Day 9: Sunday, the rest day. The rest day at this camp is either adventure-filled or completely the opposite. I didn't even see most of the nak muays, they pretty much stay to their rooms sleeping or blasting music. Pornsaneh was gone the entire day, leaving on motorbike in the AM.
Muu fights at Lumpinee on the 19th. Although the promise of seeing all these guys in action is flat out awesome, aside from Pornsaneh, seeing Muu (Yodkhunpon) excites me the most. Taken from the Sitmonchai website:
"One of the top ten fighters in his weight division at Lumpini stadium, Yodkhunpon is also regarded for his knockout record. The Thai press have named him the "new Pornsaneh" and his fights also demonstrate the Sitmonchai sensibility -- powerful punches and low kicks."
I'll throw a video up of him hitting pads on facebook. He's about 17 years old and packs some serious power. He was my first sparring partner and showed he isn't all smashy-smashy, he's got plenty of flash...y....flashy. I'm not deleting that.
Very relaxed day, plenty of sleeping, reading, resting and obscene howling. Ah yes, let me let you in on the noises of Sitmonchai.
First, we have the handicapped rooster. Is he really mentally challenged? No. I think he may be broken though, I hope they kept the receipt. He may crow/yell/whatever they do incessantly anywhere between 1pm - 2pm, 12:00am - 12:30am, and 3am - 4am almost every single day. At none of those times does anyone need a wake up call. Brendan just loves this thing, ask him about it.
Next, we have the howling dogs. There are a set of train tracks about a 1/4 mile from the camp which of course carry a train through the town and into neighboring towns. Now there are no gates that come down when the tracks run through the street so the train simply barrel-asses through ripping on it's horn for quite a distance before and after it passes the street area. Again, the times for this train are: Sometime in the afternoon, sometime during dinner and right when you finally achieve your 2nd REM cycle of sleep. The horn really isn't too bad, EVERY SINGLE DOG IN THE SURROUNDING 1/2 MILE RADIUS INCLUDING THE ONES IN THE CAMP howling at it is, though. Of course when one dog hears another dog howling, it either needs to match the howl or strain itself to the point of turning the howl into a rape scream. Not even slightly exaggerating, Brendan and I woke up simultaneously on the first night at like 4am staring at eachother in what must've looked like a fair mix of fear/anger. I thought there must be some sort of Thailand Chupacabra scavenging the farmlands of Thamaka, scooping up little kids and dogs for snacktime. I'll try to record this auditory massacre.
Second to last, we have the neighbors. Again, 4am is definitely the busy time for this country. They truly do run on a different timetable than we do in the States. The streets are busy throughout the night, motorists making their way to god knows where, houses blasting music, most business still selling their wares into the wee hours of the morning. The neighbors to the camp love blasting some booty-bumpin' jams at all hours throughout the day. I think they just put their subwoofer face-down onto the ground because our window shakes.
Last, but certainly not least, Mapraao. Remember that little dog Pii A bought for Pornsaneh I mentioned a few posts back? Yeah, quite the mouth on him. Whether he's antagonizing the other dogs, yipping at the baby, humping people's legs or yelping from getting whacked by some of the nak muays for peeing, pooping or chewing on things..just shrill, right-through-your-skull, crappy little dog barks. I'm sure once it finally learns, it'll be a decent dog. Until then, harumpf to you, Mapraao.
Day 10: Lots of rain today, plenty of storms rolling by. Training outside, underneath it all is just plain awesome. You get the cool breeze of the wind without having to deal with the rain that comes with it. You can see the flashes of lightning miles away in the fields. Managed 5 rounds with Kru Daam today, one round of leg kicks and one round of hands included. After the afternoon run, we skip for 20 mins with the heavy ropes. Thank god for the heavy rope I have back at home, my shoulders would be trash otherwise. Still can't left kick and my left knee is kinda shoddy but hopefully the toe recovers sooner than later. Brendan took a video of me for a round as per my request and it further affirmed by belief that you never look as powerful as you think you do haha. I remember hitting pads thinking I was laying waste to them only to watch the video and spent most of it laughing at my power or lack of. I can feel a change though, hitting full blast for five, four minute rounds. Feels good maaaaaan. Got some more sparring in with Pornsaneh, always fun. Always a good dose of reality.
Felt a bit of a sinus problem coming on (yes, they're back. damn soy intake.) and I decided to give the Oil of Oregano jazz my mother gave me a crack. 3 drops in my water plus my electrolyte pack and I woke up feeling much better today. Not only does it help with a number of things, it tastes like oregano...sweet, sweet oregano. How I miss you, Italian herbs and spices.
I'm also re-reading The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. There is a chapter on sleep that is probably the best and most informative read in the entire book. Go steal, buy or download the book. Even if you aren't interested in the Paleo/Primal diet, it's a really funny read with scientifically backed facts.
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