Water is what everybody drinks, cold or hot. Coffee and tea are relatively new to the country. The recreational and fortifying drink used to be, and still very often is to this day, hot water (nam hohn). A glass of cool water (nam yen) as refreshment and to make you feel welcome is immediately served to any guest or customer upon having been invited to sit down, at home or at the office. In 'better' Thai restaurants it's no longer done for commercial reasons; why give something away for free. In Laos it is still a sign of gracious service.
Coffee (kafae) became known early last century with the establishment of French coffee plantations on the Boloven Plateau in southern Laos. By now these plantations produce world class coffee for export whilecafelao has locally become the in-thing to drink. It is made with sweet, white condensed milk sitting on the bottom of the glass which is then topped up with solid black coffee. A truly black-and-white concoction, the Lao B-52!
Tea (nam xah) eventually descended from China. A fairly recent newcomer is indigenous green tea made from organically grown mulberry leaves as pioneered at the organic farm in Vangvieng. It has pretty much captured the local market and is in the process of seriously going international. My morning brew consists of mulberry tea for its acknowledged medicinal benefits blended with bergamot flavoured Earl Grey tea for the caffeine induced pick-me-up effect.
Wine
Hail, thou French occupiers; it is cheap, thanks. The choice of wine - red, white or rose - to go with your meal is entirely yours. In regards to which wine accompanies what food there are NO rules, that's French wine industry hype. Feel free, as well, to chill your wine to your preference because it would be pretty silly to drink red wine in the tropics at 'room temperature' as lectured in Europe.
The Rituals
On the occasion of birthdays, weddings, funerals or anything else
To keep the mood lively anybody can, and quite a few eventually will, grab a bottle of whatever liquor (lao) is available or brought along for the purpose, take a small glass and start making the rounds offering a shot to everybody. It is difficult to refuse while she herself, it really seems to be more often a 'she' than a 'he', has quite a few in the process of doing the catering with the sole intention to get you, and everybody else, drunk. It's all about comradeship though it predates communist days. Basically it is a democratic way to make sure that everyone gets royally drunk equally fast. While lifting the glass in greetings to the host and assembled crowd wishes for a winning lottery ticket and so on are very much in place and repeated often. It's a drink-up ritual, finished by you ostentatiously turning the glass upside-down to prove that you have, indeed, emptied it to the last drop.
Any day - any time when friends are gathered together
A voice is raised demanding, suffering no objection: lift (yohk kuen) your glasses which you then knock (tam) against each other. In Europe, you toast an occasion or person; here, a glass simply raised towards those present at table is an invitation and challenge for all to join in and drink, every time. The frequency of yohk kuen increases literally by the minute and participation is obligatory. Mind you, it doesn't take much persuasion!
If you do not drink alcohol make it clear to your host and companions and you will be respected for it; otherwise you cannot chicken-out, it's a communal fun affair - clink along with your water!
Laolao and Laokao
Same; none other than the local alcohol (lao) version of a Vodka or Schnapps distilled from corn or rice. Carpenters can't do without. I have observed them in mid-April, the hottest month of the year, at a noon temperature of well over forty degrees Celsius, straddle a house roof of considerable height and asking for a refill. I've tasted laokao (white liquor) over the decades starting in Thailand. It is getting better and better, that is cleaner and cleaner, not leaving behind the next morning that terrible aftertaste of yesterday's schnapps. Laolao(Lao liquor) is about to attain the quality to be mixed with tonic water. Xayoh to the Carpenters!
Laobongyaa
That's the stuff you see around sold as yaa or 'medicine' out of various glass jars with different herbs and roots inside. Each jar helpfully features a cardboard sign listing its various medicinal benefits. The more exotic varieties of Vietnamese origin feature such delicacies as cobras, scorpions and lizards. The bong stands for 'preserving' whatever is in there. It better!
Laohai
Local wine is made of rice, water and, yes, yeast. It's the yeast that makes this laohai potent for which reason its sale used to be forbidden in Thailand. This was meant to prevent people from making it easily at home and thus not paying taxes to the state for the privilege of getting drunk by their own inexpensive means. So as a foreigner you were sent into the supermarket to fetch the yeast from the farang women's bakery section. In Laos it ferments in traditional clay pots (hai) from which it is drunk by means of long bamboo straws. The volume consumed today is refilled with water to get drunk, again, tomorrow; fermentation and partying going hand-in-hand.
Beerlao
Where there is tam mak-houng, laab and som mou, there is Beerlao, no translation needed. Together with these dishes, and the love for celebrating, it has become a national icon. The ladies know how to consume and keep their alcohol down well. Don't talk about the older generation. When attending any Baci, village or temple fair, they drink you under the table. The women will lead you around in a ramwong-dance before you pass out. Gosh, they drink; yohkkeun, lift your glasses!
Knowing what is bound to happen, an empty yellow Beerlao crate is helpfully placed underneath any table of three-plus imbibers which will fill up in no time with empty bottles, large ones. We are drinking here by-the-crate, mate!
It is praised by many as the region's best beer with an ever growing reputation and fan club (read the Bangkok Post's Letters to the Editor) turning it into a tourist attraction in its own right.
I remember when traveling around South America in the late sixties and ending up in some forlorn spot in the Andes or Amazon where they did NOT sell Cola, you knew you were really off the beaten track. The distribution of Beerlao to the farthest corners of the realm is a pillar of this society, a necessity for its functioning and a pride to the company employees. It won't always be chilled to perfection but, nonetheless, admirable efforts are made to this effect. It certainly doesn't need to be chilled in Samneua, it's too cold up there all year round anyway. If you end up in a spot where there is no Beerlao available at all, not even at room temperature, you certainly are a long way away from this world as we know it... or you might happen to be jungle trekking or white water kayaking with our adventure tourism company Green Discovery, and you'll be in good hands.
"Muay Thai, An ancient martial art style & a popular combat sport"
"Muay Thai, An ancient martial art style & a popular combat sport"
Muay thai (Muay- boxing, thai- thai people; meaning: Thai boxing), also called Pahuyuth , is a form of intermediate & close range hard Martial art, & the national sport of Thailand. It is one of the most popular martial art styles in the world. To an ordinary eye, it is somewhat like ‘concentrated' kickboxing, ‘concentrated' in the sense that elbow, knee strike & below waist kicks along with clinch are allowed here.
Muay thai, although a Thai martial art, is similar or often identical to many other art forms practiced in several south-east Asian countries : Burmese bare knuckle boxing/ Lethwei in Myanmar; Pradal Serey in Combodia; Lao boxing in Laos & Tomoi in Malaysia. This may be partly explained by the below historical event. At around, 200 B.C., Han Dynasty of China invaded and seized the kingdoms of Ai-lao (the name given by Chinese to them). This led to gradual migration of many Ai-lao from west-central Asia to south-east Asia, dividing into three branches in the process: the Shans settled in Burma, the Ahom went east into Vietnam, the Loa-Tai in the present day Laos.
At the end of 19thcentury, the first Thai states were forming into Laos & Siam, & with the capturing of two of Khmers cities (Khmers, the strongest & richest empire in Asia at around 6thcentury, originally from India.) in 1238, Muang thai – land of the free, an embryo nation, was created which ultimately becomes Thailand. From its very birth, it was at constant threat, & at warfare against the Burmese to the west, & the Khmers to the south-east. To deal with it, during the period of Prince Uthong of Ayudhhya (aprox.1350-1750, considered Golden Age of Thailand), a training manual called ‘the Chupasart' was prepared by distilling the vast combat knowledge of the great warriors of the nation, giving rise to a combat battle field art.
Around 1854, called the Ayuddhaya period, under the King Naresuan (also called as the Black Prince), the 1st great upsurge interest in Muay thai occurred. He modified Siamese boxing to supplement & conform to weapon use. He created duets fighting drills, organized boxing competitions & large scale combat exercises, while teaching the war science to his people. One of the duets was for Krabi (the sabre, a long sword with curved tip & oversized hilt made up of teakwood/water buffalo horn) & Krabong (the spear/staff), almost similar to Manipuri Thang-Ta, from which, the name Krabi-Krabong came for the mother art. Because too many soldiers were either injured grievously or killed while training & fighting with weapons, an unarmed art (Muay Boran/Muay Chao Chur), almost equally effective, was created. As it was to be used in battle fields, where there were always multiple attackers, originally they did little use of grappling or submission holds, but instead focused more on crushing kicks, punches or bone shattering elbows & knees, aiming to take down opponents with just one or two shots/blows.
Soon it became the national passion around 17thCentury under the King Pra Chao Sua/the Tiger King. He loved the art so much that he often wandered Siam in disguise, fought in village contests, challenging all the comers & remaining undefeated for 7 years. Many of his personal fighting techniques became the basis of modern Muay thai.
Another famous Muay Boran warrior was a commoner named Nai Khanom Tom. In 1767, he along with some 29,999 Thais were rounded up by the invading Burmese & took to Ungwa, Burma. After remaining imprison for 7 years (some sources say 1 year), he was selected to represent Thais prisoners of war in a boxing contest as a part of a grand festival organized by the Burmese King Mangra, at a Buddhist temple in Rangoon, where a holy relic of Buddha was enshrined. He did Wai Kru to respect the King & the Burmese people, & incredibly defeated 10 Burmese Lethwei champions in succession without any rest. The King was so impressed that he granted him & his fellow Thai prisoners freedom along with two beautiful Burmese wives. Even today, his feat is celebrated as ‘National Muay thai Day' on March 17 every year, where young Thai boxers perform Wai khru ram muay & Wai khru prajam pee.
After the Burmese aggressors were expelled out in late 1767, the series of kings of the free Thailand spared no effort in promoting the art. The Thai boxing became the favorite sport & past time of the people, the army, & the Kings. Around 1920s, during the reign of the King Rama the 7 , the name ‘Muay Thai' was given to this popular sport, referring the older form of the style as Muay Boran.
Muay thai has lost none of its appeal in Thailand. It is loved & enjoyed by people of all sections. The T.V. fight broadcasts rate among the Kingdom's most popular programmes. Even in the most remote village, people cluster around local fights or available T.V. to watch – all the four Thai T.V. stations broadcasts free Muay thai fights four night a week. The glory could also be found at Stadiums like Rajdamnern & Lumpinee (Stadium establishment began during the reign of the King Rama, the 7, before 2nd world war).The two main centers for the Muay thai study are the capital city Bangkok & the northern capital Chiang Mai. Thai military cadet schools also teach a modified Muay thai called Lerd Rit (meaning extreme power), an unarmed combat art used in conjunction with Krabi-Krabong, & incorporates breaking boards, glass bottles with elbows etc.
Contribution of Buddhist monks in the history of Muay thai is huge. Since 14th century, the Buddhist monks in the world famous ‘Buddhai Swan temple' (much like the Chinese ‘Shaolin temple' with similar ancient tradition) have been teaching martial art as a philosophy & as a way of life. The Buddhist monks have been keeping the practice of Muay thai for hundreds of years. Its popularity was spread to the common people by young men who have learnt the art from these monks, since each Thai man is urged to live as a monk at least once in his life.
Muay thai is considered as one of the world most deadliest & brutal combat sports by some. As in other martial art styles, it was originally meant for the battle field – with survival as the only rule. Upto 1920s, it was a part of school curriculum in Thailand, but was withdrawn as the injury rate was too high. In olden days, combatants wore horse hide thongs wrapped around the fists & forearms to slash the opponent's skin. Such thongs were soon replaced by hump rope, wound around the fists & wrists, then layered over the glue soaked cloth strips that hardened into stone gauntlets. Some fighters even used ground glass or pebbles mixed with the glue. There were no weight categories – larger fighters fought smaller ones & the bout went on until a fighter could not stand, with the loser horribly maimed or even killed, or the fight continued as long as a holed coconut shell placed in a water tube immersed completely into it. There were apparently no rules in the ring. After one such death in a ring, the King Rama the 7 codified rules for the Muay thai & were put into place around 1920s. But the matches were still brutal & violent, with head butting, kicks/knee to groin etc, perfectly legal moves. This carnage continued until the late 1930s, when the Thai government intervened & forced to adopt international boxing rules, weight divisions, padded gloves etc, & prohibiting many illegal moves like groin attacks etc.
Thai people have a great respect for the art & its teachers (Kun kru). Thai boxers do this through the ancient tradition of Wai khru/Bucha kru/Ram muay/Wai khru ram muay (Wai: action to show respect/pray/apologize with folded hands in front of the chest, like 'Namaste' in India; Khru: teacher; Ram: traditional Thai style dance; Muay: boxing), a pre-fight ceremonial dance to show respect & gratitude to the Kun kru in submission to his teaching & training, to summon up good, powerful spirits & scare away bad spirits from their corners. The fighter seeks God blessing for himself & for his opponent, & for an honorable fight or victory. Among enchanting traditional Thai music, the fighter, wearing Mongkon on head (said to possess the spiritual power of the Kun kru & all the fighters in their camp) & Krung Rangs on biceps (for extra protection & good luck), does Ram muay, demonstrating control, style & his prowess to the audience, some times taunting or scaring each other by stomping around his opponents etc (but no blow is allowed in anger). This ritual has been developed in different ways, in different regions, under different teachers, so usually no two fighters perform identical Wai khru (preventing fighters trained by the same Kun kru from fighting each other). A Muay thai expert, just by watching the Ram muay, can easily tell about the trainer & the region the fighter belongs, or whether he may lose or dominate in the ring!
The Wai khru is a graceful & aesthetic ritual both spiritual & practical. Dancing & rehearsing ‘Kon Muay' (movements/styles of Muay thai) before a fight, warms up one's body, helping the body & the mind to be ready to get into the battle. It is the most effective aid to limbering up, & marshalling the fighter's concentration, serving to bring to remembrance everything that the fighter has been taught. In order to become a fully-fledged Muay thai fighter, a person must pass through a series of ceremonies of Wai khru:
(a) Kuen khru, teacher's acceptance of students & passing the combat knowledge.
(b) Wai khru prajam pee/Yohk kru, annual homage-praying ceremony to teachers or souls of the teachers long passed away, usually on 17 March or mostly on Thursday, which is believed to be the teachers' day.
(c) Wai khru ram muay, ritual dance of homage to teachers by the fighters.
(d) Khrob khru, initiation as a teacher ceremony, bestowing the rank of Khru muay to the fighter.
Muay thai fighters (nak muay: Muay thai practitoner) make use of any part of their body as a formidable weapon. Muay thai is ‘the art of eight limbs'(originally nine weapons, including head, collectively called ‘na-wa arwud', but now head butting is not allowed in modern Muay thai). The practitioner executes strikes using eight ‘points of contact' (hands, elbows, knees, shins) as opposed to four points, common in other martial art forms. There are about 108 traditional Muay thai techniques, & less then 30 comprise the ring repertoire of the champion Thai boxer. Generally the emphasis of kicks (teh) & knees (tee kao) over elbows (tee sok), punches (chok) is a ratio of 3:1. Muay thai is known specially for its powerful knee & elbow strikes, which account for majority of the knockouts (KO).
Muay thai uses many types of elbow strikes. When thrown from the guard position, elbows are relatively difficult to block. Generally, the hand of the relaxed arm delivering the elbow is kept open to maximize range to increase power, with simultaneous swivel of the feet, waist & hip. Down elbow causes maximum KO in the ring. Mostly elbows are used when the distance between fighters becomes too small & too little space to throw punch to the opponent. The hard bony elbow is also used to block punches, kicks, or elbows etc. Elbow is one of the strongest parts of human body, containing three bones – epicondyles of humerus, olecranon process of ulna & the head-neck of radius, & we all know that human bone is stronger than concrete of same quantity.
Muay thai is well known for its deadly knee techniques. When delivering the knee, the fighter generally pull the lower leg back, toes pointed down – warding off any low, round cut kicks to the rear supporting leg by the instep. The head is protected from the punches by leaning the upper body away at an angle of 45 degree. The clinch version of Kao tone or straight knee strike has been proven scientifically as the strongest leg blow in martial arts. A shuffling stance change is done after each knee strike so that every knee is delivered from the rear power position.
Kicks are important parts of Muay thai fighting. Out of many kicks used, teep (foot-thrust) & teh (angle kick) are the commonest. One of the dangerous Thai techniques is an angle (round house) kick to break the neck. The kicker pivot on the front foot to add power to his kicks & commit the entire body weight to one kick; i.e; Muay thai fighter uses the entire body movement, rotating the hip, & sometimes with counter rotation of the arms, to intensify the power. Same thing is seen in case of punch, block, knee or elbow etc.
The striking part is usually the lower part of tibia (one of the body strongest bones), not the foot or instep which are weaker & contain many fine bones. The shin (strongest yet most sensitive in an ordinary person) is also used to block kicks/knees etc – raising the knee to meet the elbow, creating a formidable defensive shield. Thai boxers usually don't block kicks head-on, instead time the kick & bypass the knee into the softer, inner portion of the thigh. Same is for the knee, elbow or punch, they just stay at long range & wear the opponent down with hard round kicks. In ring, Thai boxer tries to lessen the impact of opponent's strikes by sidestepping, parrying or turning away from them, unless the hardened shin or instep may break his arm!
Before late 1930s, Muay thai hand techniques were mainly swinging, chopping blows or ridged fingers, poking & gouging. Today, the art has become even more ring effective by the use of the boxing jab, straight right/cross, hook, uppercut, shovel & corkscrew punches plus overhand or bolo punches etc. Thai boxer seldom uses international boxing style at long range as it exposes too much of the body to kicks & knees. In extending the arm to punch, it is easier for the elbows to go under & over the arm to hit the head. Favoring too much punch may end up on the wrong end of an offensive clinch. So, when a Thai boxer punch, it is in tandem with elbows & knee strikes at close range.
The primary targets in Muay thai are the midsection, upper body & head; although low leg kicks are frequently used (to distract/distance/off balance the opponent, also are easier to execute, difficult to block, aiming at femoral nerve, leg, knee or thigh or popliteal fossa).
Another important technique is ‘the clinch', a stand up partial grappling, used to strike or bind the opponent for offensive or defensive purposes. Nak muay often uses knee & elbow techniques in clinch. In offensive clinch, the clincher twist & apply pressure on the opponent's neck as he knees, bringing the head down to where it can be hit with a knee. Such pincer's grip works as a chokehold – pressing into the carotid artery in the neck, hampering blood flow to the brain – further weakening & confusing the opponent. Along with the front clinch, they also use arm clinch, side clinch, low clinch & swan neck. Out of many techniques used to escape offensive clinch, one may stand as straight as possible, grabbing the opponent around the waist & pressing the body into him, thereby stopping his knee attack. His natural reaction will be pushing you off, giving enough room to throw your own elbow or knee. The clinch is duplicated in Thai pad drills. The holder crosses the pads at his abdomen to accept the ‘medicine ball training' of multiple knees, while resisting the hitter's downward pull, strengthening his neck against kicks & punches.
Head butts, hip & shoulder throws are prohibited. So are the wrestling, back or arm locks or any similar judo or wrestling holds. The Thai boxers arealso prohibited from bitting, eye gouging, spitting, finger breaking or deliberately striking the groin area.
Like in full contact Karate (kyukushin), Muay thai heavily focus on body conditioning. From early age, nak muays started conditioning their sensitive shin by repeatedly striking banana trees, Thai pads & heavy bags etc. They also use many techniques of ‘iron body training'. They train until they drop. They don't earn belts as a symbol of their progress or skills (as in many Japanese or Korean styles), instead have skills tested in the ring, they are concerned only with the championship belts.
They work hundreds of hard rounds to prepare for a five rounds bout. A professional boxer completes 5 to 7 miles of roadwork & a short shadowboxing session every morning. In the evening, he will hit training camp for heavy bag work & lighter freestyle sparring, moving constantly for 4 to 6 hrs, & resting only at 1 min intervals. Some work out for 4 or more straight hours as a marathon holder or hitter of Thai pads. Boxers rarely do hard contact sparring in training, as a Thai tradition forbids pitting fighters trained by the same kun khru in serious bout.
Due to the effectiveness & efficiency of Muay thai, it is becoming very popular among martial art community, gaining respect from other stylists. As it is the best & most effectively economical way to fight, It has been one of the basic components in MMA (Mixed Martial Art) training & competitions. It is also increasingly being used now in many action films, video games etc with very high success – which were earlier always dominated by Chinese kung fu/acrobatic Taekwondo Kicking styles etc. Recently, films like ‘Ong-Bak, the protector; Tom-Yum-Goong; Born to fight & Beautiful boxer etc' have vigorously popularized Muay thai, specially among youngsters.
As most professional Thai boxers come from the lower socio-economic backgrounds & fight for money (No fight No money), they mostly belong to lighter weight classes (70% - fly & bantam weight divisions), & train very hard. It not uncommon to see such fighters engaging in local Muay kaad chuak fights. In such match, in addition to the elbows, knees, punches, kicks & clinch currently used in Muay thai, head-butts & throws are also allowed. Instead of modern gloves, they wrap their hands with hemp rope, which provide little padding & cause frequent cuts & abrasions. The contests are often wild & bloody, with no point system, so the victory comes by surrender or KO. If both the participants are still standing at the end of the bout, the fight is declared a draw (These brutally simple rules have already been abandoned in 1923). Generally, such contests are held during the Thai Songkran festivals (beginning of the new solar year, on April 13, 14, 15 each year), honoring Nai Khnom Tom, the Thai soldier legend. They are usually paid $25/$26 for every match, which is considered worth the pain. Due to the rigorous fighting & training regimen, most nak muays have relatively short careers in the ring, & they shifted to teaching this deadly art.
Amateur Muay thai, on the other hand, are practiced mostly by higher economic strata Thais, under different international & national organizations. It is also most common (almost all) in India. Amateur Muay thai has grown into a very popular sport, specially over the last 20 years. Thai boxing is becoming more & more increasing popular outside of Thailand. It has its enthusiasts & practitioners all over the world. Most of the credit goes to International federation of Muay thai Amateur (IFMA). Since 1990, IFMA has organized many Prince's/King's Cup World championships. The competitions are growing bigger & tougher every year, inspiring everyone to train even harder for the next event. Another important contribution of IFMA was the introduction of female fights (Muay thai was traditionally a male sport) in 2000 (as a demonstration sport) & in 2002 where 20 countries were represented by females fighters.
Muay thai was a already a demonstration sport at the 1998 Asian Games. It is also on the panel of sports for the SEA Games, & was a full medal sport at the 2005 SEA Games in Manila. It has been included in 2005 Asian Indoor Games. Moves are afoot to include it into the World University Games as well as the Indoor Asian Games. With such fast developments, it may be not far away that we see Muay thai as an Olympic event.
Manipuri players, no doubt, have always been good at martial arts & combat sports, Muay thai is no exception. Many players have fetched good positions, representing Manipur on various national & global stages, bringing glory, fame & respect. This is possible due the selfless dedication, & persistent hard work of many martial artists, Muay thai enthusiasts & trainers. My blessing & support to all the young nak muays of Manipur.
Hence, Muay thai is an amazing & excellent martial art style with equally long & amazing history, effective both in self defense or in ring, growing at a very fast pace, & having tremendous opportunity to earn name & fame for both oneself & more importantly, for the mother country.
Compiled & written by:
Dr.HanjabamCha Barun
MBBS,DSM(sports medicine) std.,
NS NIS,Patiala,Punjab,India,
Martial artist & Thang Ta practitioner.
Chief Instructor & founder,C.G.Thang Ta Association,Raipur,C.G.,India.
Email: dr.barun.hanjabam@gmail.com
About the Author
Dr.HanjabamCha Barun,
MBBS,DSM(sports medicine)std.,
NS NIS, Patiala, Punjab, India,
Martial artist & Thang Ta practitioner,
Email: dr.barun.hanjabam@gmail.com
Free the Bears story on The 7pm Project - Mary Hutton, Matt Hunt, Rove McManus & Tasma Walton
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