I Spent 2 Weeks Training Muay Thai in Thailand.

My first time solo traveling to Thailand to train Muay Thai Kickboxing for 2 weeks. A cinematic keepsake through my lens. Stop 1: Phuket, Thailand. Throughout my 3 night stay in Phuket, I chose to stay just off of the famous 'Fitness Street'. Training Muay Thai out of Tiger Muay Thai where I experienced my first ever group training and private 1:1 session to kick the trip off. Followed up with a 1:1 private session on day 2 with legendary Ajarn Wat of Bangtao Muay Thai. An absolutely beautiful, state of the art MMA training facility in the heart of Bangtao Beach. Stop 2: Bangkok. BKK was a lot to take in, at first. I'm actually a fan of congested, smog infested, vibrant cities. But something about BKK felt off, until I started to get a lay of the land and understand how this city that never sleeps operates. Once I got the hang of this place, I fell in love and didn't want to leave. From China Town night market, to getting backstage access to filming professional ONE Fighter Surylunek at LUMPINEE Stadium, to training at the famous YOKKAO Training Centre and Superbon Training Camp. This was an unbelievable experience. All while staying in the heart of Sukhumvit District. Stop 3: Khlong Lan. Khlong Lan is located approximately 5-6 hours north of Bangkok. Yes, I rented a car in Thailand and drove 6 hours north to train in the most authentic Muay Thai gym environment. I ended up a small town called Khlong Lan, training at Singha Khlong Lan Gym and welcomed with open arms. Throughout the 2 hours of training they put me through, to letting me film cinematic content of the team going through an evening workout and taking me to a local restaurant to fire up the grills in the back and cook me authentic Thai food. While not one person spoke a lick of English, this was by far one of top most wholesome experiences of my life. Next time I visit Thailand, I will 100% be making an effort to visit my friends at Signha Khlong Lan Muay Thai Gym. Stop 4: Panthum Thani. What better Muay Thai training experience than to train at Sangtiennoi Gym, crowned one of the most hardcore Muay Thai Training Camps in all of Thailand. I remember during my first training session in Thailand in Phuket, one of the trainers asked what other gyms I will be visiting in the bangkok area. I non-chalantly mentioned 'Sangtiennoi'.. The demeanour of the professional Muay Thai Trainer's face at TIger Muay Thai immediately went cold as he said 'Ah. Yes. Sangtiennoi very good gym. Very difficult training'. And the Kru at Tiger Muay Thai wasn't lying. I stayed on site at Sangtiennoi Gym for 3 nights. Training consisted of a morning session that lasts 3 hours and an evening session that lasts another 3 hours. If you're staying on site, you're fed breakfast and dinner, and the food was cooked by the owner's Mother who was making some of the healthiest, clean and deliscious post-training meals. This training camp was brutal. It was humbling. No video could do this place justice. The trainers would beat you down just enough to build you back up.This sounds odd but, one of the coolest experiences of my life was witnessing an evening class at Sangtiennoi Muay Thai Gym begin. Watching from the sidelines as everyone silently shadowboxes in their own territory on the old school rug mats. As the pad holding trainers finish gearing up, all of a sudden the silence breaks with loud grunts and shins smashing the pads. It was almost as if the gym had this aura and truly comes to life as soon as these sessions kick off. It was an experience that is very difficult to explain, but it was truly a beautiful sight. Stop 5: Bangkok. To wrap up the trip, I spent a few more nights in Bangkok where I had the opportunity to film one of Sangtiennoi's Fighter's Brandol Mendoza at Rajadamnern Stadium. Yes, literally standing on the damn ring in between rounds filming a fighter. To wrap up the trip, I found myself continuing to go back to YOKKAO Training Centre for group classes and had my very last session in Bangkok with legendary World Champion Muay Thai Fighter, Superlek. A humbling experience meeting and getting to train with a legend of a fighter. All in all, this was the best trip I've ever been on in my life. I said yes to everything, I truly went with the flow and didn't stress about where I would be gravitated to next. This was the best experience I've ever had in my life, in just a short two weeks. I guess it goes to show how important freely solo traveling can be for us. Thank you everyone for watching a little visual diary of some of my favourite moments captured through my lens during my 2 week stay in Thailand. Until we meet again, Thailand. Kap. - RoyalZ