You're Going Where?: Thailand....day 2

I started today by sleeping in; or so I thought....it was actually about 7am. So I decided to go for a walk to check out the area. I figured I'd start small and work my way outward. Thing is Bangkok is kind of like Manhattan. 8 am and there are people everywhere and the streets are packed like rush hour. There was a park near my hotel, it too was reminiscent of Manhattan as in it was exactly like Central Park, only much smaller. Buried right off a major road and adjacent to the highway, it was strangely quiet and peaceful. The even had those dirty little flying rats I call Philadelphia pigeons. I wonder if I will be eating one in the upcoming days. Laughing, but not....

A cool temple was in the center of the park.

I walked a small section of the city and although some things were very strange, many things had a comfortable familiarity.7 11s, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, various banks, and of course.....

Coke!!

I took a break for lunch in my room. I needed to cool off a bit, and wasn't quite ready to tackle the street food. Baby steps....

A whole new experience in Pad Thai....

there are super tiny shell on shrimp pan fried in it!

I walked a little more and then came back. I was stopped by a guy in the parking lot of my hotel asking me if I was going to see the fights tonight. I looked were he was pointing and saw the display of fighters. I didn't even realize that it was one of the 2 national stadiums here. It is run by the Army and proceeds help fund various needs they have. It is a great idea, maybe MMA can donate some of their millions to the military. Anyway, I can now check that off my bucket list....see a Muay Thai fight in Thailand....check!

I got a ticket from the hotel for only $2400....oops I mean Baht....about $80 The ticket was ringside VIP. I was leery, but sure enough I walked over and was escorted right in....nice!

There is a lot going on besides the actual fighting. Here is a short explanation of the pre-fight ceremony. Rather than a flashy entrance to loud music like our fighters do; the Thai fighters pre fight ritual is all about reverence and respect.

The meaning of the traditional pre fight muay thai dance ritual

Performing the whole wai kru ram muay is tougher than it looks.
Most thai fighters make this traditional muay thai dance look easy with their fluent and graceful motions… I on the other hand sucked when I first tried the entire wai kru ram muay!
But if you’re serious about muay thai and want to compete in it one day or if you would just like to know more about the rich muay thai traditions like the wai kru or the ram muay, scroll down and start reading!

What Is The Wai Kru Ram Muay?

The traditional muay thai dance ritual is composed of 2 parts. The wai kru and the ram muay. It’s performed before the fight with traditional sarama or muay thai music.
The Wai is a traditional greeting by the thai people where they put their hands together like a prayer. Kru means teacher. As a whole the wai kru is a way to pay respect to your coaches, gym, training partners and family. The wai kru is the portion of the muay thai dance where the fighter circles the ring 3 times before kneeling and bowing 3 times to show respect to God and man.

ram muay wai kru muay thai dance ritual pre fight

Ram means dance and Muay means boxing… so put them together and you got a ‘boxing dance!’ The ram muay is simple (or complex) movements that the fighter demonstrates to the crowd to show their style and control. Each ram muay is personal and unique ranging from very elaborate to easy and simple. Sometimes you are able to tell what gym the fighter trains at because most fighters from the same gym have a similar ram muay wai kru.

While performing this pre fight ritual, muay thai fighters where headbands known as Mongkols and armbands known as Prajioud which each have their own unique meanings, history and powers behind them!