Down time

So I have been out of the game for a little while.  On Friday night a bunch of us went out to eat at a place called Monty's (they have an all you can eat buffet for 150 baht which is awesome for a bunch of guys who are training everyday).  After dinner we went down to Bangla Road which is basically the craziest place in the world and I will get into that in a little bit.  When we got to the first bar I put my arm on the table and noticed that my elbow hurt.  I didn't remember banging it but I noticed it was starting to swell a bit.  It swelled a bit more that evening and got super hot.  I iced it when I got home and went to bed not thinking that much of it.  When I got up in the morning it was HUGE.  Here is a picture so you can get understanding:

Teg and I saddled up and took a trip to the International Hospital where they took blood (lord do I hate needles) and in the end the doctor thinks I might have been bit by a bug and it got infected. The infection got into the bursa sac in my elbow giving me no end of fluid build up.  So after giving me a round of antibiotics and some anti inflammatories  I was left not being able to train for the next little bit.  I should be back at it Wednesday morning (with no elbows to the pads of course). My elbow is back to normal size and don't worry mom everything is fine. The doctors and nurses were awesome and I am being careful with it. 


So what are you left to do when you can't train here.  Well you have a few options.  First would be shopping.  There is tons of super cheap clothes here.  Its so cheap I think I am going to buy a bag and fill it with clothes right before I go home.  I am not much of a shopper though so I don't think I will do that till one of my last days here.


There are massage places every five feet here.  Basically there are two types of massage places...sketchy and not so sketch...I try to stick to the ones in the hotels or the giant mall here called Jungceylon, but on the street there is no end of girls who jump out at you and try to come in to their parlor.  They are almost as bad as the suit guys but kinda funny at the same time. For the most part I have only gotten a few massages though when I am really sore.  I am not super into strangers touching me for the most part.

The movie theater here is awesome.  The place is huge and the movies are cheap.  The chairs are more comfortable than any theater that I have been too.  The only issue is that there are not many English movies playing.  Right now its Salt, Toy Story 3 and Step Up 3D.....booooooo


Eating takes up a lot of time....apparently we have to eat a lot here.  There is a restaurant every 5 feet in Patong I honestly have not had anything here I didn't like. You can get a fruit shake and pad thai for 100 baht (3 dollars) and you are good to go.


The most popular thing to do here is hit Bangla road and is more than likely why so many travelers come here.  Its a huge party. I can not begin to describe to you the craziness that is this small strip.  Alcohol is cheap and there are people everywhere.  People are trying to sell everything you can think of from ping pong shows (use your imagination)  to all types of trinkets.  The lady boys are crazy and every once in a while you will see a very drunk tourist thinking they are scoring a hot chick for the evening not realizing its a dude.  Basically we tend to sit in U2 bar and watch the crazy float by.  

It is very much Aussi time here in Patong because its their winter and its close.  There also seems to be a lot of Russians here.  Everybar is also filled with Thai women who all cat call you to come sit with them just like the massage girls on the street.  I think I will enjoy walking in relative silence back in the streets of Vancouver when I get home.


On that note I should head to bed as I am getting up early to kick and punch things in the morning.  




Jordan