Your advice on choosing a Thai Camp !

[JoeStagner]

Hi All,

I’m planning a three week trip to train in Thailand – there was a great thread in this forum by guys that had been to Thailand to train but it seems to have expired. All help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Anyone who has an interest in joining me (this fall or next year) please let me know.

1.) Camp suggestions? I’m thinking Lanna, Phuket, or Fairtex but would love input from people who have been there.

2.) Season? I seem to remember that late fall (Kings Birthday?) is the season but also that there is a festival in April or May.

3.) Climate. Will Non-Air Conditioned accommodations be tolerable?

4.) Thai Fights? – I’d like the opportunity to spend several nights at the fights. Is this possible in Phuket or do I really need to be near Bangkok?

5.) Language? All the camps, I looked at about 16 of them, say that their staff speak English, how English fluent are the trainers at Lanna and Phuket?

6.) Trainers? Each camp has many different trainers ranging in experience from 20 fights to hundreds of fights. Should one request a specific trainer? Is there a cost difference? What is considered a GOOD gratuity for a trainer? Should tipping be done daily, at the beginning, at the end, both ???

7.) What to bring? I’ve heard that clothes and training gear are so cheap there that I’d be better off bringing little and buying what I want there. Is this true ?

8.) The famous uphill runs? I have a knee problem and may not be able to do hack 10k (uphill runs). Will this be a problem ?

9.) I’m 44 years old, 190lbs, and in good shape but will not likely be interested in fighting (though I will wanna spar with trainers) will this detract from my experience?

10.) Evenings ? Other than going to the fights, what is there to do? Restaurants ? Shops? It looks like all the camps are some distance to their respective towns. How does one get to and from ? What’s the after dark crime rate ?

Thanks in advance !
Joe

[OctaviousBP]

Hi Joe,

Rather than re-type everything, here is a link to my old thread about training in Thailand.

Training in Thailand (continued)

Hope it helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[OctaviousBP]

Alright, I can do better than that... to respond specifically (as best I can) to your other questions...

1) This is a personal decision. I went to Lanna, and was pleased with mine. However, it should be noted that I was in Thailand for 8 months, and just coming off over a year in Korea, so exposure to English was a high priority for me . If you're there for a shorter time, being in the country might not be so bad. Lanna has a really nice community around it. I have made friends that will last a lifetime there, from all over the world.

2) For me, any season is the right season to be in Thailand. December is nice and cool, but be prepared for peak tourist season. April and May, it starts to get hot... flippin hot. Chiang Mai has an insane Songkran festival to cope (Thai New Year)

3) Personal choice. I hate aircon, and survived with a fan throughout my time, even the hot season. On a side note, if you take the overnight buses to the north or south, take your sleeping back with you carry-on style. If the bus is aircon, they crank it up high, and it is absolutely freezing. I learned this lesson the hard way during my first week in Thailand, and by my next trip everyone was looking at me like I was crazy when I got on the bus with pants, sweater, and arctic sleeping bag. I had the last laugh.

4) Regrettably, fights are insanely expensive now at the major stadiums. Radchatdemnern was tolerable (500bt) but Lumpini was over 800bt I think. Even at Gawilla in Chiang Mai they started charging foreigners 400-500bt. When I first got there, it was 300bt. I recommend going at least once to every stadium you come across, but then do what everyone else in Thailand does... watch the fights on tv . You can meet a lot of intersting gamblers this way!

5) Muay Thai is its own language... I wouldn't fret.

6) You certainly can choose your trainer, after all... it's your satang! You have to keep in mind that you are not a Thai child that has been sent there by your parents to bring home some cash. You're an adult (presumably) and a customer. The camps that train foreigners will treat you as such. If you are fighting for the camp, then it is a different story... then they are the boss and you do what they say.

7) One pair of gitch... maybe two. One of the biggest mistakes I witnessed over the months were people over packing, and then having to send stuff home by post. Bring little, buy lots! Equipment is a fraction of the cost of what we pay in the West. No shipping rocks!

8) Lanna has a mountain run. It used to be on Wednesdays. If you can't make it, no big deal. Again, this is personal. You know your body better then anyone else, and no one will give you a hard time if you can't do the runs because of your knees. If worse comes to worse, there is a flat 8km run that makes a decent warmup and is knee friendly. You could do it everyday if you like. Other camps will do things differently. But again, you're the boss...

9) Fighting in Thailand is an insane experience, but not for everyone. You can soak up the atmosphere from the seats, especially if you go with your camp. You definately feel like part of the camp family.

10) What is there not to do is a better question... well, if you're in a city that is. Again, this is what I loved about Chiang Mai. The community was fantastic. The fellow camp members became great friends, and there was always something going on. Movies are a fantastic experience in Thailand. From the fantastic homage to the King at the beginning, to the 100bt ticket price. The markets are great, especially the student ones. Restaurants are the best I've ever attended, anywhere. You won't be bored, I can guarantee, and this isn't even considering all the wonders of nature that are around, and the history and culture.

I hope this helps more than my tired old link from the first post. Anything that needs clarification or elaboration, let me know.

D

[JoeStagner]

Many Many Thanks !

Two other questions if you have time.

1.) Tipping your trainer. Who much is a GOOD tip (can you tip too much?) Do you tip when you get there, at the end of your stay, every day, etc.

2.) I've read that some forigners make a gesture after training of purchasing anew peice of equipment for the camp at the end of their stay. Have you heard of this ?

Thanks Again,
joe

[aseepish]

Lanna

Hi All,

I’m planning a three week trip to train in Thailand – there was a great thread in this forum by guys that had been to Thailand to train but it seems to have expired. All help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Anyone who has an interest in joining me (this fall or next year) please let me know.

1.) Camp suggestions? I’m thinking Lanna, Phuket, or Fairtex but would love input from people who have been there.

2.) Season? I seem to remember that late fall (Kings Birthday?) is the season but also that there is a festival in April or May.

3.) Climate. Will Non-Air Conditioned accommodations be tolerable?

4.) Thai Fights? – I’d like the opportunity to spend several nights at the fights. Is this possible in Phuket or do I really need to be near Bangkok?

5.) Language? All the camps, I looked at about 16 of them, say that their staff speak English, how English fluent are the trainers at Lanna and Phuket?

6.) Trainers? Each camp has many different trainers ranging in experience from 20 fights to hundreds of fights. Should one request a specific trainer? Is there a cost difference? What is considered a GOOD gratuity for a trainer? Should tipping be done daily, at the beginning, at the end, both ???

7.) What to bring? I’ve heard that clothes and training gear are so cheap there that I’d be better off bringing little and buying what I want there. Is this true ?

8.) The famous uphill runs? I have a knee problem and may not be able to do hack 10k (uphill runs). Will this be a problem ?

9.) I’m 44 years old, 190lbs, and in good shape but will not likely be interested in fighting (though I will wanna spar with trainers) will this detract from my experience?

10.) Evenings ? Other than going to the fights, what is there to do? Restaurants ? Shops? It looks like all the camps are some distance to their respective towns. How does one get to and from ? What’s the after dark crime rate ?

1) I'm at Lanna right now, in fact, I'm sitting in the internet cafe right across from the camp. I have only good things to say about this place - I love it here!

2) I've only been here for about three weeks, so I have no idea if there is a better season or not to come, but May has been good so far.

3) My guesthouse room (upstairs from the internet cafe/convenience store) costs 3000 bhat a month (plus utilities), it has a private toilet/shower, and air-conditioning. If you're used to hot weather you might be able to live with just a fan.

4) As Octavious said, fights are a bit on the expensive side. The last couple of fights (at Kiwala) cost 350 bhat (we bought the tickets from one of the Thai trainers). Tonight about 15 of us are going out of town to another fight (I forget the name of the town, but I'll edit it back in when I find out). I think Andy said that it's the end of the fight season, that October is when they start up again.

5) Most of the Thai trainers at Lanna speak good English.

6) I'm a relative beginner when it comes to Muay Thai, so I don't usually request a particular trainer. Rather, they select me (usually after I'm winded after a particularly draining round on the heavy bag). Sometimes the better teachers are not the ones who have more fights. I don't know about gratuity - I pay a monthly fee to the camp, and I've never seen anyone pay a trainer directly. Octavious?

7) What Octavious said! Travel light! Everything is very affordable here.

8) I've got a knee problem as well, so I limit my runs and make up for it by skipping more. This is not a problem.

9) I'm not interested in fighting either. I don't think I'm having a less enjoyable experience for it. But who knows? Maybe after another month I'll change my mind. I'm 30, so I'm among the older fighters of the group. But the other week we had a guy who was 60 years old training.

10) Usually I'm too exhausted in the evenings to do anything other than sleep, but there are a lot of great restaurants near Lanna. A red "songthaew" taxi costs 20-30 bhat (negotiable) to go to the city centre/night markets/ shopping centres. Movies cost 70 - 90 bhat. Lanna itself is about a 30 - 45 minute walk from the walls of the old city, ten minutes in a songthaew will get you almost anywhere you want to go. Crime doesn't seem to be much of a problem (beware of scams) in this area. Octavious?

I hope this has been of some help!

Cheers,
Anthony

[OctaviousBP]

As far as tipping... I never did. I took my trainer out for dinner at Stefano's* near the end of my stay, however our relationship was more of a "friend" relationship than "trainer/trainee"

*(A fantastic Italian restaurant if you're interested aseepish, near Thapae)
PS - Glad you finally made it, and I'm really glad your enjoying it. I should be back next year, for the year at good ole CMU.

As far as leaving equipment, or rather buying... I don't think that is necessary at Lanna, since Andy distributes a lot of equipment himself. However, when I left, I left a LOT of stuff with the kids... I think I even left my portable CD player with one... speakers, t-shirts, stuff like that. The kids can use soccer shoes for sure... I left my old sneakers there, even though they were way too big for the kids, it's better than barefoot...

Scams can occur, but you can avoid them by just talking to people once you get there. You'll get the hang of it.

[teamfunzen]

"Muay Thai in Thailand" DVD - Lanna Camp

The DVD "Muay Thai in Thailand" has some good footage on Lanna camp in Chiang Mai. I visted the camp and really liked the camp manager (Andy) and all of the trainers. It is also a great place to meet locals & foreigners. Amazon sells the DVD.

[aseepish]

As far as tipping... I never did. I took my trainer out for dinner at Stefano's* near the end of my stay, however our relationship was more of a "friend" relationship than "trainer/trainee"

*(A fantastic Italian restaurant if you're interested aseepish, near Thapae)
PS - Glad you finally made it, and I'm really glad your enjoying it. I should be back next year, for the year at good ole CMU.

Oooh! I'm interested! Which side of Thapae, city-side or Chinatown side?

[OctaviousBP]

Das Stefano's is inside the "old-city" on the south side of Thapae. It's down a little street, but not far from the corner at all. If memory serves me, that main intersection by the gate is Mun Muang and Thapae. It is right near the popular used bookstore, and across the street from the Art Café. I hope this helps. Let me know if you find it.

D

[aseepish]

I think I should be able to find it. Thanks man!

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