Muay Thai in Thailand

By Justine Agaloos | 02/03/2018

One of my goals I want to achieve in this life is to try various martial arts in different countries. I traveled to Thailand alone in 2016 and experienced island hopping, the food, culture and Muay Thai in Phuket (pronounced “poo-ket”). I had traveled between China, Philippines and Thailand for two weeks meeting new friends and trying different martial arts around the area. I stayed at Dream Phuket Hotel and Spa in Thailand which was roughly thirty minutes away from Patong beach. The staff members greeted me immediately and served me a refreshing drink after a long travel to Thailand.

I would wake up roughly around 8:00 am to have breakfast at the hotel restaurant which included many selections. Selections included tropical fruit and various Thai food. My favorites were Pad See Ew, dragon fruit and Pad Thai.

Before heading out into the town, I would take a swim in the pool and do a couple laps around. Then I would tire myself out and sleep under the sun in the cabana.

The hotel was clean and contemporary style. The room I stayed had many features including laundry service, hot tub, shower, robes, slippers and a flat screen TV.

One of my goals was to try out Muay Thai on the island especially at Tiger Muay Thai. The facility is 9,600 square feet with a front road restaurant with plenty of seating. The camp is an open space including MMA and BJJ training area. There is also a yoga room, multipurpose hall, indoor weight room and fitness hall.

I did the beginners class which included stancework, footwork, basic punches, kicks, knees and elbows and other defense techniques. I purchased the beginner’s class at the front office and gear store and obtained wraps.

Coming from a taolu and some sparring background, this was definitely one of the places that was worth visiting while staying in Phuket. The instructors were helpful and were patient to teach me the basics of Muay Thai.

I definitely sweat a lot during my training and needed to take a shower after. I needed to cool down because of the humidity and heat. After island hopping, trying different foods and practicing Muay Thai, Thailand was one of my favorite experiences to try a different martial arts in the country of origin.