by Mandeep Gaygoat
Starting weight: 88.8kg
Target weight: 63kg
Weight recorded on September 7 2013: 87.9
The last three days the format has been the same, so instead of three posts looking identical I will do one.
Training starts around 6:30am and lasts for two hours. You go for a run, do your own warm ups and then you will get taught by Master Pimu or do some pad work with Bea.
Master Pimu is fantastic at teaching the technical aspect, the stance, punch, jab, kick etc…if you are here for some time, he does not rush and makes sure you practice every technique until it becomes a habit. Hence the training two times a day. When I was clinching (Clinch fighting (also referred to as clinch work) is the part of stand-up fighting where the combatants are grappling in a clinch, typically using clinch holds. Clinching the opponent can be used to eliminate the opponent's effective usage of some kicks, punches). When my foot hits the ground I was lowering my heal by 1 cm, Master Pimu got another person to hit me each time I did this! Reading that back it sounds like this is a harsh training camp, Master Pimu is a stickler for technique every move has to be precise. If the basics are spot on then you will have a strong foundation.
Master Pimu
Beginning Muay Thai at the age of seven years of age, Pimu was fortunate to be taught by a very distinguished fighter, Lerngsak Sorlupitak, a champion renown for his kicking and kneeing ability. He was also privileged to have trained, for a short time, with one of the greatest MuayThai boxers of all time, Adul Srisothorn the “diamond crown boxer”. This was cut short by Adul’s premature death in a car accident. Adul was a very famous boxer, six times champion famed for his all round boxing ability.With such an excellent pedigree, Pimu himself proved to be a very skilled boxer, having over a hundred fights. However, his ring career was cut short by a serious shoulder injury. After retiring Pimu began training fighters with great success; something he still excels in. He trained his first Champion Tawanok Sitpoonchai thirty years ago and has not stopped since.
The students here at the moment:
The Gym
The gym is about an hour from Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok International Airport,) also about an hour from downtown Bangkok (both times are depending on traffic.)
WPT gym has been designed for westerners as well as Thai champions. The gym employs a number of top coaches from different gyms. Training can accommodate anyone form complete beginners to top professional fighters. A number of top fighters from France, Italy, Japan, Korea, USA, UK and Ireland have trained at the gym with Pimu, Met, Komkrit, Duwao, Manask, Thailand, Sancherng and others. UK Champions who trained at the gym include: Dean James, Liam Robinson, Sheree Halliday, Ronnie Mann (MMA), Karla Hood, Damian Hood, Pete Crooke, Reece Crooke, Frankie Hudders, Johnny Roye and many others. Top coaches training at the gym include:Tony Myers (UK), Pele Nathan (UK), Marco De Cesaris (Italy), Diego Calzolari (Italy) and many others.The gym has strong links with Sinbi Muay Thai gym in Phuket and Pinsinchai camp,Training is available twice a day like all gyms in Thailand. It is possible to negotiate what training you wish to do and the level of training you wish to engage in. At the gym they are equally happy to accommodate those who wish to learn techniques and not train too hard and top fighters who are preparing for a fight. There is a friendly atmosphere at the gym and everyone is made welcome.
Accommodation
Perhaps I should have made my bed before I took this picture!!
The rooms are all ensuite, they are maintained and kept clean.
After the morning training session you eat, either you go out to a restaurant or Shum (Master Pimu's wife) will cook. All dietary requirements are catered for.
Nearby restaurant
Mixed vegetables
By the time you have eaten it is around 9am, one has the day to sight see or relax.
What is there to do near the gym?
Within about ten minutes walking distance there are a few shops, Tesco Lotus, Seven Eleven. Here you can buy all your basic supplies.
Five minutes in a taxi which should cost around 50 baht or walking which would take about 45 minutes there is Fashion Island a huge mall where you will definitely get everything imaginable.
Fashion Island is a shopping mall located on Ramintra Road, in Khan Na Yao district outskirt of Bangkok, Thailand. Some of the anchors are
Robinson Department Store
BigC
Major Cineplex
Home Pro
SportWorlds
Sports shop
Children's play area
Starbucks a great place to unwind and use the wifi (At the time of this post they charged for wifi)
The afternoon training session starts around 4pm (ish) depending on how hot it is. The training mirrors the morning session, again afterwards you will eat.
The evening is yours to either relax or pop to the cinema at Fashion Island.
I usually go to sleep by 9:30pm, as being a forty year old fatty I get tired very easily!
by Mandeep Gaygoat
I took the flight with BA from Leeds Bradford Airport to London Heathrow. I thought I would give this trip a go by going paperless, the check in was completed via the BA iPhone app, the boarding passes got stored in passbook (iPhone app). Check-in was a breeze, go to the BA desk scan the iPhone and leave the luggage as per normal. As both flights were with BA the checked-in luggage was tagged for Bangkok.
BA customers can automatically use the fast track, if you are flying with another company you can use it for £3. You wonder that if everybody paid £3 to use it, would it still be called fast track?
Once through security I checked into the lounge. A very basic lounge where one can also pay to get in.
Whilst I was texting with the iPhone it crashed! this shocked me, my electronic boarding passes were stored on it! Luckily after a few minutes the iPhone came back to life. Phew that was close!
The flight which was cheap and cheerful was on a Airbus A319 and took one hour.
At Heathrow I got picked up by Randeep my brother in law and spent a lot of time playing with our niece. She is so active and tired us all out!
Randeep dropped me off at Heathrow Airport terminal 3, as I had already checked in and was issued an electronic boarding pass I went straight to security.
The security queue took thirty minutes, after security I headed over to the BA lounge it was pretty busy and in my opinion over-hyped, hot food was meat meat and more meat. There were some cheeses and cold meats as well as the usual soft and alcoholic drinks.
A friendly Sikh lady, called Manjit came over and asked where I was going, I said Thailand and she explained she lived in Singapore.
She asked what I would like. I said it is fine, I will help myself, she insisted and I asked for some veggie food,which she happily brought over. The look from the other passengers was of disgust….they had to get their own food yet here I am being served!
Wifi speed in the lounge is very poor
The walk from the lounge to the gate is around 10 minutes. I was seated next to two French ladies. The seats was cramped and the ladies kept talking to me in French, I replied “oui” a few times!! After dinner the lady next to me fell asleep, her legs and arms were all over the place, at one point her hand was near my turban. Her friend had enough and complained to the staff about her. The lady who complained was moved to the back of the plane. A few minutes later the stewardesses said to me “we need to move you.” We started walking to the front of the plane, I had a huge smile, we walked through club world I thought “hey! We are going to first”. They sat me down in World Traveller Plus!! Still should not be greedy! The plane was a 747-400 I was moved to seat 14 A
I watched Fast and Furious 6 a action movie, no thinking involved!
These seats were pretty comfortable and I nodded off….
I awoke around 7am GMT to hear the steward announcing that hot food was not safe to serve as the equipment had malfunctioned overnight, whatever is left over from first class we would get!!
After landing at Bangkok, I went through customs and collected my luggage, Master Pimu called to say he will be waiting at gate 4.
It was great to see Master Pimu and Shun (his wife.). First gear (do not call him this to his face!) took us to the gym, the journey takes about an hour.
We arrived at the gym and was greeted by the other students. Simon a student from Birmingham asked if I wanted to see a fight at the stadium, I said yes……do not ask me why, as I was shattered! Think it was the excitement!
Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium or, in Thai, Sanam Muay Rajadamner is an indoor sporting arena located in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with Lumpinee Stadium, the Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern Muay Thai. The stadium has its own ranking system and championship titles up to Middleweight (160 lbs).Muay thai contests are held on every Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The fights usually start around 6.30 p.m. Ticket prices range from 500 (third class) to 3,000 (ring-side) Baht.
In 1941, the Prime Minister of Thailand, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsongkram gave orders to build a national boxing stadium on Rajadamnern Avenue. Imprese Italiane All' Estero-Oriente won the construction rights and the 258,900 baht project foundation stone was laid on March 1, 1941.Due to the lack of construction supplies during the World War II, the project was halted until August 1945. When the war ended and the construction resumed, it took only four months to complete it. The first boxing match was held on December 23, 1945. Tickets were priced at between 70 and 300 Baht. Pramote Puengsoonthorn became the first stadium manager, who remained in the post until his retirement in 1947.The original stadium was an open-air construction, resembling a Roman amphitheatre in design. Six years later, in 1951 a concrete roof was added, making it more convenient and weather-proof. After seven years of government ownership the stadium was running in loss and on May 24, 1953 Chalerm Cheosakul, the stadium manager at he the time, asked permission from the Crown Property Bureau to run the stadium and founded the “Rajadamnern Co Ltd”. The Rajadamnern Co. Ltd operates it to this day and it has become one of the world-renowned boxing stadiums of Muay Thai in Thailand.In 1969, Rocky Marciano attended Rajadamnern as a guest referee for the International Boxing title match between Raksak Wayupuk and Saknoi Sor Kosum. Since then the tradition is kept that the last fight of the night is always an International level fight. Chuwattana Muay Thai & Boxing camp is the official promoter of the Rajadamnern stadium licensed by the Thailand boxing commission.
Gambling is legal and takes place at the second level. The betting is done by hand-signals, as in a stock exchange trading floor. Often such signs are misunderstood by one side and additional fights may erupt outside the ring between gamblers. The security service at Rajadamnern Stadium is managed by armed Military Police officers. Foreigners usually occupy the expensive ringside seats, while gamblers and aficionados prefer the second or third ring of seats upstairs.
There were ten fights, the main fight everybody was excited about was between Saenchai and Kongsak. The fighters were amazing and all we could hear were shins clashing!
Outside the stadium there were various stands selling food, I got a corn on the cob.
As soon as we got back to the gym I put my head down and was out like a light…..
by Mandeep Gaygoat
I am looking into training in Thailand at the WPT Gym in Bangkok. The teacher is called Master Pimu, it is a basic gym with non of the tourist glitz…basically a great place where one wants to learn the art of Muay Thai. There have been and still are many world champions train at this gym.
At the time of writing if you fly into Thailand, UK passport holders are allowed a stay of up to 30 days. Coming in by land you only get 15 days. If one wants to stay longer then 30 days a visa is required.
When I first looked into a visa I requested a 'ED' visa the consul in Birmingham, UK, informed me that they now issue a 'B' visa.
The following documents should be presented to the Thai Consul:
- Correct Fee – £50.00 for single entry and £125.00 for multiple entries (subject to change without notice) Single-entry and multiple-entry visas are valid for three months and one year respectively.
- Visa application form completely filled out & signed
- Passport with not less than 6 months after your return
- Two passport sized photographs taken within the past six months
- Letter of acceptance from the concerned schools/universities or institutes – usually a letter from Master Pimu addressed to yourself inviting you onto a Muay Thai course
- Official Note certifying the purpose of travel from the Government Agencies /Embassies and Consulates / International Organisations / State Enterprises in Thailand. Master Pimu will send you a letter stating the companies registration details, this will be in Thai
It is also a good idea to email the consul your documents have them check it over and confirm everything is in order before you pop down.
The above information can also be found on:
http://www.thailand-visa.com/NonImmigrantVisa.html
You have two choices, post the above to the consul or just visit their offices. I went to the one in Birmingham:
Royal Thai Consulate
One Victoria Square
Birmingham
B1 1BD
Telephone : +44 (0) 121 643 9481
Facsimile: +44 (0) 121 643 9485
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 8.00am until 11.30am
Don't be fooled by the Regus building, go in and ask to see somebody from the Thai Consul. A staff member comes down and checks your paperwork pops up and literally ten minutes later comes back down with your visa! Simple and fast!
Flights with BA were getting expensive so I booked as soon as possible. on the BA website I tried to pay by cash and Avios points (The name for BA frequent flyers miles) the the cost was 50,000 points and £800 in taxes. The standard ticket is £600!
I called customer services who offered me a ticket for £422 and 50,000 points, which is much more reasonable.
The better option would have been buy a world traveller plus and then use the Avios points to upgrade to business.
by Mandeep Gaygoat
The Indian visas should be ready today, as I was not able to check the website (it was down) we decided to go to the office.
I went to the Gurdwara to ask the Gianiji if he knew the best place to hire a scooter. He said no, but offered to give me a lift to the scooter rental. We found one not that far from the hotel the cost was 200 Thai baht, they usually take your passport but as I did not have mine they took 5,000 Thai baht deposit.
It is amazing how confident we have become on the scooter!
We went to the Indian consulate to pick up the visas, she asked us to take a seat. 15 minutes had passed when we got up to ask why is it taking so long. The receptionist said the day we handed in our applications the price had gone up and we had to pay an extra 2250 Thai baht! I was furious, Sangeet told me to keep calm but it was impossible for me to do so! In my view Indians are just people who want to make extra money by hook or crook…….we had already booked our flights so would have been more costly to change, also I wanted to see my good friend Kapil Seth, the only Indian I trust.
I was tempted to say you can take my visa and put it where the sun does not shine! As you can see I was a bit angry!
Sangeet kept me calm and said it is no use we will have to pay the money. We paid and sat back down. I was still fuming. It took a further thirty minutes for her to pick up our passports from her tray which was in arms length to her and pass them to us!
Afterwards we ate at Taiwan restaurant. Then headed to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as “Doi Suthep” although this is actually the name of the mountain it is located on. The temple is located 15 km from the city of Chiang Mai and is a sacred site to many Thai people. From the temple, impressive views of Chiang Mai can be seen and it remains a popular destination for tourists.
Orange material around the tree means it would be sacrilegious to cut down
Taking the cable car to the temple
The original founding of the temple remains a legend and there are a few varied versions. The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 when the first chedi was built. Over time, the temple has expanded, and been made to look more extravagant with many more holy shrines added. A road to the temple was first built in 1935.
We came back, popped into the railway station to buy one way travel to Bangkok. The journey takes 13 hours and costs around 600 Thai baht per person. A very straight forward procedure here are two windows one is information and the other where you can buy the tickets. The staff are very helpful. The train only has second class seats…not looking forward to this!
On the way back we gave the scooter to the hire company and wandered to GIVA for drinks and food.
We had a hot chocolate at U Chiang Mae hotel, which was vey tasty.
U Chiang Mai
70 Ratchadamnoen Road, Sri-Poom
Muang District,
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
T: +66 53 327 000
F: +66 53 327 096
by Mandeep Gaygoat
On a Sunday at 11:0 am the Gurdwara has children’s punjabi classes. The Gianiji has done a fantastic job at setting these up. Whilst Sangeet was helping the teachers, I was sat with the Gianiji and having tea. The class is a mixture of Sikh, Namdhari and Hindu students. The focus is on conversational basic Punjabi (few children in Chiang Mai speak Punjabi or English, their main language is Thai due to schooling) and also Sikhi including reciting Gurbani.
Afterwards we popped to
Taiwan Restaurant
3/2-1 Sri Phum Road (at /btwn Ratchaphakhinai Rd and Muang Mong Rd)
Chiang Mai
Thailand
T: +66 801317718
A vegan restaurant which does good food and at great prices. There was a Thai wedding happening over the road from the restaurant.
Stall making pancakes
Afterwards, Sangeet went to see the buddhist temples of the old city whilst I went back to the hotel and relaxed.
This is a waxwork
Later as I had a wander down Charoenrat Road I bumped into Sangeet as she was returning to the hotel. We decided to pop into
The Meeting Room Art Cafe
89 Charoen Raj Rd
Wat Kate,
Chiang Mai 50000,
Thailand
T:+ 66 8-0627-9219
where we both had strawberry smoothies and tried to avoid looking at some rather erotic art! Then on to the Sunday Night Walking Street Market where I had Durian Ice Cream! Then a final stop at
U Chiang Mai
70 Ratchadamnoen Road, Sri-Poom
Muang District,
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
T: +66 53 327 000
F: +66 53 327 096
for hot chocolate which was rather more expensive than the prices we are now used to paying though very tasty.
by Mandeep Gaygoat
Today we sorted out what clothes to take to Pai, it did not make sense taking two huge back packs to Pai, especially when we were only going for two nights. We left the backpacks at the Gurdwara. The Gianiji had to check with the president if that was okay. Luckily it was, quite amazing the president did not have to call a committee meeting to discuss! (Sarcasm!!) We went over to the Gurdwara to drop bags, chatted to Gianiji for a while, he showed us the library and where Gurmat / Gurmukhi classes are held, we left our back packs there. Gianiji came out with us and hailed a red song thaw for us to take to the bus station. He explained that the standard charge for these is 20 baht (per person), wherever in Chiang Mai you are going. That makes the 250 THB we paid to the Songthaw driver last night seem very steep!!
We were at the Arcade bus station (terminal 3) by 11am, so in good time.
I look miserable because there was a screaming child getting on the same bus!
There was a lot of activity at the bus station, including people handing out sim cards – I took one, well it was free!
The journey
Stopping at the services
Our minivan was packed. There was no room inside for passenger luggage so it went on top of the van. We set off at exactly 1130 and tried to make ourselves comfortable for the next three hours. The minivan was clean and the ride fairly comfortable, though the driver would speed over bumps every so often leaving us a bit shaken! We sped up 107 and then turned onto 1095 near Khilek where the views were very scenic.
Police check point
We drove through amazing unspoilt forest, climbing up some very steep and bendy roads. We saw villagers going about their everyday business. There were some stunning wats (Buddhist temples) to be seen along the way and the mountain views were truly spectacular. We arrived in Pai at 2.45pm. The iPhone map displayed Phu Pai Art Resort (where we had booked accommodation) as being around 1.5km from the centre of town, so we decided to walk. Map was wrong – again!
After almost half an hour of walking in the sweltering heat, some locals explained that the resort was actually 5km out of town (which is what we were expecting) in the opposite direction!! So we went back into town with the intention of catching a taxi. We ended up at a vegan restaurant :
Chew Xin Jai
222 Moo 4
T. Wingtai
Pai
Thailand
T: +66 85 7173628
Shrine at the back of the restaurant
Restaurant from the outside
The restaurant owner was very helpful and gave us a map showing us exactly where our accommodation is and also directed us to where we can hire a scooter, after a delicious meal, we headed to the scooter hire company, walked round quite a bit, searched for an ATM, picked up the scooter and headed to the resort. With all the walking we did, we actually managed to see most of the centre in the space of a couple of hours. Pai seems very relaxed and a bit of a hippy town. People seem to come here to get away from the troubles of life.
Arranging the scooter rental
On the scooter
Back at the hotel, we were blown away by just how tranquil the setting of the resort was. We were the only guests around – our own personal resort!
Phu Pai Art Resort
92 Moo.1 T. Mae Na Theung A.Pai
Mae Hong Son, Thailand 58130
T: +66 53-065 111
E: [email protected]
W: www.phupai.com www.thailand-resort.net
Outside shower
After relaxing on the verandah admiring the view for a while,
we popped over to the lobby for a stronger wifi connection so we could make some arrangements to extend our trip a little and arrange necessary transport / accommodation. It got very cold at around 8 / 9pm, it’s a strange feeling, something we haven’t experienced for a while!
The resort at night
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