown beech mushrooms
5) Grated Japanese yam and yolk grilled on "Tohban" pan and topped with dried bonito and radish buds
6) Dessert: Homemade "Warabi Mochi" dumplings with brown sugar syrup [this came accompanied with a delicious, bitter Japanese tea that cut through the sugary mochi very well]

Needless to say, this was a delicious meal. I wish a real foodie would have been there with me (Josh, you missed out) because it was a great experience. I also had a small bottle of warm sake with the meal, which was also quite enjoyable.

During dinner, I planned my schedule for tomorrow. It is going to start early--around 6am--at the big Tokyo fish market, which supposedly is an unmissable place. After getting some pics there, I am going to have sushi breakfast at a highly recommended place, then spend the afternoon doing a variety of things that include some Japanese gardens, window shopping in a mix of 5th Avenue as well as Brooklyn-esque places, having Ramen at least twice (I spent well over an hour researching the best places, and have a list of four that I need to hit before leaving), and going to a contemporary art museum that is related to the MOMA in New York and is on the 53rd floor of a building here. Should be a great day! Hopefully I'll have some cool pics and memories to blog about soon enough.

The Korean Bathhouse Experience

I had my friend Ray in town over the weekend. We had a great time and there are a variety of things I could blog about our trip. One event stands out above all others, however. The Korean Bathhouse. It actually took us a while to find a place, as the first one we went to (that was recommended by a 3-year-old guide we were using) was closed. Once we found a place, however, it met and exceeded all of our expectations (however good or bad they may have been). I don't think I can appropriately blog about all of it, as some things just don't come across fully in writing. But I at least want to hit the highlights.

First off, this Jam-jil-bang (as traditional Korean bathhouses are called) was divided into a few floors--entrance area, male floor, female floor, and a co-ed floor that had a dining hall, TV's, internet connections, etc. After getting checked in and paying only 10 dollars for the privilege of using the place (we had to pay more for massages, but everything else was included), we headed up and checked it out. The most obvious finding upon entering the male floor and checking out the locker area is that it was totally Korean--we were certainly the only Irish/British/American looking guys there. That was to be expected, however. The other clear fact was that jim-jil-bangs, as we read, are fully nude. You can only worry about that for so long, before you have to say "to hell with it" and disrobe. That actually wasn't too big of a deal, since everyone was bare. Once we got over that and entered the main sauna area, we saw there were a collection of about 5 small pools (or large hot tubs, depending on how you define them). Each had a different temperature reading and different minerals in the water. We hit most of them (some normal temp, some cool, and some that cooked you), before trying out the sauna rooms. They had two--one that was normal and one that was 91 degrees CELSIUS. For those that don't know the conversion, let's put it this way--your mom cooks her Thanksgiving turkey at about the same temperature. You could only handle that heat for about 5 minutes.

After getting enough of the pools/saunas, we decided to get massages. There was a group of tables in one part of the big room, so we signed up for something (I say "something" because wed didn't know what we were signing up for, given that everything was in Korean and nobody spoke English). It turned out that we signed up for massages and body scrubs. I think Ray's body scrub was fairly normal. Mine, however, was one of the more painful experiences of my life. My masseuse was putting both hands and all his force into this sandpaper tool he was using, and it was almost unbearable. Ray said after that he glanced over and saw little bits of skin go flying off of me, which i don't doubt at all. It was brutal. Fortunately, it only lasted about 15 minutes. He then gave me an oil massage which helped with the pain a bit.

Since I couldn't go into the baths after my body scrub for fear of passing out from excruciating pain, we decided to get cleaned up and have some Pocari Sweats (Asia's Gatorade) in the dining area.

All in all, it was a memorable and good experience. If it wouldn't have been for the body scrub, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. My body is no longer too sensitive though, so I'm focusing on the good memories of the jim-jil-bang. Given that this was one of my last full days in Korea, I'm glad I got to experience this uniquely Korean place.

Beijing Journal, Days 3-4

Well, the next day’s adventures brought pretty much exactly what I expected. Our itinerary was to see Beijing for the day, and that’s what we did. More specifically, we weaved through traffic all day, stopping and exploring the good sites and generally having a good time. We stopped in at a local Chinese restaurant he knew and instead of trying to cheap me out on the meal, ordered a ridiculous feast for us that included chicken with peanuts, sauteed green vegetables (I think kale, but am uncertain), mushroom tempura, homemade Chinese potato chips that were amazing, mutton skewers, and pan-friend lamb dumplings (that was kind of his style. He figured that people were spending a lot of money on his tours—even saying he kind of felt bad because it was so expensive—so he made sure to treat you well. I loved his non-profit-driven approach to the experience, as it certainly made everything more enjoyable for me). Other events of the day included seeing Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, a school where Confucius taught, a place where I could buy more tea and be teased by the tea woman about how much I spent on tea at the airport the day before, a nighttime stop at the new Beijing Opera house (pictured), and several other spots. True to our non-touristy form, we also spent a good amount of time traveling through Hutongs, which are Chinese backstreets throughout Beijing. They were just barely wide enough for us to fit through and much more interesting/local than driving down the big, eight-lane streets of Beijing. At around 5pm I told him I wanted to grab a coffee and he took me to Maison Boulad (sp?), Daniel Boulad’s very high-end French restaurant (where he knew the manager, obviously). After chatting with his friend for a few minutes, our two cappuccinos came with papadams, two bowls of cashews, a selection of chocolates, and two orders of the most unbelievably tasty madelines I’ve ever had. I told him that French cappuccinos were much more filling than the ones I was used to, and it was totally hilarious. Hilarious. We then cruised town a bit more before making our nightly stop at a French bar (the French are always well-connected to each other when they live in non-French places it seems) where we cashed a few beers before he dropped me back at my hotel. All in all, the sidecar tour was awesome. For those that are in Beijing and don’t mind paying to throw caution to the wind and zip wildly through the streets of Beijing, I highly recommend it.

Today was a much more low-key day in Beijing. I slept in a bit and had to do some boring emails, etc, before heading out to see The Forbidden City. I thought it was pretty cool, but got annoyed by my broken audioguide and obnoxious tourists, so cut it off after an hour and a half and decided to have a late lunch before heading to the airport. And now, a mere six hours later (the whole trip, not just the flight) I’m back in Seoul and on the way home (going so slowly that sometimes I worry the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel and allowed us to coast to a near standstill in light traffic). I’m only in Seoul for four days before heading to Tokyo, however. I’ve got an old friend coming into town tomorrow though, so hopefully we can make the most of the city on my last full weekend here. It’s hard to believe I’m only a little over a week away from heading back to the US.

Beijing Journal, Days 1-2

I am writing this entry on my way back from the Seoul airport, heading back to the apartment. This seems like as good a time as any to recount the events of the last few days, so here goes.

The trip to Beijing was pretty uneventful. I had a connecting flight through Dalian which, from what I could see (from my landing and views from the airport) looks like the most miserable place on earth. It is right on the water and it looks like all waterfront space is taken up by large coal-related factories, etc, that are loading up huge tankers (which are lined in the water like ducks, waiting to get filled up (what?)). The rest of Dalian was the largest collection of ugly apartment buildings I have ever seen. My guess is that the stretch I could see was 5 miles long and went inland for as far as I could tell. It was certainly the biggest mass of big apartments I’ve ever seen (and the most ugly, with the closest rival being some of the ones I’ve seen on the way into Hong Kong). I passed the time in Dalian by spending an hour at a rather nice airport tea shop, in which I sampled a fairly large number of teas that the tea lady was happy to let me taste (as well as some tea treats I’d never had, such as tea-soaked chocolate covered nuts and tea tomatoes). She apparently thought she could get me to buy a bunch of tea just by letting me taste it. She was right. It was overpriced, but I loved it. And bought too much of it.

Once I made it to the hotel, I went immediately to the restaurant that both TripAdvisor and the NYTimes rate as the best place to get Peking Duck in Beijing. It was trendy and expensive, but the roast duck was RIDICULOUS. Seriously, I have never tasted duck as good as this. The skin and layer of fat underneath were particularly unreal. They had coarse sugar to dip it in, which was pretty much ideal. I don’t understand how duck fat could get this juicy and tasty. Each bite was a big duck explosion in my mouth (I had to put that line in there, knowing that only a one-letter typo could completely change the context of my entire message).

Day 2 of the trip began my journey with Gael, the French guide who would be escorting me to the Great Wall. He picked me up promptly at 9:45 (on an expected arrival of 9:30) and we took off. I have to say, this was an awesome way to see the city (and countryside, as we left Beijing and headed for the Wall).sidecar was completely in the air and he was holding the thing in a sideways lean (I’m pretty sure Indiana Jones does that in one of his movies). He did that (and the sliding in the snow stuff) at every practical opportunity and, while ridiculously unnecessary and dangerous, it was a blast.

When we actually made it to the Great Wall, we did so by leaving the bike at some friend’s house in a tiny village that was in the middle of nowhere. We then hiked up a trail in the hills to the Wall and hiked the wall for about 3 hours, stopping one important time for a French picnic of roast pork that he made the night before, baguette, salad, potatoes, cheese, and (obviously) red wine. Once we hiked back and were climbing onto the bike for the ride back he said something like “hey, why don’t we stop by this hot spring I know and have some beers.” Here’s the way my mind worked on that one.

Thoughts racing through my head:
“But you’re driving a motorcyc--”
“I don’t have a bathi--”
“What are we gonna w--”
“Don’t we have to get b--”

What I actually said:
“Sure.”

The hot spring turned out to be at a weird suburban development, but the water was hot, we had some bathing suits (he picked up a couple on the way at a cheap shop), and the guy brought us two huge beers each. I know, you’re thinking “But David, is is smart for a tour guide driving a motorcycle to drink two large beers while sitting in a really hot hot spring for an hour?” My response to that is “Hmm, well when did you go and become Captain Logical all of a sudden? Maybe you should put yourself in the shoes of a French motorcycle/sidecar driving tour guide and I think you may see things differently. Boom.”

Once we got into Beijing, we decided to stop by a French bar/restaurant that a friend of his manages and had three more drinks each, before his wife called to tell him it was 9pm and he should come home. So he dropped me off and did. It is probably worth noting that the web site says this all-day adventure goes from 9:30am to about 4:30pm. It was clear that I had a special guide on my hands, so as I went back to the hotel and crashed, I looked forward to what the next day’s adventures would bring.

Random Thoughts about My Thailand

As this leg of my international journey nears its end, I thought I'd ramble a bit about random things that I have crossed my mind lately. This may be a bit rambling, so I apologize in advance:

Pharmacies: The first night I was here I wondered why there are so many pharmacies here--about one per block it seems. Now I realize they are in business for three reasons: condoms, sunburns, and Muaythai. I have been training too much to get a sunburn (OK, I got a little here and there, but nothing bad) and am a good boy so didn't need to stop at the condom counter, but I have kept my local pharmacy in business for my Muaythai needs. I'd say I visit twice a week on average, maybe more. Here's a list of some of the things I can remember buying:

Multiple bottles of boxing liniment, tiger balm, and tiger balm patches
Multiple containers of cotton pads
Multiple bottles of rubbing alcohol
Multiple sets of boxing tape
Betadine
Antibacterial Neosporin-ish cream
Scissors
Cotton wrap
Some kind of antibacterial fabric
Monkey balm (similar to tiger balm)
Vitamin D (helps bruises)
Anti-inflammatory and anti-pain lotion (again, for bruises)
Multiple packs of ibuprofen
Aloe lotion (told you I got a little sunburned)

I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting, but that should give you a sense of the quantity of crap I've needed to take care of my broken body during the last four weeks (yes, all that stuff was just for four weeks).

My Feet: Yes, my feet warrant a short discussion. Never in my life have I spent so much time taking care of them. This is for two main reasons: 1) the mats that we practice on are not cleaned (as far as I can tell) so the floor is covered in many layers of sweat, dirt, dust, etc, and 2) these dirty mats also act like sandpaper, taking the skin off your feet and/or causing blisters. Due to these reasons, I have a daily pre- and post-workout routine with my feet. Before the workout I have to clean and wrap anywhere from one to five toes with cotton wrap and tape, depending on how many blisters/cuts I may have. After each workout I shower (obviously) and then scrub my feet with antibacterial soap and a loofah. I then re-clean my feet with alcohol and betadine or a Neosporin-like cream. It is kind of ridiculous, but I have come to realize that if the feet are injured/damaged/etc then you really can't do any training at all (unlike a sore shin, for instance).

A Collection Of Random Thoughts That Have Gone Through My Head While Here:

"EEEEWWWWWW" [I thought this after hearing from a friend that ringworm occasionally goes around camp "like wildfire." Of course, I gave a knowing nod and made an expression that said "sure, that's normal" but on the inside, I was thinking the above phrase. I was also thinking "please God let the next mass-infection of ringworm occur AFTER I leave on Saturday."]

Until I came here, I thought the whole anti-bacterial soap and hand lotion thing was pretty silly, and potentially problematic if it causes germs to become resistant. However, while in Thailand I have become a believer. I realized that all it takes is getting kicked in the chest a few times and then looking down and seeing black soot all over you (which you know just came off a guy's foot) to become a convert.

I haven't worn jeans since the day I arrived. And I only wear actual shoes (not sandals) when in the gym or on a scooter. Even doing that makes me a little bit of an oddity, since other guys wear sandals or go barefoot in both places.

Is it possible to go above 100% humidity?? Today there was a huge rainstorm and our night training session was then the most humid experience I've ever had. It made Bikram Yoga sweating look like a mild glistening.

There was a scorpion in camp tonight. By "in camp" I don't mean we saw it in the distance, I mean it was right in the middle of the mats, where everyone was standing. One of the trainers held it down with a glove, picked it up with his bare hands (WTF!!???) and carried it to the bushes.

Nothing makes you change your posture quicker than getting punched. I realized early on that I have a tendency to stick my chin out. This is the perfect stance if you want to get punched in the face, which is why it only took a day for me to fix that.

Apparently Koh Samui island is the most deadly place, per capita, to ride a scooter. I don't find that hard to believe, since everyone from 10 years-old onward drives them, nobody wears helmets or shoes, and drinking and driving is an accepted practice. One of my buddies actually had a pretty bad scooter accident coming back from the bar the other night and was hospitalized for four days. I am glad to know that I won't be riding on any more scooters here.

TV is totally overrated. I haven't seen any of my favorite shows since I left Korea (I was watching some on the internet) and I don't feel like I've missed anything. I'm sure I'll pick up the TV watching a bit when I get back to the US, but I plan to keep it to a minimum (I only watched a couple shows before I left anyhow). On my deathbed, one thing I am certain I will never say is "if I'd only watched more TV."


OK, I just realized how long this post is getting so I'll stop. I think it is safe to say I fulfilled my initial promise of randomness and ramblingness.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. Because of that, and because it represented a lot of what I like about my Thailand experience, I wanted to retell the "important" events.

8:40--Woke up before my alarm went off after a decent night's sleep. I went to bed around 11, so I definitely got enough sleep. I find that the physical demands here require more sleep than I'm used to back home, and that is fine with me.

9:00--Breakfast. I had what has become my standard (standard enough that I don't have to order when I walk into the cafe any more, and that is pretty much the definition of a standard food order). Breakfast is my biggest meal of the day, and includes two poached eggs, two pieces of wheat toast (with a little butter and jelly, obviously), baked beans, tomatoes (yes, this is the Aussie breakfast--different from the American because it doesn't have bacon/ham and instead has beans/tomatoes, which I'm convinced is healthier), sliced banana and pineapple, and tea. I don't know how healthy this meal really is, but I've convinced myself that it is healthy and that I need a big breakfast like it in order to train well.

11:00--I had my personal training session with Pi Dang. It went really well, mainly because my kicks are really coming along now. I couldn't kick for the first two weeks here, because I kept re-injuring my feet and hips. After giving them 4-5 days off, however, they are doing well enough and allowing me to really practice kicking. It is nice, because I can see daily progress and today I could really tell I was improving.

12:00--I drank my daily protein shake at the gym and then lifted weights. I like doing it as a follow-up to my one-on-one, but it is exhausting.

1:00--I rode the stationary bike for 45 minutes while watching soccer on TV.

1:45--Finished up at the gym with ab and lower back work, which I've added to my daily routine since I've realized that they are key to pretty much everything in Muaythai.

2:00--Lunch, which is a Thai chicken/vegetables mix with rice. The lady at the camp's cafe makes it for me, and I think it is the perfect post-workout meal.

3:00 to 4:45--Chill, email, blog, and chill.

5:00 to 7:30--Group class. I had a good one tonight for two reasons: 1) I was paired with a guy who knows what he is doing and works well with me. He doesn't try to beat people up, knows how to hold his own, and is willing to teach a thing or two when needed. He hit me pretty hard a few times during the sparring session (once in the leg which will cause a big bruise tomorrow) but that's no big deal--just part of it. 2) During our grappling session, my partner was sore and quit early, so I decided to partner with Gay for a bit. The first thing I noticed was the look he made when I asked him to grapple with me for a few minutes--it was a look he's never given me before--a look of respect. Secondly, he said this to me: "You lose weight? You still big here [chest, shoulder area] but small here [stomach]." It may just be a compliment from a sweaty male trainer, but I'll take it.

8:00--Dinner at the night market. I had a smallish Massaman curry with chicken, but it was enough to fill me up.

9:15--Came back to my room, with a quick stop for milk and cookies at the 7-11 on the way, to write this blog, watch a movie, and go to bed by 11ish.

Not a bad day, if I may say so. I'm definitely appreciating my last week in Thailand, and am going to be sad to leave this place/lifestyle.

Final Leg of Thailand; Two More Trips Booked

This weekend as I felt sad about the final week of my great Thailand experience, I also realized that I haven't booked anything for the first two weeks of March in Korea (aside friend coming to visit). To remedy this obvious shortcoming, I booked a couple trips: one to Beijing and one to Tokyo. It took a frustrating couple of hours to do this, which mostly involved identifying good hotel locations and cross-checking reviews with TripAdvisor, as well as a particularly difficult time booking flights through China Southern airline (who apparently only likes people to look at the flights they offer and not actually purchase said flights). But I've booked them now and am excited about having a next step (although I'm not looking forward to a red-eye back to Seoul followed by a flight out the next morning).

Since I don't know much about either of these cities, I'd love any advice/recommendations from those of you who have been to either.

More pics--me and a World Champ

Today I had a 1-1 training session with Madsue Tum. He has several accolades to his record, including being a World Champion and beating John Wayne Parr, who is one of the most well-known fighters in all of Muaythai (if you want to see some videos of him, go to YouTube and search for "Tum Madsua"). So, basically he's a badass. It was a good session--mostly technique work, a little sparring (he won) and some pad work. All in all, a great personal training session. I brought my camera along as well, so I'd have some pics of the session and so people would believe me when I show them a copy of last month's Muaythai magazine and tell them I trained with the guy on the cover, whose caption reads "Madsue Tum: Muaythai Warrior." Anyhow, I thought I'd post some pics of the session. I hope you like them.






























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Kickboxing Pics

In case anyone is interested in seeing what it looks like when a really white person practices Muaythai, I thought I'd post some pics. I also have a friend visiting, so had someone to snap a few shots for me. Feel free to tease away (I'm certain someone will have something witty to say about my shorts). Anyhow, hopefully these give a sense of what it looks like at the camp and how I spend 3-5 (sweaty) hours each day here in Thailand. Enjoy.










































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Correction on my previous post--he was drugged!

I feel compelled to make a correction to my previous post about how kickboxing trainees get drunk too easily. It turns out that the guy who I had to carry out of the bar was actually drugged. He, a not-so-politically correct mechanic from the UK, decided to tease some lady-boys at the bar about their chosen profession. In addition to teasing him back, one put some powder in his drink. In his mildly drunken state, he thanked him/her and proceeded to drink it. 20 minutes later, he couldn't open his eyes, sit in a chair, or hold his head up to take a sip of water (or to throw that water up moments later). The obvious lesson, I told him, is to only tease lady boys when you have a top on your beverage.

Thai Gone Wild

Last night was my first real night out with the entire crew, and what a night it was. We started off by going to see a Muaythai match, which included 5 fights that had fighters from my camp. It was pretty crazy to see the people I've trained with in actual fights. I am happy to say that all 5 won, and all of them did so with knockouts (as opposed to having no clear winner after 5 rounds and needing a judge's decision). Thai fights in general are really interesting to watch. There is a lot of posturing and procession at the beginning, with each fighter walking slowly around the ring and saying a little prayer in each corner. That is followed by a sort of dance that each does--fighters have their own styles and the dances are a series of movements to prepare for the fights. The fights themselves are really wild (especially having trained a bit now, and understanding the movements, etc). Watching someone block a full-power kick with their shins is impressive, to say the least. The fighters don't wear shin pads (or any pads really, besides cups) and so their shins (and everywhere else) has to be in great shape and tough enough to take a beating.

After the fight, we went out to a bar that the camp owner also owns. We were out in Chewang, which is more of a party area than Lamai where my camp is. The bar is on a strip with a collection of other bars, all competing to see who can play the loudest, most obnoxious music. But it was fun to see pretty much everyone from camp out and enjoying themselves. However, I soon realized what happens when people that train constantly start drinking. Two things that occurred were arguably inappropriate.

The first thing that I considered fairly inappropriate for a bar was that guys began taking their shirts off. Even in a beachy island town, I don't think that is necessary. But I guess once one guy does it, others follow. Soon, almost all the guys were shirtless (I am proud to say that I was not one of those guys). I guess when you train all the time and are in great shape, you want to show it off to people other than those you train with every day. It also may have something to do with age, as the older guys (like me) generally showed a bit more restraint.

The second inappropriate thing is that some people got ridiculously drunk (off what I would guess was the equivalent of 4-5 drinks). It was enough alcohol for the average mid-20's person to feel it, but I was pretty surprised when two people were suddenly so drunk they couldn't stand. One guy couldn't even hold himself up in a chair--he literally fell to the floor 3 or 4 times--so another guy and I finally had to carry him out of the bar (the other guy, who knows the drunk one well, took him home so he could sleep it off).

After carting the guy out of the bar, I realized it was about 3am and decided to call it a night. I think I suddenly no longer felt the need to be in a group of progressively more drunken and testosterone-fueled shirtless Thaiboxers, and opted for a quiet exit. All in all, however, it was an interesting and memorable night.

Body Update--Since you asked...

OK, so I've gotten a few requests for pictures of my new bruises and, although I think that's a little weird, I want to please anybody who actually takes the time to read this. So, here's what you asked for. I hope it makes you happy. As you can probably see (if the pic comes out well), the best bruises are now on my knee area as opposed to my shins. That said, both shins are still covered in bruises (they almost look tanned, which is kind of cool I guess); they may not come through on this pic though. Overall, here's a quick run-down of the damage:

Both shins--covered in bruises
Both knees--covered in bruises
Inner thigh area--bruises
Lower outside ab area--bruised on both sides from getting kicked
Right toe--bad blister, which is very problematic when I'm trying to pivot and punch. It opened last night and today within two minutes of starting a class I'd torn all the skin off of it, so had to stop, bandage it, and put shoes on (embarrassing). I've got good tape for it now, so no more shoes (whew).
Lower back--not bad actually, but sometimes it spasms after classes a bit
Knuckles--Left hand is only a little skinned, but the right hand is starting to have problems with two knuckles having lost most of their skin. This doesn't hurt much, but is something I have to be very careful with (as well as the toe blister) because of the potential for infection. With 30 guys and six trainers running around shoeless and sweaty all day, things get gross. So, even though I wear hand/wrist wraps, I also use alcohol and betadine on the knuckles and toe several times every day.
Feet--When doing some kicks incorrectly, I bruised the tops of my feet and like an idiot, kept kicking with them. Doing so, I somehow managed to sprain the arches of both of my feet. The good thing is that I'm usually on the balls of my feet when kickboxing, but walking around is now mildly painful activity. I saw Nen today and asked what to do (he may not be a doctor, but he's 47 and trains for 6 hours a day while drinking and smoking continually, so he must have figured out something that works). He showed me a stretch for it and told me to get a massage. Done and done.
Shoulders, upper back, calves, quads, neck, and basically everything else--sore

So there's the body update. I hope it proves enjoyable and uplifting for all reading. The one good thing is that I don't have class tomorrow and am going to skip tonight's session in favor of lifting weights and the stationary bike (two things that shouldn't hurt my feet). Hopefully I'll be back at 90% by Monday (I now realize that nobody is really at 100% here--there's always something hurting) and I'll be good to go!

Two moves in two days

When I booked the Thaiboxing camp trip, I had to book the second from highest level room. However, when I arrived they had one of the highest level rooms available for one week, so I took it. Yesterday, however, I had to move out and into the next level down. Wow, what a step. The room was half the size and nowhere near half as nice. I didn't worry too much about it at first, but when I got in bed last night, I realized this wasn't going to work. I also had heard that it is potentially cheaper (or at least no more expensive) to stay in places nearby and just pay for the training at the camp. So, as I laid in bed last night unable to sleep, I made a list of all the reasons why the room was unacceptable: the door has cracks in it large enough for bugs to get through (and is as soundproof as paper), the bed feels like it is constructed of springs and hay, the pillows are lumpy, the freezer doesn't work (a pain when you need to ice your legs), there's no internet as advertised, the lights don't always work, and the walls are thin enough that I could hear the guy next door snort and snore all night long.

So, today I went a block down the road and found a set of apartment-style rooms available, which were much nicer than anything at the camp. The room almost looks like a Westin-style hotel, it was just built so everything is new (which means I'm sleeping on a new bed and sheets, not the ancient bed and sheets I had at the camp), everything works, and it has a great balcony. This pic is the view from my balcony. It's no ice-covered Lake Michigan, but it'll do.

So for the next three weeks, I'll be MUCH happier about my living situation. And the best part is that I'm probably only paying about 100 bucks more across the next three weeks to make the move possible. Totally worth it.

Make 'em say Oh Weee!

There's a funny sound that several of the trainers make when either you hit them/the pads or they get you really well--Oh wee! It's kind of like their version of Boom! I heard it several times yesterday when training with Gay, but it was exclusively used for him smacking me around and laughing at me.

Today, I was hoping for something different, and did a personal training session with Pi Dang. He is one of four brothers that are trainers here--Nen, Nokweed, Santos, and Pi Dang. How Thai-tastic are those names? All of them are kind of old for the camp (youngest is probably 35ish--it's hard to tell with these guys), I think they all smoke, and they all make jokes at each other all day. Oh, and they have all been champions at some point in their Muaythai careers. Pi Dang was a much better trainer for me than Gay (Gay is great for some, especially more experienced fighters getting ready for fights, but I don't think he's good for me). He recognized that I was pretty sore everywhere, so we focused almost exclusively on boxing. It was an exhausting but helpful session--I learned a lot about positioning and throwing punches with correct form. It is weird how doing certain things (like hand positioning or how tense you are) can make a punch so much stronger. I also found that, relative to my other skills, I've got a pretty good right cross. I was getting a lot of good feedback on it once my form came together and the pads were really popping loudly, the way they normally would for someone much better than me (and the evidence of hard hitting was present after the session as well, when I took my gloves and hand wraps off to find that my punching had scraped the skin off my right knuckles).

My favorite moment of the class, however, was when we were in a long, exhausting punching session that never seemed to end. I was going and going at a quick pace, then he had me finish several power right crosses in a row, the last of which hit so hard the sound of it hitting the pad made my left ear ring. But through the ringing, I heard the sound I wanted to hear most....

Ohhh weee!!!

Ugh, back to bruises

Well, forget all that crap I said in my last boastful post about doing three sessions a day. That was probably a bit naive. I did manage to get through all three, but it was BRUTAL.

And then today hit. I woke up pretty sore but managing to get by well enough. Also, I decided to try a new trainer for my one-on-one session, as I've heard it is good to mix it up since each trainer has different strengths. I opted for the biggest of the trainers, a guy named Gay (the guy on the left of this pic) who normally helps prep people for fights (incidentally, I have heard nobody tease him about his name at all--read on to learn why). He is certainly the hardest of the trainers, and I've seen him throwing a guy (who is prepping for a fight) around the ring several times. I figured he'd go easier on me since I'm essentially a beginner. WRONG. It was a ridiculous session. The first 35 minutes were sort of normal, practicing kicks and punches, etc. The main difference being that his method for making sure I bring my fist back after a punch to help guard myself was to immediately counter my punch with a hook and smack me across the face--hard--with a boxing pad. That stung, but wasn't the end of the world and I did learn to guard better. The last 20 min, however, were crazy. We practiced what is called the clinch. This is when thaiboxers hold each other by the back of the head and come in close to sort of wrestle. It is basically what Gay is doing to the other guy in the pic. I don't think Gay was expecting me to be any good at it and for some reason, this is what I'm best at (relatively speaking). So, after me surprising him and almost getting the best of him in our first try, he took it upon himself to show me that he is a far superior fighter. This involved him throwing me to the mat several times (the most...impressive...being the one where he pulled me over one of his legs so that i was entirely horizontal, 3 ft in the air, and came down hard on my back). He also managed to put my head into a special little space he created between his head and shoulder, then locked me in and squeezed. Although no damage was done, there was a second where, if he had squeezed any harder, I'm pretty sure he would have dislocated or broken my jaw. It was crazy. The downside of that last 20 min, aside from the pain and fact that my legs are now covered more in bruises than not-bruises, is that I didn't really learn anything (except that he is a God of pain and suffering). So, needless to say, I'm not training with Thor the Thunder God any more. I think I'll try one of the others or just go back to Nen.

So, like I said, three sessions a day is unrealistic. I do think I can manage two a day, however, and will hold myself to that. Given that I can't move my legs much, the night session is out of the question. Looks like it is off to the weight room I go!

Days 3 and 4--Developing a Routine

Now that my shins are starting to get better, I see a routine forming for me here at camp. Although there is a session at 7am (which so far isn’t too early, as I have been going to bed early and there’s plenty of opportunities for naps throughout the day if I want them), I have been skipping it and instead doing a 1-1 personal training session around mid-day. I prefer it over the group class because I learn a lot more, and I’m able to get a one-hour session for only 12 dollars, which is amazing given the quality of the trainers here. I’d pay probably 80 an hour in the states for that. So, I think my routine for the coming weeks will be an 8am wakeup, lift weights around 8:30, breakfast at 9:30, rest time until my mid-day personal training session (that is admittedly brutally hot, but I like it because the gym is pretty empty—nobody else is dumb enough to exercise at that time I guess), then more rest before the 5pm group class. If today is any guide, I also will need to eat a second lunch around 3pm. I think that three sessions in a day burns a ton of calories, because the lunch I ate at 1pm didn’t keep me full for long. Each day I think my body is getting a little more comfortable with the heat here as well, which is nice because that means that my ibuprofen needs will start decreasing soon (workouts in this heat give me headaches, even when I’m downing about 5 liters of water a day). Admittedly, I may be trying for a little too much with that much exercise in one day, but as long as I’m feeling well enough to do it then I will. If I need to cut back to two a day then I will. As for now, however, I hope to keep it up. Aside from my desire to get in better shape, I really just enjoy the classes, weights, and personal training.

PS, I also want to take a moment and highlight the trainer I’ve been using. He is amazing. His name is Nen (pronounced Nem), and he’s 47 years old. He smokes every day, usually at breaks in our class. He also apparently drinks his fair share of Thai whiskey. He’s probably about 5’8” and 150 lbs, yet he can stand there and let me kick him full strength in his chest 10 times in a row without blocking me. Here is a pic from the gym’s web site. As you can see, he’s a bit of a joker. I love the guy though—I can’t believe someone can be in the shape he’s in, with the knowledge he has and still be a drinker and smoker. He’s like a Thai version of Rocky’s old trainer.

Putting the Rest into Rest Day

I have a newfound respect for the amazing chill-outedness of Koh Samui. Today was amazingly relaxing and...awesome. After a breakfast at a café on the road outside my building, I ran an errand, checked my email, and decided to go to the pool with a bag of ice for my legs. I saw some familiar faces from the kickboxing camp, so talked to a few guys for a while. Then a couple French girls showed up, and we all chatted for a bit. The girls are not training here, but are teaching French at a local school and had met some of the guys in our camp at the night market, where everyone goes for dinner. After chatting and chilling in the sun for a while, we decided to go down to the beach and check out the scene. The girls had apparently met the owner of a beach bar/restaurant there, who happened to be French and had lots of good cheese that the girls wanted to try. So, we had smoothies and a plate of really good French cheese (not quite as good as the cheese in the Sofitel, but still very nice—and with a much better view). We relaxed there for about an hour while the girls spoke French to the owner and I stared off into the ocean, not understanding them at all. We then walked back up to the café on the strip and had another tasty smoothie (smoothies are the thing here, which isn’t a huge surprise given the heat I guess). To top it all off, we then went and had Thai massages. After making sure my masseuse knew about my shins, I was able to relax and enjoy the massage (which cost about 6 dollars for an hour—yessssss). So now I’ve returned to my room for a shower and more relaxing, before heading to the night market for dinner.

All in all, I’d say I’m better at living up to the relaxing days than the others. But, Monday morning I’m back at it so hopefully my shins will be up to the task (the bruises have predictably gotten bigger, but I’ve rubbed them with boxing liniment several times, iced them a couple more times, and started taking a calcium/vitamin D supplement that is supposed to help as well).