For New Years 2004 I packed up my woman, Jamelle and everything else I have and moved to Thailand!  We spent what would be the winter holidays for most, in the tropical paradise of Pattaya!  After a few short hours in LOS (the Land Of Smiles) we knew we'd found our new home.

The number one symbol of Thailand is the venerable elephant.  They're much bigger in person than you may think from the pictures. My mother, Jamelle, & I spent a lazy afternoon on a trek through the woodlands on elephants at an Elephant Village/Sanctuary where they put on a show as well.

No trip to LOS would be complete without a trip to the Kathoey cabaret!  Made famous in France the modern cabaret is seen at it's best in Thailand.  These world famous dancers and faux femmes are easily some of the most beautiful women you will ever see!  The whole show is a G-Rated family affair and has crowd participation in the acts as well.

To the left is a shot of my landing after a para-sailing trip of the water off a Pattaya beach. On the right is a picture at the Petrified Wood and Million year stone forest in a petrified wood seat I am considering having shipped home as a throne.

The Sanctuary of Truth, Prasat Sut Ja-Tum was conceived out of the vision that human civilization has been achieved & nurtured by religious & philosophical truth. This was created not from hubris but from goodness drawn from religion, philosophy & art. It presents seven creators through carved wood sculptures.Heaven, Earth, Father, Mother, Moon, Sun&  Stars.

There's nothing left out of the Bangkok Nightlife.  In the Carnival bar there's a mechanical bull that NONE of us were abler to stay on for more than 45 seconds.  If we'd managed a full minute my O.J. would have been free!

As a supplement to my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training I lightly took up the art of Muay Thai. Distinctly different from kick boxing and other ring sports Muay Thai has kept it's well earned reputation for being an incredibly practical and effective martial art by producing world class fighters from many countries.  Bangkok is a Mecca for Muay Thai enthusiasts and fighters alike.  At Sor Vorapin/Jitti Gym I am able to train alongside champions and coaches who are helping me adapt my Muay Thai teachings to Mixed Martial Arts where I will be applying my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Below are a few pictures taken while I was having my hands wrapped and during breaks.  The coaches speak more then enough English to get the point across: "Jab! Hook! Knee, Knee, Knee, Elbow! Kick Kick!  OK.  Good round, do 50 sit-ups while you are resting.  Then we start hard training."

After all my hard work in the gym I usually have some of the local cuisine!  I liked it so much I decided to study it. I enrolled my mother, Jamelle & I in a cooking course run by one of the many illustrious chefs Thailand is privy too!

Above & left, a showing of how wonderfully diverse & multicultural our world has become. Bangkok held a Car Show!  I would have expected to make my first posting about a car show on the SouthWest page, but I got to see funnycars, classic Low Riders & custom Bicycles Thailand first.

The official, national religion of Thailand is Buddhism.  As testament to this there are temples and shrines erected all over the country.  from the largest city to the smallest town, you will find space made and reveres for Buddha.  These are pictures I was allowed to take at some monuments. They are stunningly beautiful.

I especially enjoy: Wat Phra Chetuphon, more commonly called Wat Po. This time I won't regale you with historical fact because my interest in this temple is purely contemporary!  Wat Po is home to the acclaimed Wat Poi School of Massage. Traditional Thai Massage is  a mainstay of my life now.  After hours of training, having my muscles soothed and plied by these professionals is amazing!  They are surprisingly strong yet gentle.  Words just don't do it justice so I hope you get to try it for yourself.    The Temple of The Dawn, Wat Arun.  It's a massive elongated prang (tower) surrounded by four smaller prangs. The prang is described by the Tourism Authority of Thailand as 104m high, while most other sources quote figures around 85m. It is decorated by bits of porcelain which had been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China, a hallmark of the reign of King Rama III.

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