Pick your Location

I had watched Muay Thai at both of the 2 primary Muay Thai stadiums in Bangkok when I had visited for the first time over 5 years ago.  I remember having a great time at Lumpini (often spelled Lumpinee) Stadium which had exciting fights and even a Muay Boran demonstration.  Muay Boran (Muay means ‘boxing’ & boran means ‘ancient’) is the ancient style of Thai boxing in which competitors wore ropes around their fists instead of gloves.  I also remember my night of Muay Thai at Rajadamnern stadium not being as fun so obviously I wanted to go to Lumpini Stadium.

It turns out picking the location to watch Muay Thai in Bangkok really depends on the day you wish to view it.  Lumpini Stadium has the fights on Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays while Rajadamnern stadium holds the Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday fights.  On a side note, there are also Wednesday night Muay Thai which is free, often has women fights and is located at the MBK shopping center.  The major stadiums do not have women fights and women are not even permitted in the ring.

2 Girls Duking it Out at MBK's Muay Thai Fight Night

Getting There & Buying Tickets

I knew that Lumini Stadium had the fights on Friday night so I planned to go there after my trip to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho I planned to take a taxi all the way from the old section of Bangkok to Silom during rush hour to catch the Muay Thai event that started at 6pm.  I told the taxi driver to take me to “Sanam Lumpini” (sanam means ‘stadium in Thai) and he told me there was no boxing there that night and I would have to go to Rajadamnern Stadium which was very close to the Grand Palace where I had just been.

I thought the driver had a commission arrangement w/ Rajadamnern Stadium or something so I continued to argue until I realized that it was Thurdsay and not Friday.  The taxi drivers are usually more than happy to take you to a Muay Thai event which suggest they get a commission.  Most farang (Caucasian foreigners in Thai) are offered the front row seats at a price of 2000 baht ($60 USD).  I had planned to sit as close as possible to get some photos with my Nikon D700 and assorted lenses so paying for the “better” seats was no problem.

Orono Wor Petchpun - Famous Muay Thai Great

The Event

It turns out that the ringside seats were not really great at all for taking photos as every shot had the ring ropes in the way.  You can view on the slideshow on the bottom of this post.   Rajadamnern Stadium has 3 main levels of seating (refer to the photo at the top of the post).  The floor level has seats mostly foreigners, boxes for the judges and standing room for the fighter’s crew.  The secondary level of seating has mostly Thai people from what I saw.  This is where the people place bets on each fight with hand signals like the New York Stock Exchange.  Then there is a top row of seating which is inside a chain linked fence.

One side of the 2nd level is completely devoid of people as it holds the TV cameras.  Other than being able to put the camera through the ring ropes, like the paid event photographers, this middle section which is elevated over the ring ropes would probably be the best place to take photos.  I am not sure how much it costs or even if non-gambling foreigners are allowed.  The event had mostly young kids with the exception of  a Muay Thai boxer I had heard of by the name of Orono Wor Petchpun (Muay Thai fighter’s last names are actually the names of their gym) who is one of Thailand’s best boxers.  He has 2 KO wins over the great Yodsanklai Fairtex and 2 decision wins over the K1-Max  international superstar Buakaw Por. Pramuk.  Check out this YouTube clip with him in action.

To me, most of the fights were pretty boring.  I remember the first time I went to Lumpini Stadium the fights were all exciting which makes me want to go back there and check it out again.  Not a single fight had a KO and there was a LOT of clinching.  I’m not sure what the exact rules are or how to score the fights, but it seemed that clinching and throwing was happening more than striking.  The event got lively for what I believe was the main event.

The championship fight pitting what appeared to be a couple 13 year-olds got lively when both entered the stadium with their entourages.  One was dressed with a pointy medal hat (see in slide show) while the other had a whole “hype crew” of a painted face guy, a huge fat guy waving a flag and of course, a Chinese-style dragon dancer!  The crowd was especially rambunctious for this fight but it ended with one being crowned champion, and of course, like all the other fights that night, I had no idea who was going to win the judges decision.

Scenes from the Championship Fight

Overall Impression

While I didn’t have the best time at this Thursday night event at Rajadamnern Stadium I still would highly recommend anyone who is visiting Thailand to check out a night of fights.  Like I stated before, I remember having a better experience at Lumpini Stadium but any place you watch Muay Thai in Thailand you will see a different side of Thai people.  People who are generally reserved and quiet are going crazy in a raucous crowd which had a few scuffles amongst fans likely over gambling.

For tourists, also keep in mind that Rajadamnern Stadium is very close to Khao San Road, Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, some of Thailand’s major tourist attractions.  For those who live in Thailand and have never been to Muay Thai it is worth going as well.  I would be willing to bet a night of the real championships would be a very fun night to attend Muay Thai fights at Rajadamnern Stadium.  For those who don’t care to see fighting and especially don’t want to pay 2000 baht to do so, head to MBK shopping center on Wednesday evenings and you can see what Muay Thai is all about for free.

Bangkok’s Best Kept Secret?

I happened to be looking at an apartment on Sathorn 3, Suan Plu Soi 8 one night when I walked past a unique food stall/restaurant.  Outside from the main dining area was a food stall with 2 pans with wonderful looking, sizzling steaks.  The minute I saw the steaks I new I had to try this place so I sat down and ordered.

After a few minutes I received my steak flambe’ and was immediately impressed by the presentation as well as the aroma.  I was hooked after the first bite as the meat was tender and delicious while the sauce was extraordinary.  After I finished the best steak I’ve had in Bangkok I asked for the “Check Bin” (check bill in Thai) and I was amazed that the price was only 150 baht!  ($4.63 USD).

I knew there was something fishy about this particular place to eat in Bangkok because I noticed the chef was paying incredible attention to detail while preparing the food.  I started talking with chef Sanjorn (or John).  It turns out Sanjorn is a current/former chef at the Sukhothai which is one of the swankiest 5-star hotels in all of Thailand!  He is an incredibly nice guy who is more than willing to tell you everything about his food as well as practice his English while you practice your Thai.

Sanjorn Cooking on Suan Plu Soi 8

Sanjorn Cookshop’s Location

Although the area is out of the way for most foreigners it is a great neighborhood.  I remembered vividly how much I liked the neighborhood because it was where the old Thai immigration center was.   In addition to the many food stalls on Thanon Suan Plu, there is a wonderful outdoor food market right at the beginning of the soi.  It is easy to see the area is close to a major university as there are uniformed students everywhere.

The actual location of Sanjorn Cookshop is on Sathorn (Thai: สาทร) or Sathon 3, Suan Plu Soi 8.  It is 4 shops down on the left hand side where you will see the outside cooking area and the inside dining area.  It is relatively close to both Sala Daeng BTS, and Lumpini & Silom MRT stations but I take my bicycle there.  It takes me around 20 minutes via bicycle to get to Sanjorn Cookshop from my apartment at Sukhumvit Soi 13.

The Food & Menu

The steak is what I order almost every time I head to Sanjorn Cookhouse.  Each time the steak meal  has subtle differences based on what’s available and so far everything has been absolutely delicious.  The menu is hardly limited to steak as the other menu items which include everything from salmon, to fish, to pork to traditional Thai dishes look amazing.  The best part is everything on the menu is affordable.  I have had food at restaurants in Bangkok that cost several times more than John’s food but the taste pales in comparison.

My Favorite Steak in Bangkok for 150 baht

Some more of the Amazing Menu Items for less than 200 baht at Sanjorn Cookshop

Overall Impression

When dining out at a place for the first time I can immediately categorize the place into one of 3 categories:  1.  Will never eat at again, 2.  Will possibly eat at again and 3.  I’m coming back tomorrow and Sanjorn Cookshop easily fit in the number 3 category.  The chef John is a very nice guy who can provide a lot of information about the food he prepares.

John’s experience and abilities as a chef are likely in the top 1% of Bangkok restaurants and he offers his tasty creations for a fraction of the price that it would cost elsewhere.  Since the price is so affordable I look at Sanjorn as an affordable “personal chef.”  Even though the location is “out of the way” to most foreigners living in Bangkok, it is a breath of fresh air with mostly Thai people, some cool shops, markets and of course my favorite place to eat in Bangkok, Sanjorn Cookshop.

http://web.me.com/garycollier1/Sanjorn/Welcome.html

December 5th, 2009

For the last 60+ years Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX has been the king of Thailand.  He is revered by all Thai people and his birthday is a week-long celebration.  You can view a documentary about his reign in the following  King Bhumibol documentary (27:50).  I remember how large the celebration was when I attended it my first trip to Thailand in 2005.

One of Many Performances on Ratchadamnoen Road

First Trip to Thailand

When I came to Thailand for the first time in November-December 2004/2005 I was fortunate enough to attend the King’s birthday celebration event.  I was staying near Khao San Road which is a 5 minute stroll to the the Grand Palace and the home of the famous emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaew. I was fascinated that so many Thai people attended the birthday celebration.

Sanam Luang which is basically a huge (30 acres) empty lot next to the Grand Palace was completely packed with people who sat and watched the performances, muay Thai, parades and fireworks while they occasionally sang.  The way the giant number (estimate later in post) of Thai people handled themselves during this huge celebration showed me a lot about Thai culture and the people of Thailand and really factored in my decision to move to Bangkok.

Lit Candles & Singing the Royal Song Before Fireworks Show on Ratchadamnoen Road

Getting to the King’s Birthday Celebration

What I Think is the King's Car Passing near Grand Palace

I now live far from the dinky hotel I was staying near Khao San Road when I was in Bangkok in 2005.  I got an early start because I knew traffic would be difficult if not impossible to get near the Grand Palace before the streets were closed off.

I took the BTS from Phloen Chit to National Stadium to bypass some of the usual Sukhumvit Road gridlock.  I knew I would have to ask multiple taxis because few will take me to the most crowded areas.  After asking 3 taxis the 4th guy decided to take me. I left just at the right time because as we approached the area there were tens of thousands of pink-clad Thais lining the streets to view the King’s motorcade pass.

They were on the verge of shutting down all traffic so my taxi driver actually had little traffic to deal with although security wouldn’t let him drop me off until we got all the way to the Grand Palace. After I got there I was ushered to a sidewalk amidst heavy security which was there more for traffic and people control than security.  They stopped everyone from crossing streets and I sat patiently on the sidewalk until the King’s motorcade passed and they let people move freely again.

An Absolutely Huge Gathering

I made my way to Sanam Luang (the 30 acre lot next to Grand Palace) which was filling up rapidly.   People were ushered to certain areas to create lanes which I soon found out was for parades.  You can see some of the parades in the video at the bottom of the post.  After the parades the area was getting even more filled up.

I wanted to take pictures which was very difficult in this area because the crowd was huge and it was all flat making it almost impossible to get a good vantage point for whatever was going on at the main stage.  I saw photographers on top of these tall utility trucks and thought about paying them for a spot but I knew there was a lot of things to see and photograph elsewhere. I started getting annoyed by the constant flow of people in the area so I walked away from the main action.

There was muay Thai, traditional Thai dance, snake charmers, loads of food and product vendors and more stuff I missed because I decided to move to a less packed area. How many people attended the celebration was a big question for me.  I attended new years even in Brazil on Copacabana beach which I have heard has 2 million people but the King’s birthday seemed to have even more people.

The 30 acre area of Sanam Luang was completely packed so I did a little math.  I read 6000+ people can fit in an acre so if Sanam Luang is 30 acres then 18,000 people were packed on it.  I think the estimate of 6,000 people fitting in an acre is way off as I remember college football games where crowds of 35,000 stormed the field and it seemed 3/4 of the crowd was on the field which is slightly larger than an acre.

I decided to find a less crowded area and decided to walk towards Democracy Monument.  The whole way from Grand Palace to Democracy Monument was completely packed with people to the point where I couldn’t extend either arm without touching someone.  There was more crowded areas but I highlighted the areas which were packed.

Approximate Area which was Completely Packed with People during King's Birthday

Enjoying the Festivities

As I made my way away from the super densely packed area and walked along Ratchadamnoen Road I could enjoy the celebration a lot more.  The whole area was still packed with people but I was able to put down the tripod to take some pictures of the many attractions.  Everywhere I turned was something different to watch or photograph.

At a certain time (I forgot) everyone lit the candles which were handed out along the way and the people all started singing the king’s song.  Anyone who spends an extended amount of time in Bangkok knows the song as it’s played in the city and park every day at 6pm when people stop what they’re doing, stand and listen to it.  It’s also played at movie theaters before the movie starts.

After the song one of the many fireworks shows began.  The fireworks lasted for around 5 minutes and then a parade of brightly lit floats began.  The floats reminded me of the boats that I saw during the Loy Krathong festival but this time they were on wheels and slowly proceeded down the street.  There were many Thai musical groups performing on a large stage just past Democracy Monument which was being recorded professionally for national television I presume.

One of Dozens of Moving Floats for King Bhumibol

Overall Impression

I had a great time although I’m not the biggest fan of large crowds.  I would recommend a visit to the King’s birthday celebration in Bangkok for anyone who happens to be in Bangkok the week of December 5th.  In fact I would also recommend the King’s birthday as a reason for anyone to travel to Bangkok and experience the Thai people and part of their culture.  I went on the actual day of the King’s birthday but from the fireworks shows I could see from my apartment window, I’m pretty sure the celebration is on for the entire week.   I will let the pictures and video do most of the talking for this post.

Fireworks for King Bhumibol and the Thai People

Exercise at Lumpini Park

Any health minded person who has ever lived or visited Bangkok for an extended period of time has visited Lumpini Park.  Besides being a relaxing oasis from the sometimes hectic Bangkok traffic,  Lumpini park is also a place where thousands of people come to exercise on a daily basis.  Throughout the day there is a nonstop flow of bicyclists and  runners , going around the lakes on the cement paths complete with kilometer markers and the newly rubberized track & field style running paths.

Every single day at 5 and 6pm giant aerobics classes start complete with cheesy Thai aerobics music and a few hundred people (mostly women) performing basic aerobics class steps to the music.  In addition to the swimming pool, tennis court,  basketball court and senior citizen center there are various sometimes odd fitness contraptions spread throughout the park.  Fitness also extends onto the water as a couple dozen pedal boats are available to rent as well.

Outdoor Gym #2

Outdoor Gyms

I knew there was an outdoor gym in Lumpini Park on the Rajadamri Road side (north end) of the park (video & pictures on bottom of page).   I worked out there a couple times before which cost 35 baht ($1 USD) per workout.  The gym has a punching bag and enough equipment for people of most strength levels (myself included) to get a good workout.

Every time swing by the gym there is never more than 5-10 people working out which is a stark contrast to the crowded corporate gym I painstakingly chose to get a membership at California WOW fitness.  The only thing I didn’t like about Lumpini Park’s outdoor gym was when I accidentally touched a tree and the next thing I knew I had a few dozen fire ants stinging my sweaty forearm.

Hardcore Lumpini Park Gym

"Hardcore" guys Posing Outside of Gym

I was looking to explore the rest of the park to find some material for pictures on my Tourism Pics photography site when I came across another gym in Lumpini Park!  When I walked by this gym located on the Rama IV road (south end) of Lumpini park I immediately noticed the people working out were pretty hardcore.  There were a group of around 10 shirtless guys who looked as if they were professional bodybuilders, muay Thai fighters, prison inmates or all the above lifting heavy weights.

I thought it was very cool looking so I decided one day I would head to the “hardcore” Lumpini Park gym and work out.  I planned on going for a long bicycle ride through the busy streets of Bangkok and after I witnessed 2 car accidents I thought better and ride my bike to Lumpini Park.  As I was riding through Lumpini Park I rode over to the “hardcore” Lumpini Park gym and noticed another big group of “hardcore” weight lifters as well as an awesome barbell bench press with 2 tires which I just had to lift.

I brought my bike in the gym and asked the lady how much it cost for “Aw Kam long Kai” which means exercise in Thai and she showed me a card with the prices.  I was rather shocked to see that a workout cost 20 baht (60 cents) and a monthly membership costs 200 baht ($6 USD) which is less than the other gym.

I warmed up a few sets of bench press to work up to the tire barbell which I had no idea how much it weighed.  I even got a spotter to make sure I didn’t kill myself and to my surprise (slight disappointment) the barbell with the tires wasn’t that heavy.  I would estimate the weight which had a bar which was smooth and about twice the diameter of normal Olympic bars weighed between 175-195 pounds.

Even though the “hardcore” patrons of this gym were a bit imposing, as usual the Thai people working out at the gym were very nice and friendly.  They even encouraged me to use heavier weights as well as helped me locate dumbbells that I needed.  I was the only farang (foreigner in Thai) working out but there were many farang passersby in the park who just looked in the gym out of curiosity.   I snapped the pictures inconspicuously with my cell phone camera as I wondered whether the “hardcore” gym patrons were Muay Thai fighters, powerlifters or bodybuilders.

If I knew that this gym existed before I think choosing a gym in Bangkok would have been a lot easier as I would have probably avoided the membership at the California WOW gym I paid 17,000 baht ($511 USD).  The video and equipment below is from the non “hardcore” gym on the north side of Lumpini Park.

Also See:  Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Some of the Equipment at the West Side Gym

Also See:  Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Don’t forget to Also Cheek Out: Things to do in Bangkok:  Lumpini Park:  Part I

Festival of Lights

I don’t have my calendar marked with the many Thai holidays and events but it seems like I find out one way or another when something is going on.  How I found out about the Loy Krathong festival was by pure chance.  I was walking around Bangkok far away from where I live to look for cool things to take pictures of hoping I would run into the Chao Phraya River when the inevitable happened.
On a Saturday night I got lost walking aimlessly around an area of Bangkok where I had never been before.  It was around 7pm and completely dark around the area with wide streets of several lanes.  I saw some canals but I figured I was no where near the river so I decided to get a taxi.  I found a taxi but as usual the driver could barely understand my Thai or English.  He finally understood I wanted to go to the Chao Phraya River and he seemed pretty excited to take me there.  I had no idea there was any kind of festival going on but when we finally drove over the bridge I saw the following….

Looking to the Shore of The Chao Phraya River From the Bridge Towards the Shore

Loy Krathong Saturday Night

I was instantly excited.  I was figuring that I would be taking pictures of the same Bangkok skyline that I had many times before but now I had a bunch of cool boats and other stuff.  The taxi driver let me off across the Rama VIII bridge on the bottom under the bridge where there was a large festival with tents set up with various souvenirs, games and food.  There were also monks who were on loud speakers talking Thai about something.  There was a Ferris wheel and marry-go-round for kids as well as a giant screen set up to watch movies.

There was probably a few thousand people there on Saturday night which I would consider comfortably crowded.  There was a bunch of people with their tripods taking pictures which was a lot of fun because there were many cool things to take pictures of.   There were these very brightly lit boats (above) with spotlights as well as other decorations along with the aforementioned children’s rides which were also lit up.

A girl came up to me and had me fill out a survey while I was eating this fried spicy fish cake.  A surprising question I saw on the survey was asking if I was satisfied with the level of security.  I did notice a lot of security guards around the area of the festival and many police patroling the bridge and I wondered why.  I would find my answer when I went back Monday night.

I stayed from around 7pm to 9:30pm and then I decided it was time to go home.  I walked back towards the east side of the bridge looking for a cab and under the overpass which was deserted with a couple homeless people sleeping in hammocks.  I had a chance to take a couple cool pictures from under the overpass which was the onramp to the Rama VIII bridge above.

Loy Krathong Festival Saturday Night - Under the Rama VIII Bridge

Getting to the Loy Krathong Festival on Monday Night

I found out when I returned home from one of my security guards that the official Loy Krathong wasn’t until Monday night so I planned to go back. I then realized that all the cherry bombs (fireworks) I have been hearing for the entire week leading up to Loy Krathong had to do with the festival.

At Monday at around 6 or 7PM I took the BTS to National Stadium which was as far west as the BTS (sky train) goes in hopes of catching a cab which would take me to the river.  I could sense that a larger celebration was in the air when I noticed that there are usually a dozen available cabs at any given minute this Monday there were maybe 1 every 5 minutes!

I was thinking there were many people going to the Loy Krathong festival as I walked occasionally turning my head over my shoulder and not seeing any available taxis.  I decided I would walk all the way there, which turned out wasn’t going to happen.

Krathong Raft

I was walking over an elevated street crossing when I saw a farang (foreigner in Thai) who I asked directions to.  I started talking to the farang who happened to be a transsexual woman originally from my home town of San Francisco!  He/She? recommended Chiang Mai which reminded me that I hadn’t been so I booked a ticket the week later!

She told me to get in a cab to take me to the river because it was far and I decided to cab it.  There was still not a single cab available so I found a tuk tuk who charged me 100 baht to bring me to the festival.  As I rode in the tuk tuk towards the festival I noticed there were many people lining the khlongs (canals) eating, lighting fireworks and of course their krathong.

I’m not going to explain the whole tradition of the festival but you can in the wikipedia article which explains the significance of lighting the krathong rafts (right) and releasing them in the canals and rivers.  It took around 15 minutes through and around traffic in the tuk tuk to get to Rama VIII bridge where the festival was being held.

Under East side of Rama VIII Bridge Looking at Loy Krathong Festival

Cool Scene Under Rama VIII Bridge Onramp

Loy Krathong Festival on Monday Night

Once I finally got to the festival via tuk tuk I noticed that the deserted area from Saturday night where I took the above pictures was completely packed with people like a can of sardines.  I now realized why the question about security was on the survey I filled out on Saturday.  Mix together crowding, burning hot air balloons (very top pic), cherry bombs, kids swimming in the river and people walking amidst traffic on the busy bridge I’d say security was a definite need.

There were at least 5-10x more people at the same place on Monday night.  On the east end of the bridge there was only 1 narrow staircase for the thousands of people going up onto both sides of the bridge and the thousands of people who were trying to exit, bottleneck anyone?  I actually felt pretty uncomfortable like I was about to get squashed so I went back to the top of the bridge and tried to hail a cab illegally in the middle of the bridge.

Down under the bridge was so crowded I didn’t even bother to go down, mostly because I checked out everything that was down there on Saturday and because it was super crowded.  It was very smoky in the air as people were lighting their paper hot air balloons (pictured at very top) which would burn in the air.  Police were actually catching people and making them stop lighting their balloons but many people got them off where they would burn in the air, crash in the river where cleaning crew boats awaited.

The air was completely filled with ashes from all the burning of the krathongs and balloons as you can see in the video at the bottom.  I still thought all the boats with spotlights and brightly colored designs were cool but after a while I just wanted to get away from the crowd and terrible air.  I failed to hail a cab on the bridge and failed to get through the crowd so I ended up risking my life and walking on the bridge on the side of the highway but I was not alone.

Walked on Bridge Back from Loy Krathong

Overall Impression

I though the Loy Krathong festival was very cool!  I saw pictures from smaller cities in Thailand and their celebrations looked just as impressive if not more as the giant capital city.  There was plenty to do for the entire family and many opportunities to take some great pictures which you can’t get every day.  Since I was there on Saturday night I didn’t want to say the whole night on Monday so I had a rough time leaving when most people were going to the party but I would recommend anyone who visits for the Loy Krathong festival to go on Saturday or Sunday if they don’t like sometimes suffocating crowds and go on Monday if they want to spend the whole night celebrating with 1/2 of Bangkok.

WOW

An obnoxious name for a gym if you ask me.  The official name is actually California WOW Xperience.  I wrote a while back about choosing a gym in Bangkok and now that I’ve had the chance to workout there a dozen or so times I will blog more about my “Xperience” working out there. I have been going to the gym probably an average of 4 times per week during the past 8 or so years.  I have rarely taken breaks of over a few days which are usually due to sickness or traveling.  I also worked in a gym for most of the past 8 years so I would say I know a little about gyms.

Working out at WOW

If it not evident by visiting their official website it will be when you first set foot at the front desk.  WOW Xperience has more of a nightclub atmosphere than a gym.  Don’t believe me?  Head to the Asok gym which has a live DJ spinning right next to the front desk during most of the day! Every time I walk in the gym it feels like I’m part of a scene from the movie Bruno.

The music is so loud that heavy metal in my iPod needs to be cranked almost to full blast to drown out the sound of the extremely de-motivating techno which would likely be a fixture at any night club in San Francisco’s Castro district. There are probably around 100 speakers on the 3 floored fitness center.  The bottom floor has a women’s only center and some free weights and machines.

The middle floor has the front desk and a few cardio machines and the top floor is complete with around 200 cardio machines. It is relatively easy to use free weights, unlike the US there seems to always be a bench press or squat rack open as people tend to gravitate towards the machines.  The equipment is all top quality although just like 24 hour fitness in the US broken cardio equipment stays broken and most of the time doesn’t even get an out of order sign.

California WOW Xperience Advertising

California fitness takes advertising to a new level.  The advertising overload consists of huge posters of scantily clad models who are mostly super-model skinny, fixed television ads on the TVs in the cardio sections and little placards on every single cardio machine. It is interesting that every single TV (which there around 30) has a permanent rotating advertisement built in.  The brightly colored ads take up around 1/3 of one side of every single screen.

The ads usually consist of the standard scantily clad model or personal trainer with their collars popped like the Fonz.  They really don’t bother me too much but they add to the overall advertising overkill. The classes offered include “Planet Yoga” with the very cheesy Master Kamal, a cult hero of mine.  The guy is the real deal, a real yoga guy who is in great shape, but it’s just too cheesy for me.  Another class which I guess is popular in the USA is XXX pole dancing along with a private pilates class and the standard group of aerobics classes.

California WOW Gym Members

Perhaps the biggest difference between the gyms here in Bangkok and the gyms in the real California in the USA is the clientele.  In the 50 or so trips to multiple gyms I have yet to see a woman who weighs over 120 pounds.  There are very few Thai people over 40 who go to the gym as well.  You see your fair share of expats and travelers but for the most part it is young Thai people.

Finding Motivation

From living in Bangkok and not being as active as when I was riding bicycle all around San Francisco and training clients every day I have changed my body composition for the worse.  It doesn’t help that plentiful, cheap and often greasy  food is available at every corner. It seems every time I go to the gym I just don’t feel like working out.  I have tried to download some hard, loud heavy metal music which has seemed to work a bit.  One day I spent 30 minutes staring at the color changing neon lights on the cardio floor thinking about all the things I would like in the gym.  It motivated me to put together a pretty sarcastically cool list of the Top 10 Signs your Gym is Hardcore which unfortunately is the polar opposite of California Wow Xperience.

Muay Thai

I am a big fan of kickboxing and happen to live in the Mecca of Thai boxing.  When I originally moved to Bangkok I had plans to start Muay Thai lessons but it fell threw once I got in my awkward schedule, staying up early in the AM and waking up in the PM.  It was also hard to single out a not-so-serious Muay Thai school as I just want to do it for the workout not for getting punched, kicked, kneed, and elbowed in the face. They also have Thai Boxing rings set up at all  California WOW Xperiences but it is in front of everyone and I don’t think the trainers have any real experience to teach proper techniqe.  Hopefully I can find a Thai boxing gym to get some training sessions in the future.  For now I must just xperience California WOW and try to get the hang of it. Blog about Muy Thai Coming Soon

Homeless:  Here & There

Coming from San Francisco where I lived in SoMa and worked in the Mission District I had my fair share of experience with, crack heads, drug dealers, gang members, mentally ill psychos and of course homeless people.  Moving 7,000 miles across the world, I have left most of the crack heads, drug dealers, gang members and mentally ill pysychos behind but still deal with a fair share of homeless.

Bangkok is much much bigger than San Francisco and I haven’t been to most of it but so far I am guessing that San Francisco has far more homeless people per capita than Bangkok but there is a big difference.  The homeless people in San Francisco are mostly a mixture of people with mental illness and drug addictions which is far difference from the homeless in Bangkok.

Homeless in Bangkok

There are a fair share of homeless people along the Sukhumvit which is the are with the most cash flow in the whole country of Thailand.  You would think that the majority of the homeless would be in an area where the most money is walking around so overall there are very few homeless in Bangkok compared to San Francisco.

The primary difference I see is the homeless in Bangkok are truly homeless while the homeless of San Francisco have far more options to improve their life.  You see people with missing limbs and other deformities literally lying face down in the middle of a busy sidewalk and they appear to have been there all day.

I would say the ratio of people giving change to the homeless is about the same in both places.  I myself, often will give small change if I have it handy.   I have something I call “Homeless Packs” which I make for the homeless.

Homeless Packs

In San Francisco I would create Homeless Packs of stuff which I didn’t want anymore.  I would usually put some old (but nice) clothes, cleaned, and folded in an old backpack and put some other goodies in there and give it to homeless people I walk by.  I figured it was better than the city’s stupid homeless meters and the idiots who give them money right in front of a liquor store.

My last homeless pack I gave away was on the last day of living in my apartment.  I had 12 or so beers and 4 bottles of wine and some hard liquor which I stuffed in a computer bag which weighed about 40 pounds full booze.  I told a homeless guy by my work that I had a secret mission for him.  His smile when he opened the bag was priceless.  I saw him on the block about 40 minutes later and he told me he passed the mission.

Since all my belongings fit in a couple pieces of luggage now and I hardly buy anything the only thing I have to give away is money.  It works out great because unlike the homeless people in San Francisco, the homeless in Bangkok are actually starving and I would think that any money I give them will go directly to food and water to stay alive rather than a 40 at the local liquor store.

I take all my coins under 5 baht, some Malaysian Ringittes for good measure and throw them in a little plastic bag.  One, 2 and .5 baht coins are pretty much an inconvenience to have in your pockets anyways.  The first homeless pack which probably had 150-200 baht I gave to a little kid who was begging at the BTS entrance of MBK.  He looked pretty shocked when I gave him the pound bag of money but I looked back and a minute later he gave it to the homeless guy across the way which I guess was his dad.

I have heard about the parents or adults using the kids as ‘bait’ and seen it in Manila but I guess it exists all over.  I remember last time I was here at Khao San Road there were these little kids who came up to you with laminated note cards which said something like, “Hi my name is XXX, I am gathering money to attend college, I want to be a doctor.  Could you please help?” which I guarantee had a guy sitting in an apartment counting the money.

I had a spill of small coins a few minutes ago so I decided to blog about homeless packs because on Monday on the way to Thai language class I have scouted out a homeless lady who I will give my newest homeless pack Monday night.

Bangkok Dangerous

We’re not talking about a horrible movie remake starring Nicholas Cage.   To someone who has never left the “friendly confines” of the USA you may not know much about Bangkok.  You may not even know the difference between Taiwan and Thailand.
Whether you think  elephants trampling people and huge protests with soldiers overthrowing the government are a day to day occurrence or you think Bangkok is just another peaceful Southeast Asian city you may be interested in the top 5 most dangerous things about visiting or living in Bangkok, Thailand.

5. Sidewalks

Sidewalks in Bangkok are always crowded, often disgusting, and sometimes dangerous.  I am an avid runner who likes to run to the gym to kill 2 birds w/ one stone but in jogging down the sidewalks in Bangkok every step you take could be your last.

The uneven sidewalks in Bangkok are complete with loose bricks, broken mane covers and of course stray dog bombs.  Compound this with the presence of the #1 danger and a trip or fall could mean a whole lot worse than a trip to the hospital.

As a guy wearing sneakers the sidewalks present a certain danger but to the women who wear heels, I can’t image how difficult it is to pay attention to every step to avoid a face plant onto a present left by one of the 300,000 stray dogs in Bangkok.

4. Water

Water is tricky to avoid because there are numerous ways you can come into unwanted contact with it.  From swallowing shower water, getting splashed in the mouth while in a water taxi, or the inconspicuous melted ice your iced tea, most foreigners who consume a generous portion of the water in Bangkok get terrible stomach aches.

Where the tap water comes in most residential buildings (to my knowledge) is roof tanks which are either filled by rain water or a water company.  I have heard that each year they check the tanks and find dead birds, rats and insects.  The worst water has to be that of the Chao Phraya river and Bangkok canal.   The canal has a smell the raw sewage which is pouring out of pipes into the canal 24/7.   Here’s a story of a governor candidate who fell into the water and got a rash before her campaign manager drowned in the dirty water.

I have been running to the gym along the pedestrian free canal path, but I am debating whether the evaporated canal water and occasional spashes from the river taxis will eventually be the slow and painful death of me?  I will leave that up to the experts but you don’t have to be an expert to know that the water is one of Bangkok’s dangers.

3. Street Food

The street food which exists all around Bangkok creates a barbecue smell which is a welcomed replacement of the usual bus exhaust mixed with raw sewage aroma which emanates from the Bangkok streets.  I’m not talking about the delicious fruit here.  What I’m talking about is any of the many meat products which taste good when you don’t think about where they came from.

I’m not talking about the typical Chinese food mystery meat but the conditions in which the animals were raised.  I visited Ratchaburi province and stayed with a traditional Thai family and remember the chickens running amok in the mud mixture of river run-off, sewage, and litter.  I really didn’t think about it too much at the time and ate chicken meat but when they served the Tom Yum chicken feet soup I couldn’t help but think of what the chickens were running around in.

I have never really researched (other than hearing preaching from San Francisco yuppies about free range meat) too much about whether how much an animal’s upbringing will effect the quality of the meat but if I see fried fish on the street and can’t hep but think it was fished out of the filthy canal.  I also see people living in next to piles of their own garbage by the canal with chickens freely walking around while they await their death, soon to be featured on the nearby chicken satay street stand???

I have been pretty lucky so far with the street food.  I have had some stomach pain but no problems with dysentery, severe stomach cramping, death or any other terrible symptoms which which are associated with contaminated food.

2. Thai Women

Thai people are so laid back and reserved you wouldn’t think that Thai women could be so dangerous but if you watch the video you will know how dangerous they can be.  Thai women are polite, beautiful and traditional but if you get on their bad side you could be heading to the local hospital!

My friend Jon who has a blog bout teaching English in Thailand told me that two of his friends had been stabbed and hospitalized by their angry Thai girlfriends.  Compound the language barrier with the Eastern-Western culture class and evidentially fireworks are possible and everyone knows how bad it is when they blow up in your hand.

1. Traffic

Bangkok is a city which has had a long-term traffic problem.  I cannot imagine how bad it was 20 years ago before the BTS which provides easy transit via skytrain and the MTR which is the subway system.

The traffic not only pollutes the environment it is dangerous in many ways.  I have not yet witness any accidents but I remember reading about the the week long Songkran Festival in which there were “Songkran’s “373 deaths and 4,332 injuries in 3,977 road accidents nationwide.”

The dangers of the traffic in Bangkok are out there if you’re in a car or a pedestrian.  In taxis you have to first search for the seat belt which is only available 25% of the time then all you can do is watch as the driver navigates through the extremely confusing and seemingly lawless streets.

As a pedestrian the streets seem even more dangerous.  The never ending traffic flow of cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles extends beyond the streets.  Often you have to dodge motorcycles and motorcycle taxis driving on the sidewalk.  The streets have lanes but the are only as guides as drivers weave in and around them.  Driving in a lane of oncoming traffic is a regular occurrence.

Perhaps the most dangerous part of the Bangkok traffic is crossing the street.  I personally use what I call ‘human shields’ which are the Thai people I wait for to cross some busy streets.  Often times there is no sign or signal which you can use to determine when to cross the street.  Even if you do cross at a little green guy walking light you still have motorcycles weaving in between cars.  You have to be on the lookout on both sides of each car for motorcycles as you cross any street.  Compound all this with the fact that the sides are switched from the USA and traffic is the most dangerous thing about Bangkok.