That One Time I Went Boxing on Ko Phi Phi

I spent a variety of my first journey all over the world partying. I used to be twenty-five and able to lower unfastened after 1 / 4 century of dwelling a reasonably sheltered, middle-class life. In my thoughts, a variety of backpacking was about assembly fellow vacationers, partying, and saying sure to something that got here your manner. And that always result in some outrageous experiences.

Like getting right into a boxing ring in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand.

Earlier than I started that journey in 2006, I used the web site MySpace to fulfill vacationers upfront, since, as an introvert, I used to be very anxious that I wouldn’t make any mates on the street. MySpace had a variety of journey teams, so I reached out to individuals in hopes of assembly up with them on the journey. (I used to be early to utilizing the net as a social device: I had a weblog in 2001, and I met my first girlfriend on Friendster again when assembly individuals on-line was taboo.)

After touchdown in Bangkok on the finish of that yr, I occurred to run into Lindsay within the airport, a Brit I used to be scheduled to fulfill later that week in Krabi. She was along with her mates John and Stephanie. As luck would have it, we had been on the identical flight to Phuket, so we determined to start out our journey collectively early.

In Phuket, we had booked lodging on the hostel made well-known by the film The Seashore. It was as horrible because the movie made it out to be, with skinny partitions, soiled bogs, and arduous beds. We stayed one evening.

From there, we went to Ko Phi Phi, the place we deliberate to spend three nights. The island was nonetheless reeling from the tsunami that had devastated it two years earlier than, a cacophony of noise because it tried to rebuild itself. There was particles and building in all places, and plenty of companies had been nonetheless closed and houses deserted.

We discovered an inexpensive room on the far finish of the primary city, bunking collectively to save cash, a traveler’s most treasured commodity.

That evening, we did what backpackers do on the island: we partied. We ate low-cost meals within the bustling evening market, with distributors promoting overpriced pad thai to vacationers who didn’t know higher. From there, went from bar to bar, getting progressively drunker, earlier than ending up on the Reggae Bar, which is legendary for 2 causes: buckets of low-cost booze and a boxing ring within the heart.

However the ring isn’t for watching skilled Thai boxers. No, it’s there so backpackers can watch different backpackers beat the shit out of one another without spending a dime buckets of booze. (A “bucket” is Thai whiskey, Crimson Bull, and Coke in a baby’s seaside pail. It will get you very smashed.)

As we acquired drunker and drunker, James dared me to go field within the ring. “Come on! We’d like extra booze,” he stated egging me on.

Because the evening wore on and the alcohol did its factor, I made a decision to say fuck it. “Wonderful, I’ll do it,” I agreed, giving in to the will to say sure to something and impress my new mates.

I ended up within the ring with an outsized German man who was about as drunk as I used to be.

“Go straightforward on me,” I stated. “I’ve by no means been in a battle.”

“No drawback. That is only for enjoyable anyway,” he replied in a slurred, accented voice.

Being drunk, I acquired a bit overzealous and didn’t “go straightforward” on him. I acquired aggressive, touchdown blows the place I may, and the primary spherical was known as in my favor.

Within the second, he fought again, not desirous to lose to an American who was half his dimension. His blows harm, even in my drunken state.

That spherical was known as for him.

Within the closing spherical, we each acquired a little bit aggressive. He simply defeated me, because the ref, not wanting me to get too pummeled, rapidly known as the spherical — and match — for him.

However everybody loves an underdog, so boos erupted from the viewers.

Aiming to please the group, the bar additionally ended up giving me a free bucket, and the German man and I cheered one another. His mates joined mine, and we partied the evening away.

The subsequent morning, once I awakened, I used to be stiff as a board and had a horrible hangover. Although simply frivolously bruised, I may barely transfer. Each a part of my physique ached.

“Why is all the pieces sore? What did we do final evening?”

It took a couple of minutes, after which it hit me (so to talk).

“Ohhh, yeah, I boxed somebody final evening!”

Whereas I used to be not pondering of the repercussions to my physique the evening earlier than, I used to be properly attuned to them now. It was like a truck had backed up and down my physique a number of instances as I laid flat in mattress.

My mates and I laughed and joked about how silly it was to field somebody double my dimension for some alcohol. I lay there aching as my mates acquired prepared, till I lastly needed to dress myself. We headed to the seaside to absorb the solar on the sand and get some breakfast.

Boxing in that ring was one of many extra spontaneous issues I did on that journey and, whereas I gained’t ever do it once more, it’s a kind of “fuck sure” moments that introduced me nearer to my mates and made for a great reminiscence.

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