Beaches and Muay Thai

On my first night in Hua Hin, unsure of what to do, I found a sign saying there were Muay Thai fights every Tuesday and Saturday.  It was Tuesday.  I couldn't not go.

There were five fights, and the first fight was won by KO.  Muay Thai is rhythmic and flowy compared to normal boxing, and traditional Muay Thai music was playing.  Just to try it out (I'm not quitting capoeira, don't worry!), the next day I signed up for a 101 in Muay Thai.  I took the 1-on-1 session this morning, and good god my shin is red from all of the kicks I threw.  My right fist felt like it was ready to give out too.

While clearly two different styles, I found a few subtle similarities between Muay Thai and Capoeira, including shifting your weight into your kicks, keeping yourself relaxed until you attack, and the common roundhouse/martelo and front kick/chapa kicks.  The instructor was actually impressed seeing how I did on my first time. :)

There are two beaches I saw in the area.  One was in Hua Hin, and apparently just isn't as good (a lot of shellfish), and so I had to trek 5 km south (by bike one day, and a small bus the other) to get to the good beach.  This good beach also has a small mountain filled with monkeys who WILL steal your shit if you're not careful.

Next stop is Trang.  It's far and obscure, but I managed to secure a bus ticket tonight.