Martial Arts in the Thai Countryside
Thailand Trip Part 3
My week in Bangkok was fun. But I felt overwhelmed by the language barrier and the craziness of the big city. Then I moved on to what I felt was the main draw to Thailand: training Muay Thai kick-boxing.1
I purposely chose Muay Thai Battle Conquer to get away from the touristy areas of Bangkok and Phuket. They are out in the Petchabun countryside north of Bangkok. It’s about three to four hours by taxi or five hours by bus.2
The draw is training martial arts and practicing yoga in the beautiful and authentic Thai countryside. They offer fitness and wellness packages. Wellness sounded frilly so I went with the fitness package. But the wellness seems like a good deal with more access to excursions, massages, and yoga classes.
Lodging and food were included. My stay was at a rustic cabin with cold showers. But the bed was comfy and electronics worked well. Hotel/motel rooms are also available. You can buy consumables like fancy coffee, sunscreen and protein shakes at local shops. Prices are very reasonable.
Breakfast and dinner are served starting around 9 AM and 5 PM after the training sessions. These are big meals including chicken, eggs, rice, veggies, salad and fruit. There’s also a raw vegan option. Then for lunch you are on your own with toast, PBJ or cheese sandwiches, and fruit available.
What surprised me here was how late breakfast was and early dinner was. I usually often showered up after training so showed up closer to 6 for dinner. In the States I would eat something light like yogurt before training. Then a heavier lunch and dinner after.
I’ve never dialed in my nutrition as an athlete. I’ve heard of people tracking their macro-nutrients (carbs, protein, and fat), but never took it seriously. It’s helpful to get a general idea of what athletes eat.
Bangkok to Petchabun and Back
My previous post touched on my experience with buses in Thailand. Long story short, the bus station didn’t have toilet paper (yuck). But they give you a nice little snack and stop for lunch on the long journey. 3
The training camp offers a “door to door service”. A Thai local will help you get the right bus ticket, get to the bus on time, and to the resort. It’s closer to 3500 bhat (~$100) vs buying the ticket yourself on 12go for like $15. You could also taxi the whole way.
My experience navigating the Thai transportation system myself felt pennywise and pound foolish. For example, how to negotiate the right price with local taxi drivers. Then I was in the wrong position to catch the bus on my way back to Bangkok and ran late. In hind-sight the full service option seems like a good deal.
What Do You Do There?
The main draw is martial arts. The classes draw on both the Thai kickboxing and western boxing styles. My biggest lesson there was improving my footwork. The instructors pointed out I was heavy on my feet. My position hindered me throwing a great roundhouse kick.
There’s also fitness type activities. For example, cross-fit training classes involve pushing a truck two kilometers. Or “ab attack” - a 25 minute ab workout before the main afternoon class.
Then there’s the yoga. These classes are more oriented towards the wellness retreat people. They have both mellow meditations and intense acro-yoga style classes.
Finally there’s various excursions. You can go meet Buddhist monks, explore nature, go to the night market in town, shoot guns, and check out local farms. Smokes and drinks are available in town.
When I got there I was a bit heavy on the dollars and light on the local bhat. So I tried to bike to the nearest bank. Well it turned out Google Maps took me to a field with snakes in it. Which is metaphorically similar to a bank, but didn’t meet my needs.
Training at MTBC was my favorite part of the trip to Asia. I would 100% recommend it and do it again. Especially to get the fuck out of Minnesota winter.
Until next time, stay hungry, stay foolish.
Love your take on banks and snakes!