i want to go a-wandering

Ok I'll admit that I am not supposed to be doing this. Those arms, those legs, loaded with power, those washboard abs... Concentrate on the game!

This is the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, and I am at a Muay Thai fight night. I am also with my parents and feel relatively uneasy watching/gawking at the visual feast (hot and sweaty bodies entwined in combat) that is unfolding before me.

The stadium is at its fullest capacity now. Well, technically not full, but the cheers, jeers, and betting calls from the locals more than made up for it. Locals and tourists come together tonight (except that you pay a higher price for being a tourist - 2000 baht specifically, for ringside seats. You are regaled with attention by the many part-time waitresses there. Food and drinks, anybody?)

I have purposefully taken multiple restroom breaks having read online that fighters prepare and rest backstage, which are (conveniently!) close to the restrooms. My wish of being up close with Muay Thai fighter certainly came true tonight. Pictures were taken, girly butterflies fluttered about in my stomach, and I think about how I am going to Instagram the hell out of this picture.

I go back to my prestigious ringside seat. We are now at the seventh match. Preceded by another nine made up of lightweight fighters (ie. kids, teenagers and above), this is the money shot of the night. A theatrical trailer of sorts.

Imagine this: the stage where the action is - a fighter in red and another in blue, engaging and disengaging, coaches yelling advice from the sidelines, the traditional percussion band pounding the drums to the rhythm of the show, all amidst the roar of the audience. Such cacophony. I sit with Thai cup noodles in my hands, suddenly taken aback by the staggering information I am getting. Pure. Sensory. Overload.

This is THE game. The stadium is a taut ball of excitement. Anticipation is brutal, and every jab, kick and block is a release. I can't think of a better form of entertainment. Win, lose, does it really matter?

We have to stay till the end. How can we not? The locals start to leave to prepare for next day's work, whether they have had winnings or losses from the night's bets. They will probably be back in a few days' time.

In a way Lumpinee seems like an appropriate culmination of our experience in Bangkok. This place is just so loud and rude with its in-your-faceness. Overwhelmingly good. Tonight it feels like the whole of Bangkok is here. Tonight is awesome.