headed back home!

Sawadee!! So, I set out last night around 9pm Thai time (10am US) for my long journey home. Im in Korea now awaiting my flight to Chicago then back to good old Philly. I didnt write as much as I would have like to but that was due to the really limited internet connection in Rawai. I hope you got a taste of what I experienced and in some way it may have inspired you to set out and explore! The experience and instruction I got were unlike anything I imagined. I had an opportunity to train in an art that I love in its homeland. The camp was great and had people from all over the world whom I became very close with over the last two weeks. Needless to say it was really hard to leave.
Thanks for following along with me and I can't wait to see everyone. I have some excellent things to show you!
Lonnie

Great night of fights and culture!

It was a great night for Rawai Muay Thai at Bangla Boxing Stadium last night. We had four fighters entered and won three! The last fight of the night was the money fight and was the most exciting of them all. Boss was sadly knocked out with a flying knee but showed more heart than I have ever seen with my own eyes! After being knocked down he would press his opponent like a tank moving forward. The other fighter was just too much for Boss and claimed the victory for his camp with a solid performance.
The motive behind his drive is unlike anything I can understand. He kept getting up because he HAD to. There was no tossing in the towel or spitting out the mouthpiece as a signal of quit. He needed to forge forward with everything he had until his legs couldn't handle movement. To see someone fight with a heart that big was a really moving experience for me.
The night was filled with great Thai culture that included traditional Thai music, exciting gambling on the fighters and the camaraderie and respect between rival camps. This is something everyone should set out to experience!

Ready for the fights!

Tonight, our camp is headed to Patong City to watch a few of our guys fight in Bangla Stadium. It will be my very first experience in a real Thai Boxing stadium. I hear the culture is a rich as anything in this world.
Over the last few days I've been training alongside of a few kids who range from 8-16 years old. They are all Thai and all there for one reason,; to win the fight and make money for the family. Its truly amazing to see just how hard these kids train. Compared to our 4-6 hours days (training) they are there double. I can't imagine being eight years old and having my whole family rely on me to bring home the money. It's all at the risk of blowing out a knee, sustaining a concussion or breaking a bone which is easy to do in what many call "the most devastating striking art in the world". I admire the heart these boys have and I have developed a fond sense respect for them in the short time I've been here. Needless to say, tonight's fights in Bangla stadium will be more than just a victory designated in the win column of their record, it will also ensure a few more meals for the family. I can't wait to experience this passion!

a few pics

For some reason these are the only photos I could get to upload. I'll try some more later.

Bottom pic of me is after 10 - 5 minute rounds with Boss. He was laughing at my face and decided to take a picture of me exhausted. He is a 22 year old Thai Champion who's idea of making me work harded included insults about my age

;-)

a king cobra eat my finger!

no, not me. that was what the four fingered snake charmer named Ting said to me earlier today. I guess he's not as charming as his grandmother tells him he is. What a sight that was. Watching a man play with the king of snakes much like it was a stuffed animal. It was reall nerve racking to be sitting about five feet from him while all this was going on too. Not to many rules here, so it was easy to see how things can get out of control, fast!
Today, I also made the hike to the world's largest Buddha statue at the top of a mountain near Phuket town. That was close to one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. 30 meters high and made soley out of marble. Check it out if you have a chance.
Sorry for not posting pics. my computer got stolen in Korea when going through security. The sneaky person was not to sneaky when they caught him. Unfortunately it was after I left so they sent it back home. Perfect timing! I'll try to find a way to shoot you some pics.
Today is rest, but back on the bag tomorrow. Dont these people know that the sabbath is a rest day?

Hot in Phuket

So i reached here last night at around 12 am Thai time. Noon for all of you back home. Im writing you from a tiny laptop with \Thai letters so excuse my grammatical errors.
I did my first session of training tooday with the class and threw over 5,000 punches. Nai was counting!The training was hard mstly due to the 95 degree weather and 100% humidity. I felt great training and cant wait for tonights session with Tuk a muay thai champion! Im fitting right in here and enjoying everything about it. Waiting for some resopnses to keep me busy guys! Talk soon
Lon

Almost there!

Hey Everyone,
Im hanging here in the Seoul Airport in South Korea after a nice 14 hour flight. We flew from Chicago and headed north over Canada, into Russia and down through China. It was a really nice flight with some spectacular and really unbelievable views.
I remember when I was little and I imagined how big this world was but today, with internet, facebook blogger etc... , its easy to connect to anyone, anytime. It makes everything seem so much smaller and accessible. I'll tell you that after my flight and being so far away from my finacee Gabi, my family and all of you at the gym that Ive never felt smaller. This world is big, get out there and see it with your own eyes!
Talk to you all once I reach Phuket.

Three more weeks!

Hey guys,

I have been having some trouble logging into this blog over the last few weeks but, I figured it all out! Anyway, I wanted to update you all on the status of my training and my trip. I have been training everyday in order to prepare myself for Thailand. I would like to send a special thanks to Steve Maze for helping me with my conditioning and everyone in my kickboxing class. Training with them will for sure help me be the best I can be over there.

I leave on the 13th of October and the flight over will take about 27 hours with very short layovers in Chicago and Seoul, South Korea. I will arrive in Phuket around 11pm just in time to hit the bunk and wake up bright-eyed ready for my first day of six hours of Muay Thai! I hope you will all follow along with me in my journey. I will update this blog everyday with super-exciting, don't wanna miss this, unbelievable stories from the mother land of kickboxing. Stay tuned kids!

Lonnie

hey guys,
These past few weeks have been great training for all of us. Getting Keith prepped for his fight last Saturday took a toll on all of us. Going that many rounds holding mitts, pads and exchanging punches and kicks with a fighter deserves great accolades. Your hard word and motivation lead to another Dragon Gym victory in the ring. Keith did a great job and won by judges unanimous decision making his record 2-0. Congrats again!

Update

Hey everyone,
As some of you may have heard major protests in Bangkok have stopped. The Red Shirts have returned to their homes and the government has seemed to have made some small compromises. The Red Shirts are still under heavy pressure to hand over their leader former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the current government but no agreement has been reached. For now the violence has stopped and the people of Thailand can now begin to work constructively toward a resolution.
On the other hand, I spoke with Tuk Rawai (Head Instructor of Rawai Muay Thai) and everything is "everyday normal" in Phuket. His fighters are still training everyday and preparing for fights. He also said that none of the political turmoil had reached Phuket which is in the south of Thailand. As for me I'm preparing for a great experience and will need each students help in order to be ready. Talk soon.

Lonnie

Whats going on in Thailand

So, most of you may have heard about the upheaval in Thailand. Here is what I know from a birds-eye view. There is a large group of people who staged a non-violent protest in Bangkok wearing red t-shirts a few months ago. The red shirts are accusing the government of buying votes in the last election and other tampering with the election process. This postponed the election that was scheduled in November of 2009 and has still not taken place nearly 8 months later. In addition to that, the government is also being accused of creating and signing a treaty without the proper votes from Parliament. Both of these are in violation of the Constitution of Thailand and are punishable under Thai law. The Red Shirts surrounded the main government building and demanded that the responsible parties be brought to justice and have also set up a large camp in a posh residential section of the capitol. Currently the Red Shirts are accusing the government of attempting to amend the constitution in order to evade prosecution which has fueled the fire even more.
There have been talks of agreements and treaty’s between the current government and the Red Shirts but nothing has transpired. To date there has been some violence and just yesterday the leader of the Red Shirts was shot with intent to kill. He survived the incident but this has taken the protest to a different level.
As of now the U.S. Department of State has issued travel warnings for its citizens traveling to Thailand. Hopefully this situation will be resolved leaving Thailand and its people free from this violence.

First Post

Hey Everyone,

This blog is to update you guys on my future travel plans to Thailand later this year. I am planning to go for the purpose of training in the art of Muay Thai Kickboxing a.k.a Thaiboxing. This art was created in Thailand hundreds of years ago and began it fast rise to popularity in recent years. My plans are to travel to the island of Phuket and train at the Rawai Muay Thai Camp for about 10 days.

Each day will consist of rigorous 2 hours of training 3 times per day and will end with me entering the ring against a real Thai fighter in a full contact Muay Thai match. Upon successful completion of the camp I will potentially be awarded the title of Kru or "high instructor" in the art of Muay Thai.

I hope you will all follow along with me in this once in a lifetime experience. I'll be keeping you posted!