A lot has happened in the past few days and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting in a groove already - how I wanted things to be. Saturday I was feeling a bit homesick, but then John came in and we had a good time while he was here. Granted it rained a lot (today is the first day it hasn't rained, but it's only 2:30pm), but we found time to read, check out some restaurants down the road and even visited Phromthep Cape which I took video of and previously posted. It was more incredible than I had imagined and I'm planning on going there at least once every other week (so 4 times I guess) to relax, read and just enjoy what this country has to offer. It's only about a half hour walk, I thought it may have been more.

On Sunday I started coming down with a sore throat, probably adjusting to the climate still + getting over jet lag. Luckily it was a day off from training and since it was raining most of the day, John and I just sat around and read some. Monday I decided to do the morning session of muay Thai despite still having a sore throat. I did the 5k again like I did Saturday and was utterly miserable during the big hill. I managed to finish and still do the training, but it took a toll on me and I decided to take it easy for a day or so. I skipped any afternoon workout after John had left and just took some medicine and slept it off.

John came to watch the last hour of the muay Thai training and I think he was quite taken back by it. Imagine a large outdoor gym filled with 16 punching bags, 2 rings, and 20+ incredibly sweaty people yelling, hitting pads and sparring with each other. He showed up to see the 4th round of my padwork with a trainer and thought it was pretty cool to watch. Maybe I can get a video up some day while here. Even though it's the hardest part of training, it's my favorite since I learn the most and it's fun to just go at it on the pads with the trainer.

Since I skipped the afternoon workout, I just napped, read and ate a quick dinner only to return and read/sleep some more. I'm glad I took it easy and though I woke up at 5:15am today, I skipped the morning session as I was still feeling uneasy and now congested. However, after breakfast I felt better and did the yoga class that they just started Monday. It was great to get some really good stretches in and I'm excited to take the class almost daily, great for the core and flexibility/stability. I always enjoyed class in Chicago, but it was expensive and I simply didn't have the time. Now that time is all I can find, I'm able to take it every day if I want. I'm going to head to the gym in a bit to get my first weightlifting session in in about 10 days. The gym at the camp is pretty inadequate and some of the guys here go to one down the road that has a lot better equipment.

I'm still debating how I'm going to continue with training, but one muay Thai session per day is enough if I'm also doing yoga, swimming and/or weightlifting. I'm a bit upset I signed up for the 2x per day for the first month, but it was only a little more expensive than 1x per day, so no biggie. I'm also upset with the twice daily buffet they offer for breakfast and dinner. I've found the breakfast to be fine, but the dinners have been unhealthy overall and not what I was expecting in terms of healthiness. I'll opt out of it next month and stick to the a la carte menu where, for example, I can get steamed vegetables and steamed chicken (my lunch today, which was very good) for 60 baht ($2) rather than averaging 120 baht per meal at the buffet. Sorry if all that was boring to read, but this is my blog, deal with it!

It's pretty interesting how you come to realize what's really vital in life as you live in modest means. My bungalow has only the essentials (but I'd trade the tv for a stove, surprisingly). It's rather small and can feel isolated at times, but it's all I need to survive, in a sense. A 11x11 bedroom, 8x18 shared kitchen/living room and a 3x6 bathroom is all you need. Some people here don't even have that, they live in houses that are falling apart and must be majorly infested with insects, mice and who knows what. I'm also getting by on fruit, vegetables, steamed chicken, steamed rice, various beans, eggs and various thai noodle dishes, at least for right now. I hope to get some oatmeal soon and perhaps, if I'm lucky, some whey protein to make shakes. But I constantly think about how lucky we all have it in America. Not saying you have to live like this here, but people live on means less than what I described. There are tons of little restaurants and stores that probably don't make 1/10th of what a similar place would make in the states. I don't usually send dishes back at restaurants, but I don't think I ever will now. And if I read someone complaining about something unimportant on, let's say facebook for an example, I can't help but wanting to call them an idiot and tell them how selfish/ridiculous they are being. This wasn't my intention when I came here, but I guess I have a new found appreciation for everything we have back home.