"You get what you paid for."
Preparing myself....
I'm surprised that one of the first thoughts I had when getting to Thailand was, "You get what you paid for". It must be the jumbled collection of buildings with mixed in with advertising, and run down shacks all set with a backdrop of the lush green jungles.
Thailand certainly is a colorful and beautiful country. Also a warm country. I've already seen the "Thailand Smile" and the Thai "Wai" (ไหว้). Now, I'll just have to get out of my shell and speak some of the little Thai that I know.
In order to get from the Airport to Tiger Muay Thai, I booked the driver pick up service. I believe his name was Mr. Choomporn but, I'm not certain. During my small talk attempts I went over a couple of Thai phrases to see if I was saying them right:
sà-wàt-dii khráp, "Meaning hello/goodbye"
sà-baai-dii "Meaning I'm fine"
Fighter's Street
Besides that, I tried asking about food or places to see. The driver kindly replied to all saying, "There is a lot in Phuket". So I left it at that, letting Ra Ra Rasputin fill the empty air of the drive. Once we arrived, I finally got to see the famed Tiger Muay Thai. The place is pretty nice but it isn't as big as I thought. Don't get me wrong, it is still one of the biggest places on "Fighter's Street" but the video is a bit deceiving.
This street does have one good thing, there are a lot of restaurants. There is also a tattoo shop, massage parlor, and cannabis dispensary every ten feet. If that's your thing, then you'll love fighter's street. Me? I'll be trying the food and getting away from fighter's street to see more of Phuket.
Moana's Kitchen
The only food I had yesterday (real food, not plane food), was from a small restaurant called Moana's Kitchen. I ordered something simple; Banana Smoothie with Chicken and Rice. Simple and good. It cost me 280 Thai Bhat. Which is around 8 dollars. Not bad but I know it was a little expensive due to it being on "Fighter's Street".
What I want to do in March
Monthly
For March I'd like to get used to the "Thailand Lifestyle". Get into the habit of training, studying, and working on the blog, website, videos. In order to set a better goal there should be some kind of measurement. So, by the end of March I want to be:
Training 5-6 times a week (Mon-Sat)
Making a video each week
Making an Instagram post each week
Writing a blog post two times a week
These would be "Productive Goals". Things that are meant to help my... job. (Weird to think that this one day might be my job) As the old saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". This means that for this month I also have some "Fun/Explore Goals".
This month I'd like to see one or two temples
I'd like to go to the beach
I'd like to visit Phuket Old Town
I'd like to try 10 different Thai Dishes
What about this Week?
This week is really a half week. With it being so short, I just want to take it easy. Go to class, eat good food, walk around Thailand, meet some people, and relax. If I can, I'd like to find a language school to start studying Thai.
Today's Goals?
Go to Morning Muay Thai
Eat Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Pick up some snacks for the room
Pick up some tea
Pick up some fruit
Buy some 拖鞋
Reflecting on the Journey Here
Getting here was a long process. Even as I sat in the Seattle airport for 7 hours, the journey didn't feel real yet. I ended up talking with a woman who worked for Cirque du Soleil. The life that she had was similar to what I wanted. She travels around, works intensely for a few months, then continues to travel. Her name was Pam, I think. She had been working with them for about 15 years and never felt like she was working. A quote from her that I liked was:
"We're not supposed to work to live, We're supposed to live."
She did admit that you had to do careful planning and take risks in order to live this kind of lifestyle. In the beginning it will be tough but once you get set up... you're good to do as you want.
The journey feels real now, and I can't wipe this stupid grin off of my face.
But man it is humid here.
📿Johnny
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