Massage School

Today I learned just how much work it takes to be a traditional Thai masseur. Definately much easier to take than to give. Also, dealing with all sorts of personalities must be a real challenge for a professional. Intention is so important as it shapes the kind of energy you exude and consequently the quality of the experience the person recieving the massage experiences. Thai massage goes back over a thousand years to Indian, Chinese and indigenous traditional medicine - interesting concepts about energy lines and wind channels.

The other day, I finally made to an authentic Muay Thai boxing program at the Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium. There were 7 bouts in all for several weight categories. I tried to sneak in for 100 baht, posing as a local Thai (the Thai local in front of me paid 100) before I was called back in english and asked to pay the tourist fee (400). The traditions, such as the music and the ceremonial dance and the wais (bows) to your opponent, audience and judges keep what is otherwise a primal, viscerally violent sport within civilized bounds. The sound of flesh being pounded by shins, knees, gloved fists and the way each fighter gathers momentum towards the latter rounds was a revelation. The use of kicks, knees, elbows to the head and throws make Thai boxing more damaging than regular boxing. I kept wondering what Hemmingway would of thought of all this - if he would have found greater beauty in Thai boxing.

The final match was the heavy weight class and it was between a Thai and a Finnish boxer (who by his adornments, was the defending champion). There was a roudy bunch of white men and their Thai girlfriends who formed several rows of support behind the Fin's corner. In the Thai boxer's corner, there was his young wife and his daughter and 2 assistants, who couldn't have been more than 20, who watered him down between rounds. The audience was mixed of locals, expats and tourists - the whole time I couldn't figure out who the locals were cheering for and I wondered if their support for one of their own was muted by the bets they had placed against him.

The Thai landed a series of solid punches against the Fin in the first 2 rounds. The Fin's face began to swell, and you could tell just a couple more would have knocked him out. There was something about the Thai that made me think he was some working regular guy who decided to try his luck or reclaim some glory - perhaps he had been a champion in his earlier years. There was something sad about the fact that there was just his wife and daughter who quietly watched. A few rounds went by, the Fin was still standing strong, and perhaps had succeed in softening up the Thai with his kicking. There were a few near knock downs - each time the Thai stood his ground and the referee counted to 9 before they started again. By the last round, though the Thai succeeded in knocking down the Fin once, he look like he was on his last legs. In between each round, he looked like near collapse - his coach held up a hand each time and he breathed something from it (mentol or some kind of smelling salt).

The bell sounded, the ref collected the score cards and the Fin won the bout on technical grounds. The euro corner erupted and stood up in roudy applause. The Thai barely made it to the corner. On my way out of the stadium, I saw him sitting on the edge of the ring, looking exhausted and breathing heavily. His wife and daughter waited for him below.