The Luang Prabang airport was little more than a bus station with a security checkpoint. Very basic, but you could still buy a Beer Lao outside of security and then walk through to the seating at the gate with it! Besides that, our flight was uneventful.
Our weekend back in Bangkok was spent doing a couple of cool things. One night, Dave and I went to see Muay Thai boxing at the downtown stadium. Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport, and it is also one of many martial arts used in Ultimate Fighting, a mixed martial arts form of contact fighting that incorporates stand-up, clinch, and ground fighting (using skills from boxing, muay thai, greco-roman wrestling, Brazilian jujitsu, etc). Dave and I have gotten sucked into the world of Ultimate Fighting through the Ultimate Fighting Championships, which we watch on occasion at our friend Pete's house. I'm not a big fan of boxing, where fighters exchange blows to the head until some one's brain swells up and they fall down and loose. But ultimate fighting seems (to me at least) to pivot on skills, speed, and the ability to think on the fly. Fighters often are well versed in one form more than others (although they train across a range), so you might get a jujitsu master against a greco-roman wrestler. The fights are more technical, with wins coming from submissions with a tap-out more often than a knockout.
But I digress. I am much less versed in the art of ultimate fighting than some of my friends. We went to the Muay Thai matches to check out the pure form of the sport. Dave and I approached the stadium and were instantly "befriended" by a woman who was trying to sell us the "special seats" ringside. The first price was outrageous, but she kept coming down in price. We asked to see the seats so she took us inside briefly. The ring was surprisingly small, with open floor all around it, which was filled with padded seats- the kind you find in banquet halls- full of white tourists. Then there was a short chain link fence, and then rickety wooden benches full of Thai spectators. Of course, we wanted to sit with the Thai people! So we eventually shook off the woman when she realized that we weren't buying it, and made out way inside.
muay thai kick boxing
There weren't many people in the stands when we sat down- but more filed in through the evening. There was a large contingency of older Thai men on one side who stood up excitedly throughout each of the fights- they were betting money on the rounds! Lots of shouting.
the Thai spectators at the boxing ring
Thai people are relatively small (when compared to overweight americans), and the fighters looked to me as if they were young teenagers- all boys. There was funny live thai music played between each of the fights, and the fighters would do ritualistic dances before fighting- very mysterious. The fighters were very quick on their feet- it seemed a pretty bloodless sport.
I was also intrigued by the stray cats that roamed under the wooden benches looking for scraps, and the very pungent toilets, and the large cans of beer we would retriever from the vendors outside. We kept buying ours from one woman, who after the second beer started to watch for us to come out of the gate (we bought them one at a time to split because it was so warm out, even at night).
Dave and I also went to the weekend market with Liza and her friend Hannah, who was also visiting from Michigan. The Chatuchak Weekend Market is like the night bazaar, but much much bigger. And it takes place in the melting heat of mid-day. I was very excited to go, but less thrilled once I started dripping in the heat- it was a hot hot weekend, and we were surrounded by hot crowds of people- both tourists and locals. But the offerings were cheap, and ranged from clothes to art to kitchen wares! And of course food, lots of sidewalk vendors.
sidewalk cafe- this one serves a pho type soup- you order a large bowl of broth with thin translucent noodles and meat and then add vegetables (mung beans, peppers, lime juices, basil, sometimes mint, etc) from the heaping bowls on the tables. yum!!
On our way to the market we crossed a bridge over a main road and looked down to spy this string of taxis:
candy colored taxis lined up at the curb
The other excusion we made that weekend was to Liza's favorite Thai massage place. This is a place that her friend Bree Baugmann (who is from Petoskey, MI) took her to when she first moved to Bangkok. Liza's first apartment was in the neighborhood. The first time I visited Liza, she took me to this massage place, which is very nice! And cheap! An hour massage for something like $12, and thats "expensive" comparatively- this is a very nice place. Liza, Dave, Spencer, and I all went. Dave and I got full body massages, Liza got a foot massage (which are also amazing!) and Spencer opted, for some reason, for a facial (they ran out of body masseuses I guess). We were all very satisfied when we left an hour later.
Liza's favorite Thai massage place in downtown Bangkok- Liza, Spencer, and Chelsea post-massage
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