Horizon Muay Thai Camp

We are now safely ensconced in Horizon Muay Thai (thai boxing) camp for the next four to five weeks, having slogged all our stuff up from Beam Bungalows up the steep path to our new hut. Still suffering a bit from jet lag and the heat we took a day to chill out and do nothing ,then I was due to start my training the day before Charl started her course. So what then happened to me just as I was due to start? What else but a visit from the old nemesis, Tonsillitis.

Coincidentally the last time I had tonsillitis was when I was staying on Koh Tao, just a couple of miles to the north, when I was visiting Thailand three years ago. Must be something to do with the change of environment, jet lag and long journeys. Frustratingly that was me in the sick bay for a couple of days. I'm not very good at either being ill or having to wait to start stuff so I had to make an effort not to slip into a habitual grump.

Horizon's huts and gym occupy a rocky headland in between the two beaches, Haad Tien and Haad Yuan. From our balcony we have a view over the bay which is definitely one of the best around. Basically we got lucky because accommodation round here is tighter then I've ever seen before in Thailand.

Horizon at Dusk seen from the opposite headland

Our hut's basic but spacious. We were to find out we were sharing it with big and small Gecko's, a colony of termites, several large hunstmen spiders a variety of different ants and a funny looking small scorpion - after Borneo though we seem to be pretty much immune to all that.

Muay Thai training is twice a day, sun – fri, two hours per session. Training normally consists of skipping and stretching to warm up, then shadow boxing, then rotating between using the bags and sparring in the ring with the trainers or each other.

Practising on the bags

Having missed the first three days of my prepaid training with tonsillitis I was busting to get started so proceeded to make thirteen of the the next fifteen sessions. Top marks for commitment but I was I soon found out that is too much for your body to cope with if you're not already in top shape.

One of the Will's demonstrating the jump punch

By the end of this I was nursing a strained shoulder, stiff back, swollen feet, strained groin muscle and several large purple bruises up and down my legs. A particularly painful Thai oil massage, including the excruciatingly agonising armpit tendon pinch of death, seemed to sort my shoulder out. Then I drifted into a slightly more sedate routine of missing the morning session, instead going for a long swim and using the weights in the Gym then joining in training in the afternoon, which most of the guy who were there for a month or so seemed to slip into. It only works out about sixty quid per week for the training so when you've booked for a month you don't feel too bad about missing the occasional session.

I also found out about three weeks in that the combination of sunbathing, training, not drinking enough water then going out on the beers is a very easy way to give yourself heatstroke – another couple of days in the sickbay for me.

With all of the healing and alternative therapy focus down at The Sanctuary life at Horizon provides a good contrast for me. I always find it amusing when Charl is describing in great detail some yogic philosophy about self realisation and all I can offer in response is an enthusiastic report about the new flying elbow move I learnt in training today. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement that keeps my mind a bit active with trying the understand some of her course content, and Charl a bit grounded so she's not going to sell all her worldly possessions and go and live in a tree somewhere.

Leaving Dinner for Carlsten - a guy who had been staying for 2 months here.

People tend to book in here for a minimum of two weeks so it lends some nice consistency to it on the social side. It generally seems to be full, with a slow rotation on a new person or two coming in every week or so. The staff are, as you'd expect from Thai's, a particularly chilled out bunch of people. There's a couple of three/four year old boys who are around some of the time, whose main activity seems to be Farang (that's us) baiting. Many an afternoon nap on the floor cushions has been rudely interrupted by a pair of three year old knees landing on your abdomen having launched themselves from the table, still when you grow up in a kickboxing camp I guess that's inevitable.

Charl & The amusing named Boat (sure that's not the thai spelling but that's what it sounds like)

Once or twice a week the Thai's go into the main town, Thong Sala, to watch or participate in Muay Thai fights. I went in one night with them as two of our trainers had fights. It's fair to say they don't seem to take it too seriously at this level as I certainly didn't spot any training going on unless it was disguised as drinking, smoking or playing poker.

One of the trainers Phu is an absolute legend. He was out partying until eight on sat morning, then again through to seven am on Sunday morning. Monday, looking decidedly under the weather, he tells us he is fighting that night.

In Order left to right: Phu, Ma, Peng & Nuk

Making our way to the main town, Thong Sala,we watched the first of our trainers, Ma, be outmatched by a much bigger Thai, the equivalent, of a welterweight vs a heavyweight, and unfortunately he was out by KO in the 2nd round. Phu's fight was the headliner, his opponent looked young and fit, Phu looked hungover (he's also well into his thirties by this stage). It looked all over after about a minute as an impossibly quick kick to the thigh had left him limping. By the end of the first round however he had recovered and was simply soaking up everything the youngster could throw at him. Then in the second he proceeded to give a demonstration of the full range of muay thai kicks, punches and elbows. There were knockdowns on both sides and one comedy moment where Phu was just standing there with his guard down taking the blows just to show he could. In the end the ref stopped it shortly into the fourth and gave Phu the fight – experience obviously won over youth and speed in this instance. Video of the fight is available on my facebook page (too big a file for the blogsite)

All in all it's been ideal for me be staying and training here. Without it I would be turning into a vegetable on the beach or spending money I don't have out on the party scene here and slipping into nocturnal mode. We've met some good people so a big hello to both the Will's, Levi, Holga,and all at Horizon is you ever end up reading this.

Chilling between training sessions

We're into our last week as I write. Charl has three more days of course left and I will scale down on training, partly due to a jarred neck and pulled abdominals. We'll maybe enjoy a few drinks at a couple of the parties around, do a spot of diving and top up the tan's. In ten days time we'll be enjoying the hospitality of the Merrit's Back in Sydney. I'm looking forward to getting back on my surfboard and hopefully squeezing in a round of golf.

Training in progress (Si in the injury bay at this stage)

Si in Training - I had by this time pulled my inter-costal rib muscles so was only doing light training and avoiding left sided moves, gives you an idea of what we got up to though

More training - Still carrying the rib injury so not really at full pace again!