Chiang Mai, day 7

Maths first.

Tuk Tuk 110 baht (2wice)
dinner 200 baht
Muay Thai 400 baht
Starbucks 265 baht
drinks 34

total day 1009 (20 euro)

overall 717.

Final day of the first massage classes week, at last! It is nice to spend the day with the bunch of people over here but it is nice not to have to wake up so early!

The evening was Muay Thai evening: kickboxing. The place reminded me more a rooster fighting one than a boxing arena but nevertheless it was interesting with the mosquitos devouring you, the noise of the 4-men band playing during the match (still noise but with a sequence, not like Chinese Opera) and a few young guys kicking and punching each others until the final victory. The rules are very simple; it's just that I never happen to read them, so I do not know them :). But let's rewind a bit.

I took the tuk tuk for the first time, and it was really special. Very cheap but you cannot see anything outside and you get a constant feeling of capsizing. The guy was the same one that offered me the young lady a couple of days ago. This time he was offering something else I didn't get... Probably a man? Not sure. Meeting at Starbucks. There are two within 200 meters on the same road and while I read that Starbucks have been shutting down shops in some parts of the world, I am really surprised to see that in countries where a medium size coffee costs a 2 days meal, they are still in business and present everywhere.

After a Kosher meal we have decided to walk to the Kickboxing "Stadiam" and passed, erroneously, in front of a Karaoke place where there were a dozen stunning and giggly girls waiting outside for guests. The "pimp" was there too, inviting people to get in. The girls must have found the group rather funny as they were laughing like geese at our sight, especially when we have asked the pimp indications for the "Stadiam". He could not understand a world and laughing moved back looking at the pageants to get some advices.... Of course, if they spoke English they wouldn't be sitting out there. I made myself understood raising a leg and they all started laughing, but we got the indications to the place.

After a long walk, some narrow and dark alleys, a shopping centre (Thai style) and a sort-of-indoor market, we reached the place and the first surprise was that the prices started from 100 baht up to 800, where 100 is the Thai-patrons-only price while the minimum price for Farang is 400 baht. We took the 400 one as we could not care less about sitting on the leather sofas or in a first row on a plastic chair or table.

We were told that Kawila (Kawira o Kawalla o Kawala) Stadiam is the best one to go through, not too touristy... well, the ratio Tourists/Thai must have been 4:1. We were all foreigners except for a bunch of noisy Thai betting and shouting at every match.

7 matches for the night, some 35 Kgs category fights, 40 Kgs, 58 and 73 were on. Some were extremely boring, some very cruel. The only match that saw a Caucasian fighting was the 73 Kgs category and this guy demolished the poor Thai fighter.

The nice part of this show is the initial ritual of the thanking the Gods and the greeting the public. The fight, to be honest, bore me to death. One match was particularly interesting. One of the guys was by far superior to the opponent and when the last round was on he was not hitting the guy, showing mercy. It was the nicest part of the whole evening at the Stadiam.

Back home around midnight after a long walk around the city that never sleeps... Bars full with people, strange "creatures" coming out at night. Girls looking for clients or friends, massage parlours with a dodgy look and light, the usual skinny dogs wandering around and the biggest dead rat I have ever seen! It must have been a good 50 cm big!

I still find this place amusing and amazing and, since I have been here, I sleep so well at night. Not sure about this weekend. I said that I will not plan in advance and now, even one day planning, for me seems to be too difficult to predict...

Guys, this is my last weekend in Thailand. Next week I will be travelling back to Europe.

Catch later!