Things to do in Thailand: Chiang Mai's Art in Paradise 3D Musuem

Raining outside?  Sore from a weeks worth of training?  Want something fun and different to do?  Check out the new Art in Paradise 3D Museum in Chiang Mai.

For information and directions: www.ChiangMaiArtinParadise.com but it's pretty easy to find one you see it on a map.  We went on a random Tuesday afternoon so the place was pretty empty, which made it nice to be able to take our time messing around to think up funny poses and angles.

I would recommend you spend at least 2-3 hours there if you want to see everything.  I have a feeling i'll be back there whenever I have friends in town to visit.  It's only around $10US for the day, and it's by far the most fun I've had in a museum.

Enjoy and have fun, Johnny FD www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp

Cliff Jump - Sundays at Red Mud Quarry in Chiang Mai

What random, fun and free things are there to do on your rest days when you're not training Muay Thai?  Make a trip out to the Red Mud Quarry in Chiang Mai.  The only thing Chiang Mai is missing compared to Phuket and the Islands is water...but being here makes you forget all that.

This video was filmed a few months ago, but I've been so busy I haven't had time to put it up.  The awesome thing about seeing it now is seeing how much weight I've lost since I started eating Bulletproof/Paleo and doing CrossFit!

How to get to the Red Mud Quarry in Chiang Mai:

The Hang Dong rock quarry is about a 40 minute bike / songthaew ride  from the city center in Chiang Mai, heading  south along the canal road highway (Hwy 121) from Huay Kaew road and keep driving until you are about 10 minutes past Hang Dong. Keep your eye out for the green HANG DONG GOLF COURSE sign and turn right on the small bridge directly after the PT gas station on your left hand side. Immediately afterwards  the PT Gas Station you need to make a right across a small bridge.  Follow the road until it forks, and be sure to take the left fork.  There is a very nice view at the restaurant on the cliff you can enjoy lunch at, or you can head straight to the quarry on the left.  Allow for at least five hours including the drive and full enjoyment of the day.  Bring water, sunblock and your camera.

I hope these directions to the quarry in chiang mai are good enough, but it's quite easy to find after you find the small PT Gas Station on highway 121 towards Hang Dong.

Have fun!

Johnny FD

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Video from the Full Moon Party 2013 - Yeahhh Buddy!

When ever I finish a 3 month training camp, win or lose my fight, I like to take a week off to relax.  When I'm training, I don't drink, or go out much, so every three weeks or so I like to let loose and really have some fun.  When I was training at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket I flew down to Bali with my friend Marcus for New Years eve.  Air Asia had a special on tickets and it was only $120US round trip!  But my favorite go to vacation is going to Koh Phangan for the Legendary Full Moon Party.

In the book "12 Weeks in Thailand" I go into some pretty private detail about the random hookups I've had at the Full Moon party and the relationships that they become.  From the one night stand with the Russian girl, to the accidental live in Thai girlfriend, or the Swedish girl who thought I was Thai, everything is candidly exposed in the book.  Here's a video from the most recent Full Moon Party that I went to.  

How to get to the Full Moon Party:

The easiest but most expensive way is to fly from either Phuket or Bangkok to Koh Samui Airport.  It's always expensive since only Bangkok Air flys there as it is their private airport but the service, free airport lounge and convenience is worth it for people on a short vacation that don't have the luxury of time.

The second best way to get there is to fly from Chiang Mai, Bangkok or Phuket to Surat Thani Airport.      It's a lot cheaper but you have a 1,000 baht ($33US) boat and taxi ride to consider, and times sometimes don't match up as it takes a few hours to get from the party to the airport.  Check AirAsia.com for their Boat and Flight Package to Koh Phangan.   

The cheapest way to get to the party is to take an over night bus from Bangkok, Phuket or pretty much anywhere in Thailand.  Lomprayah is the best company, as a lot of the cheaper ones are known (and I've seen it first hand) to have someone hide in the luggage compartment and steal valuables out of your luggage while the bus is moving.  So always keep your electronics and valuables with you.  

Booking Hotels for the Full Moon Party:

You'll want to stay at Haad Rin, the Full Moon Party Beach.  Most places get booked up online months in advance and require a five day minimum booking.  Although annoying, it's actually a great thing the parties three days before (on the same beach, don't waste your time with the jungle/waterfall/pool parties unless you want to) are actually better than the night of the full moon itself.  Also you'll want to stay one day afterwards to unwind and chill out.  There are still plenty of people the night after.  

I've stayed at a few places right on the beach including my favorite place the Palita Lodge, Sunrise Resort (good as well) and I've stayed at Hostels such as the Dancing Elephant Hostel which is a great place to meet other travelers.    

Although it's always better to book ahead.  My friend Kurt swears by just showing up and finding a place.  I personally don't like risking it as I like to know where I'm staying and have a place set.  But he has never not found a place.  There are hotels up ontop of the hill, a 20 minute walk from the party that seldom get booked up if you show up 2-3 days before the FMP itself.  

Hope you have fun at the full moon party.  Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know when you are planning your fight camp or your travel trip.  

Warm Regards,

Johnny FD

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Weights, Songkran 2013, Spin the Bottle and back to CrossFit

After a few months of not drinking, and good discipline working out, I like to destroy my body and my liver with a three day binge.  I was smart enough to book a hostel in the middle of town so I wouldn't have to ride my motorbike around during the craziness.  You'll see in the video why.  Plus we'd end up drinking full bottles of Thai Whiskey at night which made it quite impossible and stupid to drive home anyway.

On Friday I had a great workout, we did something called CrossFit Totals which is basically your 1 rep max for Deadlifts, Squats and either Bench Press or Shoulder Presses.  They do it once every six months so you can have an idea of your progress.  But since it was my first time doing it, I decided instead to get a good workout in but slowly ramping up to my 5 rep max instead. I'm still working on my flexibility for my squats and dead lifts so I took it easy.  But for my bench press I maxed out at 100kg (222lbs) for a set of five.  I was quite happy with that and decided to rest on Saturday so I could start the Songkran water festival full of energy.  Here's a video of the typical craziness that happened in Chiang Mai.

So the days consisted of water fights, 94f/34c hot weather, and a ton of drinking and partying at night. And we did that for three days and three nights straight.  On the second night, a group of ten American girls thought it would a good idea to play spin the bottle, and they were right.  I never really got to play it as a kid so it was kind of a big deal and it was a hell of a lot of fun.  Girls were kissing girls, and I lost track, especially with all the whiskey flowing but I'm pretty sure I kissed at least 7 or 8 of them, and it was all open mouth, none of those 7th grade pecks.




Songkran, another reason to come to Thailand.  A friend from New Orleans said that it was on par with the best Mardi Gras he's been to.  There wasn't any tit flashing, but it was a hell of a lot cheaper.  I paid about $10 a night for my hotel room right in the center of the action, and drinks were between $3-$5.

Just a tip, if you do come to Songkran, make sure you book your trip for a few days before it actually starts.  I saw somewhere that Songkran was officially April 16th - 17th but in reality it started on the 12th and died down by the 15th.  Maybe it was because the 12th was a Friday and was a holiday but who knows.  If you're going to plan it for next year, I would say go from the 12th or 13th at the latest and say for three nights, as that's really about all your body can handle.

Oh yeah almost forgot.  After taking a day just to lay around, refeed and do absolutely nothing which included watching both Twilight movies, Breaking Dawn 1 & 2 on the same day, I finally got my act together and went to CrossFit again this morning.  

It was sunny and blazing hot, and I was still a bit dehydrated from all the drinking, but I managed to get through it.  We did a timed five round cycle including:

500 meter run

10 Russian Twist Situps with 16kg plates

10 Explosive Pushups

Repeated 5x.  It took me 22 minutes and 35 seconds which wasn't the worst time but definitely not the best. But it felt great to get back into the gym.  

See you guys,

Johnny

www.12weeksinThailand.com - The book now on Amazon!

The White Temple and Black House in Chiang Rai - Heaven and Hell

One of the most beautiful and must go places while you're in Chiang Mai is actually a few hours away. However, it's a perfect stop over for when you have to leave the country on a border run.  Instead of sitting on a mini-bus for 10 hours in one go, you can break it up over two days by spending the night and doing some sight seeing in Chiang Rai which is along the way.  The White Temple is most popular and famous because it looks stunning in photos, however, don't miss the Black House as in person it is even more amazing.

The story of the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is that the artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat started in 1996 and it won't be complete for another 60-90 years.  A student of the the White Temple's artist broke off and decided to create his own masterpiece.  The Black House is known as the artist Thawan Duchanee's house.

How to get to the Black House and White Temple:

Personally, I combined the trip with my border run to extend my visa.  I went to the bus terminal in Chiang Mai and took a ultra comfortable big bus through Green Bus to Chiang Rai.  From the bus terminal I walked to the main strip where all the westerners stay and got a random guest house.  There weren't many other tourists around.  

I rented a motorbike for the day for around 250 baht and drove to the White Temple which was about 25 minutes away.  I asked random people for directions but over shot it as there are no signs on the other side of the road, only on the side where the actual temple is.  On that same road and on the same side, if you drive up another 25 minutes towards the airport, you'll find the Black House.  There are small signs saying "Artist Thawan Duchanee's House" next left which you can follow but might still have to ask around as it's not easy to find.

Either way, make it a point to go there.  I've seen hundreds of temples in my life and can go without ever seeing one again, but these two were a must see in my book.  

Warm Regards,

Johnny

www.facebook.com/myfightcamp

www.12weeksinThailand.com - The Book

The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan

One of the "must do" things in Thailand is go to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.  It is one of the craziest and most fun parties on the planet.  After 5 months of hard training and two Muay Thai fights, it was time to take a week off to celebrate, have fun and get it all out of my system.

The days are filled with laying on the beach, tanning, swimming in the warm ocean and playing beach games. And every night starting 3-4 days before the actual full moon itself, it begins.  A little known secret about the Full Moon Party is that it's actually a 4 day festival and not just a one night party.  Around 80% of the people show up on the full moon day itself and have a great time.  However, to those in the know, they come 3-4 days before hand and stay for a day afterwards just to relax.

Full Moon Party Dates 2013 
Thursday 25, April
Saturday 25, May
Sunday 23, June
Wednesday 24, July
Wednesday 21, August
Thursday 19, September
Saturday 19, October
Sunday 17, November
Tuesday 17, December
Wednesday 25, December
Tuesday 31, December

Here is a short 2 minute video I took of the Full Moon Party a few days ago:  March 2013




How to get to the Full Moon Party:

The fastest, easiest way to get to the Full Moon Party is to fly to Koh Samui Airport (USM) then take a 20 minute speed boat from the Big Buddah Pier on Koh Samui to the Haad Rin Pier on Koh Phangan.  It's also the most expensive way to get to the island.

Most people take a bus or train to Chumpon or Surat Thani then take a ferry to the island.  I recommend going through Lomprayah for your bus and ferry needs as some of the other bus companies will go through your luggage and steal your valuables while they are in the storage compartment under the bus.

Where to stay, Full Moon Party Accommodations:

The best place to stay for the full moon party is on Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan.  This time around I stayed at Palita Lodge which was excellent and right on the beach where the main party is held.  Next door is Sunrise Resort which I've stayed in the past and was just as good, although Palita was even more friendly and had a better restaurant.  The best hostel I've stayed at is Dancing Elephant Hostel 

All hotels and hostels near the party make you book for a minimum of 5 nights.  Which gets expensive, but honestly, it's worth it. You want to be there for 5 nights anyways, a few before for the pre-parties which are in everyone's opinion better than the actual full moon night itself.  And to stay one day afterwards just to relax and detox.  A 20-25 minute walk away are the resorts on the west coast and you also have the Drop Inn Resort which is more spring break style.

A lot of people stay on Koh Samui and take a ferry in for the party, which you can do.  They have ferries leaving every hour from 1am-7am to take you home.  However, trust me when I say this, the night of the full moon itself is such madness and a lot of people are in bad moods, paranoid or have lost their friends, making it often not the best party.  However, the nights leading up to it are really fun.  

While planning your trip, remember that Koh Phangan and the Full Moon Party is on the East coast of Thailand, the opposite side from Phi Phi and Phuket.  It's right next to Koh Samui and Koh Tao.  So if you're planning on coming from Phuket, it'll be a 1 hour flight or a 10 hour overnight bus ride.  Most people near Phuket do Koh Phi Phi, which has mini beach parties every night which is still very fun, but it's nothing compared to the full moon party.  

Thanks to my friends Chris, Ben and Trent for coming out and meeting me up for the party.  It was an excellent time. Now I'm back in Chiang Mai to relax and recover.  

Warm Regards and hope to see everyone out here,

Johnny

www.facebook.com/myfightcamp

www.12WeeksinThailand.com

10 Free or Cheap Things to do in Chiang Mai - Daily Life between Training

Even though I came to Thailand just to train Muay Thai, there's still 20 hours left in the day, so what do I do?  Well, first off Chiang Mai is a bit different from Phuket and other islands.  In Phuket we would go to the beach, swim, hang out, whatever.  But honestly, most of the time I would just lay around in my room watching movies on my laptop.  I brought a hammock with me from Koh Tao so I'd often lay in it reading a book on my kindle.

In Chiang Mai, I do mostly the same expect there is no beach.  I lay around my room watching movies on my laptop, go online, and play video games.  As for food for the first two months I would walk around 1km to the Big C supermarket where they had a food court in the lobby.  I'd listen to Joe Rogan podcasts on the way, and eventually bought a bicycle to shorten the trip.  Then I finally bought a motorbike and with it, bought freedom.

My initial idea was to just train, eat, sleep and fight.  But now that I have a way to get around, I realized how many fun things there are to do in Chiang Mai and don't miss the beach at all.  Most days still consist of laying around the room before and after training as I'm exhausted from it, but quite often I'll go into town which is 15minutes away by motorbike and have a nice dinner somewhere.  On my days off I'll get a massage, watch UFC if it's on at a bar, or go explore.  

10 Things to do in Chiang Mai: All free or relatively cheap.  

#1 Cliff Jumping at the Red Mud Quarry

#2 Have lunch in a bamboo hut on top of the water at Huay Tung Tao Lake

#3 Relax in the San Kamphaeng Hot Springs 

#4 Hiking and Trekking in the mountains around Chiang Mai

#5 Spending the day at swimming pools

#6 Mountain Bike or Road Bike outside the city

#7 Go Zorbing at Tiger Kingdom

#8 Get a massage at the Women's Prison

#9 Hang out and meet traveler's at a local hostel.

#10 Walk around and explore the city, there are tons of temples, museums, there is a park where you can rent bamboo mats for 10 baht (30cents), an outdoor archery range, indoor mall, movie theater/cinema, tons of restaurants and bars, American style Karaoke at Loco Elvis, an olympic pool at the 700 year stadium, Elephant Nature Parks, photos with Tigers, Outdoor Rock Climbing, White Water Rafting, Thai Cooking Classes, Golf, Tennis, Bowling, and tons of other stuff as Chiang Mai is actually a pretty decent sized city without being too big.  

Best of all, everything I just named is either free or relatively cheap to do. The thing I really didn't like about Phuket was how everything was a rip off and there's nothing for normal people to do because go to the beach.  In Chiang Mai tons of expats live here full time teaching English, in Journalism, Writing, and other normal jobs.  No one comes to Chiang Mai to be a sex tourist and there are very few if any scams or rip offs in Chiang Mai.  This makes it a great city to live in long term, to meet normal down to earth people and enjoy life.  I'm glad to be here.

Example:  A 3 day, 3 night trekking package including accommodation  all of your meals, transportation, elephant riding, white water rafting, bamboo rafting, and a guide is 1,500 baht ($50US) in Chiang Mai.  The same trip in Phuket costs 8,600 baht ($286US).  Call me cheap, but I love living in Chiang Mai. 

Warm Regards,

Johnny

www.facebook.com/MyFightCamp

www.12WeeksinThailand.com - Read the book for more adventures

Sunday No Training Day - What to do? Get a Massage, Shop and Rest

Thank god today happened to be Sunday, a no training/rest day.  Still feeling a bit jet lagged, woke up at 5am but it's getting better.  So what is there to do in Chiang Mai around KC Muay Thai when you're not training?

9am - Bought a Bicycle at Big C.  $2,950 baht ($98US)

I thought about buying motorbike/scooter second hand but I figured I'd give pedal biking a shot first.  The city itself is totally flat and I really love riding a bike so I figured for a hundred bucks I'd give it at shot and if nothing else, I'll have it as a weekend toy.  

It's locally made in Thailand by a company called Turbo Bicycles and it's the 26" Cobra model.

I just started riding a bike this year and absolutely love it as my newest hobby.  Whenever I move back to the U.S. I'm going to buy a proper bike around the $600 range, but for the next 6 months in Chiang Mai, I'll be perfectly happy with this little beast, especially since it's my first bike with gears.

10:30am - Played Grand Theft Auto on my PS2 

I am super super happy that I brought a PS2 here to thailand.  Thanks to John, Evan and Albert my friends back home that donated the console and games to me.  

12:00noon - Biked to Central Airport Plaza Mall 

Chiang Mai's Mall is located near the Airport about a 10 minute drive from KC Muay Thai.  I biked there at a moderate pace in about 15 minutes or so, definitely an easy, flat ride up the main street.  The other option if you don't have a scooter is to take a shared taxi called which are trucks called Song Thaews, the red ones, as long as you're not the only one on there is 20 baht (66 cents) and the yellow ones are only 10 baht (33cents) 

Central is the place to go shopping, eat, and watch movies.  They have a full Cinema on the top floor and two food courts.  The one near the movie theaters has a range of international restaurants, while the one downstairs is strictly Thai Food, and really good Thai food by the way.  I had some fresh coconut juice for 20 baht (67centsUS) and Hainese Style Chicken with Rice and Soup for 35 baht ($1.16US) 

3:00pm - Got a 1 hour Thai Massage 198 baht ($6.60US) 

Definitely needed this after sitting on a plane for over 20 hours the other day.  I plan on getting at least one massage every week, maybe even two or three since they're so cheap and I'm always dead sore from the training.  If you come to Thailand, don't be a cheap ass.  In Phuket I'd meet tons of idiots that would be too cheap to pay $6 for a massage, but then go out and waste their money on beers.

5:00pm - Went grocery shopping at Big C - 200 baht ($6.65US)

I figured since I have a fridge and sometimes I'm too lazy, tired, or sore to go out to eat, I should stock it up.  I bought a hot water boiler for around 200 baht as well the other day and I figure I could use that to warm up the chicken in a bowl, like soup, or I could always just eat it cold.  Those whole roast chickens by the way are only 60 baht a piece!  That's $2 US for a whole chicken!  They're quite small compared to the huge ones we have in the U.S. but still, that's super cheap and a great source of protein.  

By the way, I've never had Hydroponic grown vegetables before, this will be interesting   

Anyways it's now 7:50pm and I think it's time to put in a movie.  By the way, I also bought a DVD Player at Big C for only 500 baht which is $16.60US!  The reason I bought it is because it has a USB Port and lets me plug in a USB Stick and watch my movies on the TV instead of on my computer.  Way cool.  

That's it for today, I'll keep ya'll posted on the fight camp and the journey.  Leave a comment with any questions or just to say what's up.

-Johnny @ My Fight Camp

Try Scuba Diving while you're in Phuket

One of the coolest things in the world is available in Phuket and no one ever does it.  Out of the hundreds of guys I've met at Tiger Muay Thai and at the other gyms, only a handful have ever went diving.  Most of them say they want to, but say they'll do it at the end of the trip before they go home.  The problem with that is towards the end when you start running low on money, you become a cheap ass and decide it's not worth it.

Well, big mistake, seriously.  When you go back home, you'll be happy you spend the hundred bucks doing a new experience and it'll be cheap when you look back on it.  Guys will spend the same 3,000 baht in a night or two at Patong, drinking, and messing around.  Trust me on this, do at least a trial dive, which they call a DSD or Discover Scuba Dive, it's a chance of a lifetime.  And if you are already certified, there is no reason not to go, the diving around Phuket is some of the best in the world.  It's half the price to do a fun dive in Koh Tao, but it's three times as good near Phuket.  Plus it's a whole boating experience.  Since it's a long boat trip, you get to relax, tan, and chill out on a big boat where they serve you a really good breakfast and lunch buffet, and food always tastes better on a boat for some reason.

My cousin is visiting from the U.S. and we're going fun diving on December 12th, and then again on the 14th.  Anyone that wants to tag along is more than welcome. Just leave me a comment if you want to come.  The price is around 3,800 baht for a three dive trip for certified divers, and around the same price for a single discover dive for beginners.  That's about $127US, which sounds like a lot, but trust me, it's worth it.

If you decide to go do it on your own after i'm gone, I recommend All 4 Diving Academy based in Patong.  But there are also closer dive shops in Chalong near the circle that you can check out.

Warm Regards,

Johnny @ My Fight camp