The Camp

I arrived at the training camp yesterday. The driver picked me up at the airport after I caught a short flight from Bangkok. He drove uncomfortably fast and slalomed past motorbikes as if they were mobile parking cones. I couldn’t help but think that this isn’t exactly what I expected. There was no distinct smell in the air as there has been in many of the other countries I’ve been to and I had troubles not comparing my surroundings to Brazil.

Well—not Brazil exactly. There are elements of Brazil and the landscape one might see in many Latin American countries. The roads followed the natural landmarks like streams and hills and are built wide enough for the motorbikes to ride on the shoulder if they are carrying more than three passengers. And there’s no reason to stop unless something physically obstructs your way. Even at stoplights, the driver would press through unless the opposing traffic pulled out in front of him.

There was a beach-town feel to the surroundings on the drive in. The roadside was speckled by intermittently placed shops and hulking vacant apartment complexes masonry made and either whitewashed or painted in pastel colors. Most of the advertisements were in English—and almost everyone was wearing sandals.

The driver pulled up to the secluded training camp in the middle of the morning workout so I was greeted by the sights sounds and smells of about 70 fighters of various calibers hitting pads, kicking bags, sparring and sweating profusely. It was a dizzying sight.

Negotiations for my room went well enough. I have my own bed and currently have my own bathroom but I’m hoping to downgrade to a room without air conditioning or a private bathroom.

The camp is broken up into three primary stations: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. The Beginner level is closest to the roadside offices and is split into two sections. The first section to the right is on the ground level and from what I saw yesterday this is a larger area where the fighters can work on technique in a large space and where group lessons are taught. On the left is a ring—where two beginner level students threw awkward jabs and tried not to tear up when they hit each other in the faces. This is where I’ll start.

Past the beginner level is a small restaurant on the right but looks more like a dark wooden snack bar with a cooking range in the back. The fare is standard (I suppose) with many egg dishes offered along with protein shakes.

Beyond that is the advanced level where ripped, mean-looking dudes take turns hitting each other on the stomachs in between rounds of jumping on tires. This is where I hope to be.

The intermediate section is the largest and the furthest back in the camp. There are two boxing style rings with ropes as well as a chain-link cage for MMA and a large ground section covered in ¼ in. blue mats.

The entire camp is surrounded by the fighter accommodations. It also seems that many of the fighters training here have rented motorbikes to get around. I’m going to look into that in the morning.