Kick Boxing and Wet Feet

 Our last day in Hua Hin found us sitting on the beach with the warm waves from the Bay of Thailand tickling our toes. A delightful breeze cools the air making this a deceptively temperate day. To get the idea of how hot the sun really is, you only have to look around to see the sunburns on the foreigners. The native Thais are completely covered. A few daring souls wear short sleeves rather than long. What a glorious day!

On Saturday night we had tickets for Muay Thai (kick boxing). We saw Jhonny at Kuiburi National Park where he was on a different tour. We mentioned Muay Thai to him. He was able to get tickets and a seat right next to us. We met him at Heidi’s Garden for dinner before the match. We came to realize that Thai Boxing Garden events were not championship matches. The garden is a neighborhood gym that trains fighters and gives classes to anyone who is interested. When we bought the tickets a man from Finland and his teenage son were there to take a class.

After dinner at Heidi’s the three of us walked down the alley to the gym. We presented our tickets and were rewarded with a Singha beer. After finding our seats in the upper balcony overlooking the ring, we had only a short time to wait before the first match began. For me the formal rites or ceremony before each match was as fascinating as the match itself.

There were five matches on Saturday. The youngest boxers were twelve and their match was three rounds of three minutes each. Both young men gave it their all. After the winner was declared both fighters proceed to walk through the stand and collect money from the audience. Some people only gave to the winner, some only to the loser and some gave to both. This practice was a surprise to us but nonetheless, we participated.

The oldest fighters were grinning for most of their match. The fighter we thought would win, did not. By the last round he was just too tired. Whenever he got a chance in the last round, he took a walk around the ring. His opponent had at least thirty pounds on him and in the end that won over technique.

The best fighter was the young man we met when we went to get the tickets. He won his match by a knockout. WOW! That was a surprise. The even bigger surprise was the walk by the fighters around the stands. Both of them were there with the winner going first. I couldn’t believe the other young man was not off seeing a doctor.

Quite an interesting and exciting evening!

The next morning Cream picked us up with Noi as our driver. We headed out to the mangroves. What a wonderful day! I may repeat because both Dennis and I thought this was an exceptional day. The mangrove park was initiated by Queen Sirikit the mother of the current King Maha Vajiralogkorn. 

The mangroves are traversed by a wooden plank trail that encircle a portion of the mangrove swamp. We barely started walking the trail when the boards were covered with swamp water. Dennis made the smartest move and took off his shoes and socks. Cream and I tried tiptoeing through the water which gradually flowed over the soles of our shoes, soaking our socks. Too late, my shoes and sock came off.

About half way through the loop, is a clearing where the mangrove meets the river. If you wish you can take a boat ride. I highly recommend doing this. It is 450 Baht ($13.00) for 1 - 4 people and 500 Baht ($15.00) for up to 6 people. It is a beautiful ride, ending in brackish water where the ocean and river meet. Passing through fishing villages and into more open water is splendid. 

For me it is mesmerizing to see fishing boats cruising past. Given my experience with sea sickness, I don’t know why I love seeing the boats, the fishermen, and their catches. Okay, some of the fishermen are ruggedly handsome so I get that but really, the catches—a bit smelly.

Once back at the dock at the grove we continued walking on the loop trail so that we could return to our starting point. We had an opportunity to climb up a standing platform to view the magnitude of the mangroves. Dennis did it, I did not.

After a short walk across the road to the beach and the bathroom, we continued on our way to the crab bank.The crab bank was started because the crabs were being overfished. The bank allows the female crabs to deposit their eggs in the “bank”. Then once they are at the next stage (zoea) (see photo of glass) they can be safely returned to the water to grow. The females are then sold. The “bank” has significantly increased the crab population and positively impacted the lives of the crabbers. 

Our final stop before lunch was at a squid processing operation. Dried squid is a favorite food here. After the catch, they are dried, sorted and sold. Then the consumer grills them, rolls them up and they’re ready to eat. The women working here do not have an easy job but they do have a sense of humor. As I was taking photos, one of the women who was sorting dried squid by size said (in Thai), as she pointed across at another woman, “Take lots of pictures of her. Put her on social media so she’ll be famous!” 

Drying the squid

Sorting by size

Drying

Cleaning the squid before drying

Lunch beside the river was luscious and then we met Jhonny at the Cicada Market. This market has everything—food, crafts, art, music. And so ends a fabulous time in Hua Hin.

And then the Cicada Market—

What a wonderfully busy day. And now a final word from Dennis—

Ok, now you have shared with us our final days in Hua Hin, Thailand. Beach, Muay Thai, mangrove swamp tour, fishing village and Cicada Night Market. I can’t say enough about the great little city, the places we visited and people we met. Truly wonderful.

Now we are sitting in our hotel room in Bangkok awaiting a short cab ride to the airport and a one hour flight to Vientiane, Laos. We’ve never been to Laos and I’m looking forward with the hope that it equals the fun we had in Thailand. that being said, I am also very curious. Will there be old guys that look like me walking the streets with lovely young ladies, 20 - 40 years younger than them as there were in Hua Hin?

I’m puzzled, what do these young ladies see in those old guys? I wonder if towns in Laos advertise “weed” for sale next to massage parlors with girls guaranteeing, “a happy ending and a smile” like in Thailand. Hmmm?? Just a few of the questions I have and answers I’ll provide for you as our adventure continues. 

See ya…👺