[bface]

Let's meet up on Friday.

Frost, you seem to know your way around town. Where should we meet up?

[AlphaTravel]

(03-06-2012 12:33 PM)Soma Wrote:  

That's actually exactly why I'm going. I want to get a lot of work done, and Bangkok's 24h hedonism is too tempting. Weekend nightlife and online gaming suits me fine.

Yeah if you have work to do then CM will probably be better, BKK does have a lot of distractions.

(03-06-2012 02:55 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

I am not sure if the Uni clubs will be crackin mid week or not, I only hit them on the weekends.

I had a pretty decent social circle while I was in CM, so it made it a lot more fun for me. I was also training Jiu Jitsu, so I was only going out about 3 nights a week once I got settled. I had half a dozen girls on call, so I would train Jiu Jitsu a few nights a week, go out with friends a few nights a week, and have girls over a few nights a week. I was "living" there for 3 months, so my situation is not the same as yours.

IMO, CM is a great place to LIVE. Probably not as great if you are just passing through looking to party mid week.

I prefer CM over BKK because the city is much nicer, better weather, less people and just more my style. All just gonna be personal preference. I have quite a few friends who work in BKK and say they wish they could live and work in CM instead.

The weather is definitely more agreeable, it's actually cold first thing in the morning right now, gets warm during the day but not too warm and is cool at night. If BKK could have that weather and a bit less traffic it would be perfect. I think if you have to go to work every day then CM would definitely be more agreeable than BKK.

I'm torn whether to stay here for the weekend, maybe do some sort of trip that involves trekking, elephant riding and visiting hill tribes to keep me occupied the next day or two before partying all weekend and leaving on Monday.

[WanderingSoul]

I didn't do any day trips, but wish I would have taken a boat ride up the ping river.

[Frost]

I'm not in Chiang Mai right now - Ko Phi Phi for the next few days, then India.

Zoe's is a good spot to meet up for a pint. The Indian spot, Delhi, right outside is pretty damn good too.

I went to check out Cafe Del Sol (that RN pimped on his data sheet) but it had closed down! Reggae Bar is right in the same area, at the end of Loi Kroh, but it got shut down by the local police right before I left. Not paying their bills to I'm guessing. I doubt it's permanent though.

[AlphaTravel]

Quote:

I didn't do any day trips, but wish I would have taken a boat ride up the ping river.

I have decided against doing a trip. Was thinking about a day jungle & elephant trek to a hilltribe followed by some bamboo rafting but a bit of looking into it and speaking to people has put me off. It's all very artifical and contrived, why go meet a tribe that dons the traditional outfits for an hour whilst the tourists roll in and then soon as you leave they go back to wearing jeans and converse and watching TV, it's just not authentic at all. The elephants are badly treated and apparently the bamboo rafting is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Satisfied I'm not missing much.

With it being Thursday I may head up to one of the clubs tonight, bound to be something happening. Are there decent bars near the clubs too?

[bface]

Has anyone made it here yet?

[AlphaTravel]

I went but only for a week, back in BKK now.

[Lukey]

Has anyone trained in Muay Thai in Chiang Mai?

I am going to be in Thailand for a few months later this year and am looking to continue my training. So far I have narrowed it down to Lanna, Santai or Team Quest.

RioNomad, I see you are a grappler too. How would you rate Team Quest's program? Did you check out their gym at all? They seem to have reputable MT trainers, however I wouldn't mind doing some private's so my BJJ doesn't get rusty....

[bface]

Yeah, can only recommend TQ for both MT and grappling.

[Lukey]

(03-30-2012 10:45 PM)bface Wrote:  

Yeah, can only recommend TQ for both MT and grappling.

Cheers bface. Did you train there when you were in Chiang Mai? Can you give me a short run down on where you stayed, how the training was and if you trained anywhere else (CM or elsewhere Thailand)?

Also do you know how much bjj privates usually cost up there?

[WanderingSoul]

(03-30-2012 10:18 PM)Lukey Wrote:  

Has anyone trained in Muay Thai in Chiang Mai?

I am going to be in Thailand for a few months later this year and am looking to continue my training. So far I have narrowed it down to Lanna, Santai or Team Quest.

RioNomad, I see you are a grappler too. How would you rate Team Quest's program? Did you check out their gym at all? They seem to have reputable MT trainers, however I wouldn't mind doing some private's so my BJJ doesn't get rusty....

Hey Lukey,

TQ was not yet complete while I was in Chiang Mai. I Googled their instructor but couldn't find a whole lot of info on him, so can't really say much. It is my impression they do not have Jiu Jitsu, and he is a Team Quest trained submission grappler. This is not a bad thing if he's a good instructor, but I don't believe he is a Jiu Jitsu guy. We do have good Jiu Jitsu here in Bangkok though and BKK is a super fun city. I didn't like it when I was here last yeat, but now I love it.

[Lukey]

(03-30-2012 11:47 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

Hey Lukey,

TQ was not yet complete while I was in Chiang Mai. I Googled their instructor but couldn't find a whole lot of info on him, so can't really say much. It is my impression they do not have Jiu Jitsu, and he is a Team Quest trained submission grappler. This is not a bad thing if he's a good instructor, but I don't believe he is a Jiu Jitsu guy. We do have good Jiu Jitsu here in Bangkok though and BKK is a super fun city. I didn't like it when I was here last yeat, but now I love it.

Thanks for the reply mate.

Maybe I was a bit mistaken re the BJJ situation at TQ. As I was saying earlier, I am trying to work out how I can train primarily Thai boxing (seeing as I'll be in the birthplace of the sport) and BJJ a couple of times a week to keep my progress up. Where do you train in BKK? Do you recommend it? How much more expensive are your day-to-day costs in BKK in comparison to CM?

I like BKK, however it is pretty hectic. I don't know if I could resist the 24/7 party that is on offer... training with a hangover is never fun.

[bface]

(03-30-2012 11:37 PM)Lukey Wrote:  

Cheers bface. Did you train there when you were in Chiang Mai? Can you give me a short run down on where you stayed, how the training was and if you trained anywhere else (CM or elsewhere Thailand)?

Also do you know how much bjj privates usually cost up there?

I am still there. I have only trained at TQ in Thailand, but have been traveling and training a lot and the training is definitely top notch.

The grappling instructor is Alex, a long time Eddie Bravo purple and he really knows his stuff. There is no gi training though. You probably won't need a private as classes are relatively small at the moment and Alex will help you with anything.

There are 4 MT coaches, 2 twins who have a few hundred fights each I think and 2 younger ones. They are all great pad holders and still fighting. Check the TQ facebook page for videos.

For accommodation just shoot the TQ guys a mail, they can give you a few close hotels for your preferred price range. I am staying a little far away (10-15min walking).

Make sure you stay close to the gym, you probably will only go out once/twice per week and then you can just take a tuktuk or red bus. There is no need to be close to the city center for any other reason.

TQ is close to the Airport Mall, you can get everything that you need there (and lots of uni students eat there too).

CM is really cheap. I spend less than 300 baht per day for food and supplies. 6800 rent + internet, 9000 for training. If you want you can also go lower than that, but I prefer AC when it's 38 degrees Celsius outside

[Lukey]

(03-31-2012 12:24 AM)bface Wrote:  

I am still there. I have only trained at TQ in Thailand, but have been traveling and training a lot and the training is definitely top notch.

The grappling instructor is Alex, a long time Eddie Bravo purple and he really knows his stuff. There is no gi training though. You probably won't need a private as classes are relatively small at the moment and Alex will help you with anything.

There are 4 MT coaches, 2 twins who have a few hundred fights each I think and 2 younger ones. They are all great pad holders and still fighting. Check the TQ facebook page for videos.

For accommodation just shoot the TQ guys a mail, they can give you a few close hotels for your preferred price range. I am staying a little far away (10-15min walking).

Make sure you stay close to the gym, you probably will only go out once/twice per week and then you can just take a tuktuk or red bus. There is no need to be close to the city center for any other reason.

TQ is close to the Airport Mall, you can get everything that you need there (and lots of uni students eat there too).

CM is really cheap. I spend less than 300 baht per day for food and supplies. 6800 rent + internet, 9000 for training. If you want you can also go lower than that, but I prefer AC when it's 38 degrees Celsius outside

Good stuff; cheers for the info.

From the sound of it TQ has got everything I need. Its interesting that they have a 10th Planet grappling coach. I prefer no-gi so that suits me fine. On other forums I have heard good things about the twin MT coaches too...

[WWPickup]

I have been living in Chiang Mai for 2 months. I love it!
So far I met one dude from the forum. Shoot me a private message if you want to go out together!

[bface]

bump.

Songkran. Soon.

[AlphaTravel]

Yeah my first ever Songkran though spending it in BKK rather than CM. Should be good but I can see it getting tedious by day 3 that you can't walk 5 yards without someone throwing ice water on you.

[bface]

bump again...

Anyone still planning to come?