Giorgio… firstly congrats on your success.  I’ve been covering you for a while.  In fact I do believe I was the first person to write anything about you… that was back in April 2007.  Anyway the reason I’m writing you is that you need to get a manager asap.

I came across a video of you today, pimping some deck and lawn furniture.  I don’t care if it’s for your best friend/uncle/cousins shop… last I checked you were the K1 MAX champ.  Seriously you can do better… maybe some kind of sports cream?  boxing gear?  Go and hire some professional management… you’re not going to be on top forever and these are your prime earning years .

Take a page out of Masato’s book… I don’t even know what the hell cyber agent does but I want one.

I saw this clip a couple of days ago… JWP doing some retirement planning?  Is he thinking about making a move onto the big screen?

The fighting style reminds me a little of the old, Don Wilson/ Chuck Norris genre of ass kicking.  I honestly can’ think of the last time I saw a bona fide NakMuay on TV or the Movies?  I guess Somrak in Fearless?  The last time we saw a western nakmuay it was on an episode of Walker Texas Ranger.

Anyway I wish him luck in his endeavours…

Before I came out here to London, I used to work for 1up.com in San Francisco.  If you were a gamer, there were a lot of perks.  They had a game library that would have put your local blockbuster to shame.

I used to game quite a bit and I had always hoped that we’d get a decent MuayThai game.    Yeah it’s nice to see more and more MuayThai making into games… but a pure MuayThai game would be pretty cool.  There has been a K-1 game out in the market for ages, and I thought that there would have been enough interest in the Japanese market alone to develop another one.

Despite they’re being a minuscule market for it, I’ve remained hopeful…

I recently came across this clip… looks promising.  I’ve exchanged a quick email with the developer and it so far it’s only being developed for the PC.  The developer is a NakMuay and has trained on and off since 1990.

Anyway it’s start… I’ll keep you posted when the light version comes out.

You can view additional clips here.

It took about fourteen days plus to realize I had broken my back.  This was in Chiang Mai, and this was in 2007.  To simplify, I was riding a bike in a rice field in San Kampaeng (Chiang Mai District) and was t-boned by a motorbike while trying to make a right hand turn.  I was thrown in the back of a van and rushed to the nearby country hospital.  They sewed my head together, took a number of x-rays and assured the gym that I’d be fine to train within a few days.

I was then discharged and carried up to my second storey guesthouse room and left there.  I believe if it wasn’t for a couple of friends and a Thai woman downstairs who left food on my doorknob daily (“because nobody loves you”, she said), I’m not sure what would have happened.  I didn’t understand why my body didn’t heal within the given timeframe.  Confused and aggravated, I concluded that I was weak and decided to roll myself onto the floor and force myself to do pilates.   I believe it took over a week before I could walk down the stairs leading to the street on my own.  At this time, I hit the gym and tried lifting light weights.  I can still hear the promoter shout ‘Muay thai! Muay thai!’ as he jokingly waved a bamboo stick at me while I used the ropes to lower myself to commence the pilates.  No one, including myself knew what kind of damage my body had incurred.

I believe it was day fourteen or thereabouts when I rode my motorbike to a hospital in Chiang Mai and was informed that my back was broken.  I wasn’t even there to discuss my spine, I was seeking an opinion on a sprained knee (which was the reason I was riding the bike in the first place….I couldn’t run).  I haphazardly mentioned the accident I had and after an x-ray and a lot of confusion and exclamations from staff, I was properly suited for a custom made body brace.

Did the country hospital do a poor job?  Maybe.  All I know is that they had an old x-ray machine and couldn’t see the 40% compression fracture of one of my anterior vertebrae.  At the time, the possibility didn’t cross my mind.  It was the first time I had broken a bone.

Since then, I’ve graced a number of hospitals in this country and chances are, if you’re training here for awhile, you could to.  How many of us end up getting injured training?  Fighting?  How many knucklehead Falang come out here, rent a motorbike without ever having driven one and crash after a heavy piss up at a club?  What I’m going to attempt, is to give you the best information I currently have to prepare you to make an informed decision when choosing a hospital, assuming you’ll be in a position to make that choice.

I was given that choice and possibly made the wrong one.  While in the van, I was asked if I wanted to go to nearby Chiang Mai, but decided against it as I was warned hospitals were full due to Songkran (Thai New Year) shenanigans.

Where to start?  Medical insurance.  If you have a solid, inclusive plan where you pay a nominal percentage of your hospital fees (or none at all), you’re in a good position. Should the stipulations of your policy allow you to choose a hospital of your liking; I suggest an international one, if one is available.  Generally speaking, international hospitals aim to have higher standards, foreign trained doctors and nurses on staff, and the amenities are on par with what we expect in the West.

I’m currently not someone in this position.  As a Canadian abroad indefinitely, medical insurance is far out of my budget and I’ve concluded that, should I live in a developed country (ie. Japan) for a period of time, I’ll purchase it then.  In the meantime, I’ve decided to navigate Thailand’s hospitals as though I’m a resident Thai.

Living in Bangkok allows me a number of options.  From what I’ve derived from conversations with Thais coupled with personal experience, the level of care and amenities available are widespread.  The costs associated reflect this.

At this point, I should probably add that a trip to the doctor generally means a trip to the hospital or a clinic here.  I haven’t experienced the, ‘I’ll call my doctor for an appointment’ hook up yet.  If you have a problem, you go to the hospital or clinic and wait.  Should you be required to return, you may be given an appointment.  By appointment, that may mean a window of time you need to return on a given day.

Personally, I’ve received competent care from what I understand to be ‘decent’ hospitals, meaning, neither international nor low end, but recommended by locals.  I’ve also received great care from cheap government hospitals.  I determine the hospital by the ailment.  Note, sometimes this simply a case of time management.  My gym’s preferred hospital is across town, not the one across the street.  I’ve gone to the hospital nearby and a neighbourhood clinic for second opinions, injections to relieve swelling and in San Kampaeng (yes, there was one that was even considered worse than the one I initially went to), to clean the stitches in my head.

I was given the following advice regarding doctors in Thailand….if they can speak English, they’re well educated.  Try to find one that can.  In Bangkok, and other urban areas, it’s easy.

Another thing to be cognizant of is price.  I’m currently wondering if it’s completely arbitrary.  For example, when I was in Samui, I met a Falang with a broken arm.  He went to an international hospital on the island and paid 40,000 baht for medical care.  I didn’t ask how many times he went for that price or what it included…but I requested that he repeat the sum.  Why?  Because from my experience, that was just crazy talk.

Also, he had a thick English accent and I felt I possibly may have heard him incorrectly.  The first time I broke my hand in Bangkok, the gym paid for it.  The second time, I did.  How much did going to a reputable hospital in Bangkok for a broken hand set me back?  900 baht.  This includes x-rays and a cast.  The same kind of cast this English guy was lunking around.

What’s the answer?  If you’re at a gym, ask the Thais.  They may tell you what they think is the best hospital for you in the area, and that may mean an international one.  A lot of times, locals assume we have more money than a lot of us do.  If you can’t afford an international hospital, tell them that.  They may send you to the one they use.   Also, please note, although I used the example in Ko Samui to reflect the range of pricing here, please don’t write off international hospitals due to the cost I quoted.  From my experience, Ko Samui is a case unto itself (perhaps all the islands are, I don’t know).  To further illustrate, I went to a pharmacy in Ko Samui with a Thai friend to pick up some antibiotics.  I was fighting an ear infection and he came along to help me negotiate the price (ie. speaking Thai and sometimes just showing up with someone who is Thai can be of benefit).  Oral antibiotics were going to set me back approximately 1,500 baht.  I bought ear drops instead although I knew they were grossly overpriced at 300 baht.  I returned to Bangkok a few days later and purchased oral antibiotics for less than 100 baht.  If you have the option, do some research.

From my experience in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, medical attention on par with the West, namely Canada (as it’s my primary frame of reference), is available.  In the case of the hospital in Chiang Mai, the medical attention I received was superior to anything I experienced in Canada.  In fact, I found out about this hospital on my flight over from Toronto.  I met a carpenter who was scheduled for shoulder surgery in Chiang Mai.  The cost of the flight, surgery and post op treatment was nominal compared to the money he would lose from lack of work waiting for free surgery in Ontario.

Navigating hospitals in remote areas?  No idea but please feel free to add to this.  I’m still learning…

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

I saw the movie poster and I thought that Jaa was taking a page from JCVD’s playbook and casting himself as his own uber nemisis… I’ve watched the trailer twice now, and I don’t think that’s the case.  The first OngBak was so dope… seriously they need someone like Ari Gold on the scene…  I’m talking shit now, but I’m sure I’ll dl when it comes out.  I’m not sure why they keep calling them OngBak, I think it’s got to be done for the benefit of westerners… at least Rambo, Rocky and Police Academy had some continuity.  He should just name it paycheck 3 innit.

The first one did wonders for Muay Boran/Chaiya  I know a lot of people went to MuayThai class thinking they were going to be learning lots of flying elbows and knees.

I just saw this article in the Bangkok Post… apparently the Pua Yai in Thailand are concerned about foreign gyms keeping up MuayThai standards.

I think it’s a horrible idea… They want to have a standard by which MuayThai is taught?  Sounds more like a decent money making venture then a genuine concern for the well being of foreign nak muays.   If they’re so concered with foreign nakmuays being exposed to crap muaythai they should first start at home. They should abolish the two tier “Farang” tax at the major stadiums… make it less cost prohibitive.  If they’re truly concerned with standards then these training courses should be offered free of charge.

Considering yesterdays discussion around McDojo’s, some of you may think this is actually a decent idea.  There will always be good and bad gyms. That’s always going to be a factor.

People will always try to create lineages… like BJJ or KungFu.  I studied under Ajarn, or Kru so and so.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean quality MuayThai.  You can do personals with a Lumpini Champ and that doesn’t guarantee quality MuayThai.

This whole standardization and codification just reeks of Thai bureaucracy and corruption. Why they’re at it they should standardize all the recipes for Thai restaurants abroad.  There are a couple restaurants here in London that need to be put out of their misery.

I see that the UFC has opened their first gym not too far away from my old stomping ground.  Their first gym opened this past weekend in Concord California… I wonder if they are going to have and extra large parking lot and kennel to accommodate all of the jacked monster trucks and pitbulls that are going to be pulling in there.

I did a post on this months ago…  according to the promo clip, you can take MuayThai… I’ve got to believe this is going to be good for our sport.  My gut says the more people who are introduced to it the better?   Is MuayThai going to be the Karate or TKD of the 1980’s?  Am I going to pull into a strip mall and see mcdojo’s suddenly teaching MuayThai?  If I do is that necessarily a bad thing?

Does anyone know what their fees are like?  I know a lot of the big gyms in SF (MuayThai and BJJ) were charging $120+/month for training.  I’m sure they’re going to be drawing customers away from surrounding Muaythai gyms.

Have any of you guys been?

We may not get Manny and Floyd… but if it’s any conciliation it looks like Somluck and VanDammage is still on!  Ok, let’s face it… no fight is really going to fill my manny Floyd void.

So saw this article on the Bangkok post the other day… apparently they’ve signed contracts.  According to the article Somluck is going to pocket about $100K from this!  That is a hell of a lot of Moo Ping!

Seriously who’s putting this fight on?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to seeing JCVD get smashed.  Somluck isn’t going to train… he’s going to get in the ring with his gut and all its glory and he’ll put on a nice exhibition.

“”I thought he was of much larger stature. But when we were standing next to each other, he wasn’t any bigger than me. So, I’m confident now. I’m better in Muay Thai techniques and I will have fun kicking the star”

I can’t actually find any fight footage from VD’s career but the Wikipedia entry claims he’s 18-1.  I wonder if he’s going to wear booties?

According to the article in the BP, Van Damme doesn’t want to allow the use of elbows… so it’ going to be K-1 all the way.

“”I thought he was of much larger stature. But when we were standing next to each other, he wasn’t any bigger than me. So, I’m confident now. I’m better in Muay Thai techniques and I will have fun kicking the star”

I was out running around this pass weekend when this caught my eye… wtf? MuayThai has finally hit the runways.

These are a pair of kids pajamas/sweats whatever by Dolce and Gabanna, (don’t ask me what I was doing in the kids section)  If you have more money then sense… you too can pick up a pair!

Check out the sticker shock!  You do the math…

One of the funniest things I’ve seen this year… if any of you have ever spent time in Thailand you’d probably seen takraw being played in an empty lot or field.  It’s like volleyball played except played with your feet.

If you never seen in played check out this clip.  It’

s pretty sick…

A friend sent this along a couple of weeks ago… enjoy.

By Laura Dal Farra

I was in Indonesia a few weeks ago and came across powdered M-150.  Yeah, that’s right, travel sized.  Amazing.

Some of you might be thinking, what, the bottles aren’t small enough?  Well yeah, if you can walk over to a 7-Eleven and pick one up enroute to the gym or for some of you, at your gym.  If you’re out in the sticks, meaning in the middle of nowhere, then no, it’s not so easy.  They’re not always available nearby.  I also like to travel light.  A bag full of clinking, liquid filled glass isn’t light to me.

Indonesia had a number of different local and imported energy drinks that came in powdered form.  They also had ingredients I could read. Well, relatively – Indonesian is a lot easier to navigate than Thai…

My first introduction to the mystical Asian energy drink came from hanging out in Chinatown, Toronto.  It was magic in a bottle.  I could drink it and train for hours without getting the shakes I would from coffee.  I didn’t think much of the ingredients until Red Bull launched a Canadian campaign offering nasty sub par versions in chinsy cans…then came the rumours that imported Red Bull was banned….I then thought…hmm…what exactly am I ingesting that the Canadian government disapproves of…(until I left, I could only find the imported bottles in a few small, independent grocers in Chinatown and Little Korea)…

So, for those of you interested….this is the best I have to offer….ingredients, for M-150 and Red Bull as listed in Indonesia…

And the Indonesian packets?  I had one this morning, didn’t train and haven’t had the urge to slap anyone yet…basically, the M-150 did its job without overloading me with energy or edginess.  It has a protein/carb ratio of 1/5 grams – the protein count coming from powdered milk.  Not what I was expecting despite milk being listed in the name (M + Susu).  I thought perhaps the word Susu was being used colloquially and not literally.  Curious to see what mixing a Thai bottle of M-150 with UHT milk out here will do…

Also worth noting is KukuBima, an Indonesian energy drink in powdered form.  It’s en par with M-150 but includes ginseng and royal jelly in the mix (there are a few flavours available).  I found it milder, which could be due to its lack of caffeine.  However, I don’t consider that a negative – just a lighter option….and the packaging…..it’s the reason I noticed the products to begin with.  I saw this box lined up with condoms by the cash desk and thought…What?

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

Hi guys sorry for the silence… just got back last night from Thailand. It was quite an eventful break/vacation that I needed.  I caught up with friends, trained a fair amount and went to a few fights…  What more could you ask for?  I made it a point to jump around to different camps this time around, wanted to get a taste of what was happening in Bangkok.

I’ve got a fair bit of content scheduled for Monday.  Anyway, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe new years!  Wishing you all health, and happiness for this coming year.

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