emma

Unfortunately, Attachai Gym in Bangkok has closed down. Originally, he was opening a new gym in Ayutthaya, but he's now teaching in China. You can find him at Lerdsila Muay Thai Gym in Shanghai.

Phornthip Khamthongphanaw is a 19-year-old fighter who trains at the Khlong Toei Youth Center in Bangkok. UNDP Thailand did a video on her recently, which you can watch here. There's also a Vice article by the same journalist on her story: https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7en4d/women-muay-thai-rising-star-thailand

While I can't give any Muay-Thai-specific info on this, there are some resources and communities in Thailand that might be useful for you. There's a Facebook page for trans men in Thailand that you might want to reach out to, TRAns Man Peers - TRAMP เพื่อนทรานส์แมน. The content is mostly in Thai, but I'm sure they'd be happy to help if you sent them some questions in English. I'd also recommend contacting Young Pride Club, either on Facebook or IG. It's run by student activists who have been putting on lots of community events in Thailand. There's also the TEAK - Trans Empowerment page. ILGAAsia is also a good resource for information on trans rights here. I hope this helps!

I originally went at 22 and my parents were the same. Their only reaction when I told them my plans were "well, we can't stop you from going". They're going to worry no matter what, I don't think anything you could say would stop them. That's what parents do, I guess! Maybe just send them as much information as you can about the gym/area you're going to (posts, photos, reviews from others who've trained there), so they can at least visualize where you'll be instead of conjuring up some wild scenarious in their heads. Enjoy your month in Thailand, you'll have a great time!

Yes, sadly the Bangkok location is closed now. This place (now called Looknongsaeng - but I don't know the specifics of the name change, @LengLeng?) looks like a decent gym and I've been thinking about checking it out myself. Here's the website: https://looknongsaeng.weebly.com/ And the gym's IG profile: https://www.instagram.com/looknongsaengmuaythai/ It's in Bearing, which is technically in Samut Prakarn but it's very easy to get in and out of the city via BTS (you just have to take a quick motorbike taxi to the station). I lived in this area for almost 5 years and would say that if you want to be able to focus on training while still having access to the city, it might be good. But if you want to be right in the middle of things, maybe not ideal.

Thanks for raising this issue and for wanting to create a better gym environment for women. I second everything that Sylvie said. I'd definitely recommend having a reporting/feedback system, which people can choose to use anonymously. But also to make sure that gym members see and feel that they're listened to and that steps are taken after their feedback is received. Otherwise, it can become disheartening and the system becomes pointless. I've experienced all the things you mentioned. When it comes to sparring, I think it's important that trainers step in. Not just when things get out of hand, but when they can see that people are being treated differently. For example. I've been frustrated so many times by male sparring partners who've refused to hit me, spent the whole round just blocking, running away, or acting like a punch bag (regardless of their size or experience level). At times, my trainers have made comments, reminding them to hit me and spar properly. Other times, they've switched my partner for someone more suitable. That makes me feel like at least they have my back and encourage these guys to be better sparring partners. I understand that you can't (and shouldn't) babysit everyone all of the time, but just being observant of these imbalances can make a big difference in making women feel more supported. You've reminded me that I have an unpublished blog post written about a similar topic, so I'll get on and finish that!

Hi @MuayThaiPanda, I've been living and training in Bangkok for around 10 years and to be honest, I haven't found that the pollution bothers me when I'm running/training. Maybe I'm just used to it! It might also be because of the gym's I've been at. For the last few years, I've been at Attachai Gym (so if you're thinking of coming and need any info, feel free to ask).This gym has a particularly good location if you want to be in Bangkok without dealing with the smog. It's tucked away in a big green area with lots of banana trees, backed onto a lake. The humidity is the main thing, definitely something that you have to adapt to. But I think that goes for Thailand in general.

Revisiting this thread to add Rasmee. She has an amazing voice, and her Isan Soul album is really beautiful. Here are 2 of my favourite tracks from it:

I know that the British Embassy is providing UK nationals with visa extension letters, but I'm not sure if other embassies are offering a similar service. Things are constantly changing, and it's worth joining the Thai Visa Advice Facebook group, which is always updated with new information.

Interesting! I just wanted to drop this article here, too - How Thai Language Reinforces Hierarchy and Perpetuates Social Divides.

I started listening to Thai rap as a new way to learn Thai and ended up really getting into some of it. Illslick isn't the kind of artist I'd usually listen to back home but some of his songs have become earworms for me. Youngohm is the same, he's kind of ridiculous but I love this song: Also this one by OG-ANIC: Anyway, the real reason I came to this thread was to add Milli, a 17-year old female rapper I recently read about in BK Magazine.

I second this! Dokmaibaa has been tearing it up for a long time and it's cool to see her up there. She's a favourite of mine. I have to admit, it was hard for me to be excited about the announcement of these rankings. My reaction was 'well, this should have been done years ago'. It was less of a 'wow, this is so amazing' and more of a 'well, obviously'. This shouldn't be groundbreaking. But, I do appreciate that took a huge amount of work to put together, and I'm glad it's finally been done. I hope it goes on to be updated regularly.

Hey! I haven't trained at any of the gyms on that list but I've heard good things about Mankong Phranai Gym, which is in the area you're looking at. Maybe that's worth a try. Good luck in your search! Hope you manage to find a place that's a good fit

Hi Malik! I've only called people by their first names in super formal situations. Usually at work, when they're a customer or a colleague I'm meeting for the first time (or writing an email to). Then, you'd use "khun ____", but pretty much right after that, it's nicknames all the way. It would be really strange for me to address a trainer by his first name. Kind of like how you would never call me by my first name, middle name and surname unless you were some kind of official..or if you were my mum and I was in trouble for something. Sylvie, I laughed at the idea of you calling Karuhat 'Lung Sian', just imagining how he would respond to that!

If you do check out Attachai's, let me know if you need any help! I moved to the area for the gym and checked out a lot of accommodation before landing on my place, so might be able to give you some tips with that. Best to message me on Facebook, though. Also, I second your woes about the current baht/pound exchange rate and Brexit. Ugh...

Thanks for your thoughtful response and kind words, Joe. It's really interesting for me to look back on that post with the perspective that I have now. I knew at the time that the person who'd told me to give up was wrong, but it seems even more ridiculous now. It's crazy to read that I'd only been training for a year and a half at the time, that I'd had 11 fights, and that I'd only had three consecutive losses at the time. Those numbers are so insignificant, they're almost nothing! A few years later, I would go on to have five losses in a row, and even that doesn't mean much at all. Also, looking back, I think I was way too kind to the person in question in my writing. But, I respected them a lot, and that's part of why it hurt so much. You're absolutely right about that not being a valid argument, and the reasons for fighting being so much bigger than winning. I actually haven't fought now for over a year and a half, and I go back and forth constantly on whether or not I still want to. Sometimes, all I want is to get back in there. Other times, I'm fine with letting that part of my life go. It's bittersweet to think of that, but the important thing is that those feelings are coming from myself, rather than someone else who thinks they know what's best for me. That guy wasn't the last person who told me to give up, either. After one of my last fights, my boyfriend at the time did, too. Yeah, he's an ex now. Thanks again for your post and for bringing this article to my attention. I never liked to revisit this one because it always brought up some feelings of shame and inferiority for me, but this time it was a very different experience. I actually really needed this today

So far, so good. Some of them recently flew to Norway to pick up a 'Creative Dissent' award for the song. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2019/05/27/anti-junta-rappers-awarded-creative-dissent-prize/

John Wayne Parr tweeted about one of these videos the other day. It seems he's also not a fan. I totally agree with what Sylvie said about the 'asshole factor' being key in hard sparring. I've been called out on this quite a few times at my gym. I'll be sparring relatively light with someone, then they'll go a little harder, and I'll amp it up in response. Every single time this happens, I'm the one who gets told to slow down or go softer, and I tend to get pissy about that. In the moment, I often feel like it's unfair, because I was only responding with the same power that my partner hit me with. But the difference is that I'm the one getting emotional about it, and that takes it to another place. Other times, I can be sparring pretty hard with someone, but it's totally fine, as long as it still feels like 'playing'.

Here's a short post-fight clip of my friend Rosa, just after she came out of her very first fight. I love that she shared this because that's pretty much how I felt after my first fight, too. The tears, the excitement, the pain, the 'what the fuck did I just do?' All of it.

Sylvie's work to preserve the legacy of Muay Thai legends is so important, and has been really cool to follow. Now, another female fighter, Angie Wong, is adding another outlet with her #MuayThaiStories project! She's been interviewing fighters like Sangtiennoi and Attachai and turning their stories into short documentaries. Here's a clip from her latest one. Follow her Facebook page and Instagram profile to see more content.

Rap Against Dictatorship was huge, and it was really cool to see. The government threatened to arrest not only the people who made it, but anyone who liked or shared it. But as the millions of likes started to accumulate, that idea went out the window. They did respond with their own song, 'Thailand 4.0', which is basically an embarrassingly lame pro-junta song. It was like some strange rap battle.

I love the new look and layout! I'll keep a lookout for any bugs.

There actually aren't too many mosquitos at Attachai's. I usually attract a lot of them and get huge welts when they bite me, but I don't have any problems at the gym. I've definitely had worse at some other places! So no, it shouldn't be an issue. Do let me know if you're coming to train with us :smile:

Visa requirements seem to change a lot, so it's hard to keep up with it all. I do know that you are now limited to two visa runs per year by land. Any extra runs outside of those need to be done by air. There doesn't seem to be a limit there, but sometimes you're asked to provide proof of funds or onward travel. A really good source of info for this stuff is the Thai Visa Advice facebook group. There's a ton of info there, and if you post a question, someone should get back to you pretty quickly.

Yellow Fang are my fav. Also, deungdutjai.com is a really good site for learning lyrics to Thai songs.