From Family Fun to Muay Thai Madness.
Summer 2010 was one for the books!
Our family had one of our best vacations ever – in Thailand – filled with excitement, beauty and adventure.
After Vered and Thom headed home, I embarked on my own journey, staying another month in Phuket for an intensive Muay Thai training.
I had never seen a Muay Thai fight before, but I’d heard this training would get me into the best shape of my life.
I signed up for a small group session at an outdoor dojo nestled at the edge of the rainforest.
The trainer (in the picture), a fifty-something former world champion, put us through the wringer.
He trained us like he trained the Thai national Muay Thai team, whacking our shins with a bamboo stick if our knees weren’t high enough during runs, and making us stand against a pillar while the group punched our abs to perfection.
The intensity was thrilling, but after two days, I realized group training wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t quite master the dance-like movements and needed more personalized guidance.
So, I hired the same trainer for one-on-one sessions over the next four weeks.
We worked together 2-3 times a day, six days a week, and it was the most grueling – and rewarding – workout program I’d ever experienced.
I felt alive, healthy, powerful, and energetic.
The only downside was the sparring; I often got punched in the nose and saw stars more times that I would like to remember.
When my training ended, my trainer moved on to coach the Kuwaiti national Muay Thai team.
I spent another blissful week on Koh Lanta, one of Thailand’s most beautiful islands.
There, I scuba dived, relaxed, wrote, enjoyed amazing food, and recovered from the intense training.
However, my return flight to Amsterdam was less than ideal.
The cramped economy seat killed my back, which hadn’t been strengthened during the training, leading to ongoing lower back pain.
Life is full of twists, but looking back, that summer was an unforgettable adventure.