All posts by rebeccamurphyactivetravels

I'm 38, from London, travelling the world doing martial arts/ sports and drinking beer :-) I worked for financial institutions (Asset Management and Fund Management companies) in Dubai, London and Singapore. I also did a working holiday in Australia for a year after University. I have always made the most of my annual leave and have travelled far and wide. What's next? Watch this space........

Just travels: Planes, Trains and Automobiles Rebecca style…….Nova Scotia & America! 08/09 2018

Leave a comment

The plan: Nova Scotia- Boston- New Hampshire- Philadelphia- Colorado- New Orleans- Texas- Belize

Nova Scotia: where they say aboot 🙂

After my martial arts travelling in Thailand, Cambodia and The Netherlands (Holland to us Brits), I decided to head off to Nova Scotia to see my friend for a week! Nova Scotia is a quiet little place in Canada where unfortunately, I didn’t get to go sailing but had an awesome time.

I was lucky enough to make some new friends courtesy of Linda (my fellow Muay Thai fighter) who were extraordinarily kind and so much fun; thank you James for putting me up, lunching with me, drinking with me, movie watching with me and just making me laugh the entire time- you’re a star. Thank you Kamila who took me riding in a beautiful, red, convertible Mustang- seriously wow!! Thank you Mahar for the trip to Peggy’s Cove, stopping off so I could get my beloved seafood chowder, the vegan lunch and the beautiful Jade bracelet for my safe travels and of course to Linda for getting me over to Nova Scotia at the most inconvenient time for her and still making time for me in between packing up your life and working.

Myself and Linda
Mahar, myself and Linda
Peggy’s Cove
BBQ
Kamila, Linda and myself
Mahar, James and Myself
James and me
On way to Peggy’s Cove
Peggy’s Cove
Peggy’s Cove
Peggy’s Cove
Nova Scotia
The worst drink ever in the world, a Caesar

Boston: where they home the hottest police force!

  • Boston Public Garden
  • South Street Diner
  • Independence Wharf
  • The harbour
  • Harvard University
  • Quincy Market/Faneuil Marketplace- chowder
  • Earls bar (Prudential Centre), Fenway bar
  • Red Sox baseball game- highlight so far
  • The T
  • China Town
  • HI Hostel

New Hampshire: see my WWOOFING post!

Philadelphia: where I basically bar hopped, drank cocktails and wine tasted!

  • Buddakan- dumplings, Espresso Martini
  • Independence Beer Garden- the beanbag game
  • The Belgium Cafe
  • Vineyard/winetasting (Newtown)
  • Rocky Balboa statue
  • Philly cheesesteak- Pat’s
  • Philadelphia Museum of Arts
  • Rittenhouse

Colorado: WOW!!

  • Denver Cheesman Park
  • Dever Botanic Gardens
  • Greyhound Denver to Steamboat Springs
  • Horse riding, Sombrero Ranches

Utah: kindness beyond belief 

I didn’t really do much to be honest, just walking and seeing nature at its finest! I have someone really amazing to thank for driving me around, showing me the sites and being so kind to this solo traveller 🙂

 

5. Living my dream. Robin, my Dutch training superhero!

Leave a comment

Gym: Sokudo Gym

Location: Hoorn, The Netherlands

Price: 1 to 1 training with Robin Vriend 40 Euro per hour

Training video’s: Training Video’s

Instagram: Rebecca_Murphy_Active_Travels

When Ernesto Hoost had to go on holiday I didn’t feel ready to give up my training plans so I approached Robin at Ernesto’s recommendation and he agreed to train me before I had to leave Holland. The training was superbly intense. He, like Ernesto, did not take my moaning, exhaustion and complaining as anything other than unnecessary noise- I suppose he had a point ha!

Robin understood that I wanted to improve my fitness, technique and lose weight so he adapted my training to what I wanted to achieve and pushed me so hard I ached everywhere but still managed to train through the muscle pain which surprised me as I didn’t think I was capable. Apparently, I was. If I could have extended my stay in Holland so I could train more with Robin I would have without a second thought. I had watched him throughout the time I attended the gym with all different clients; old, young, fit, unfit, group sessions, one to one and he understood each person.

You must watch the videos to get an idea of how he focuses on every part of you, for example, when boxing he would pad and I was only allowed to use my left hand on both pads! It’s tougher than you think. This meant I exercised and trained every part of my body.

Robin has passion, understanding, he is direct, professional and so focussed on what you need. Without being disgusting, I pumped sweat for a solid hour each of my 4 sessions!!

The pain was real, I will be back…………

IMG_4055

 

4. Living my dream. Ernesto Hoost gave my fitness a boost!

Gym: Sokudo Gym

Location: Hoorn, The Netherlands

Price: 1 to 1 training with Ernesto Hoost 60 Euro per hour

Training video’s: Training Video’s

Instagram: Rebecca_Murphy_Active_Travels

Having had the honour of meeting Ernesto Hoost at Kingdom Fight Gym in Siem Reap in  Cambodia, I got the idea of training with him to coincide with a trip to visit my brother in Amsterdam. Kwok, one of the Dutch owners of Kingdom Fight Gym very kindly put me in direct contact with Ernesto and we very casually arranged a start date. Now as a complete novice in the world of martial arts, I didn’t understand what a big deal he was until I researched him. Most Dutch people and kick boxers/fighters know exactly who he is and sitting down for lunch with him one day in Hoorn you’re constantly aware of his status by people acknowledging him constantly! I felt very honoured.

Ernesto Hoost and me
Representing the gym we met in Siem Reap, Cambodia in Hoorn, The Netherlands!

The gym:

Sokudo Gym, where Ernesto trained me, is a lovely Gym in Hoorn very close to the train station. There is a gym, floor space with punch bags for classes and practice and a ring where I spent my 6 sessions with Ernesto. The manager was so welcoming and had Hoorn not been a 40 minute train ride (almost 9 euro one way) from Amsterdam central (where I was staying) I would have taken part in the classes I observed- they looked like hard work but thoroughly enjoyable and the group was a great mix of male and female without being over crowded.

We first managed to train for 3 consecutive days and it was everything I hoped it would be. His pad work absolutely exhausted me but even Ernesto noticed a difference in my training during that short time, he really pushed and encouraged me.

I usually moan a lot during training (I’ve been told this multiple times haha), it’s because I am so unfit and get tired really quickly and I have hope that they will go easier on me, however, you don’t moan to Ernesto. He is a champion fighter and he straight up told me he has no empathy. That told me! I will be honest though, I was so exhausted after every 2 minute sparring session that the 1 minute break I got in-between was just me trying to get my breath back for the next 2 mins. Some times I couldn’t even manage to take in water. It was immense and I loved it.

 

 

Due to injury we couldn’t train again for a few of weeks and when we went back to training it was to do punch bag exercises…….these were super tough! After a few weeks of drinking beer and doing zero exercise I struggled as you can cleary see in my videos!!

He is quite the national treasure in The Netherlands and I can certainly see why! He is an imposing figure but such a gentleman and an all round nice guy….well, he is Mr. Perfect after all.

 

 

3. Living my dream. Kun Khmer, fun Khmer!

7 Comments

Gym: Kingdom Fight Gym

Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Price: $300 for 1 month (accommodation not included) Mon-Fri x 4 hours, Sat 2 hours

Training video’s: Training Video’s

Instagram: Rebecca_Murphy_Active_Travels

I had never heard of Kun Khmer when I researched martial arts in Cambodia. Kun Khmer is an ancient martial art from the Khmer Empire. Kun Khmer shares the same roots with Muay Thai from Thailand, Muay Lao from Laos and Lethwei from Myanmar. There are a few differences that I noticed as a beginner; the traditional Kun Khmer doesn’t drop the arm when you kick so your face is always protected, you lower yourself more when you kick and there is a lot more emphasis on elbows and knees….OUCH!

The Gym:

Kingdom Fight Gym (with Dutch owners Kwok and Mark) was brand, spanking new! I found it on Book Martial Arts when Ernesto Hoost came to give a 3 day training work shop. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to join his sessions but got to meet him which led me to train with him when I was visiting The Netherlands in July. Write up to come.

My trainers were Cambodian Rith and English Daz. Morning sessions were with Rith where we ran, jumped on wheels to perfect the fight stance, skipped, cardio training etc we also trained in traditional Kun Khmer which is very skilled. This led perfectly to the afternoon sessions with Daz,  the master of pad work, who would follow on from the morning and practice with us what we had learned, he also allowed me to adapt his sessions to what I wanted to practice e.g. kicks, self-defence, elbows etc. It meant that every day was different. This kept me interested and focussed.  Overall, the experience was faultless and I lost even more weight. I was so proud to walk around the hostel and encourage people to join me, which I did actively. The gym is flexible in that people can come for just 1 session should that be all they have time for or handle 😉

 

The accommodation:

Unfortunately, accommodation isn’t included with the training but I am told this is something coming soon. However, Kwok very kindly sent me an email with details of a few places he recommended and I decided on Lub D Hostel. This hostel is one of the best I have ever stayed in; beautiful swimming pool, spotless rooms and bathrooms, the most helpful staff, a great bar by the pool, movie nights, day/night trips and decent food. It is only a 10 minute walk to the gym and is surrounding by cheap eateries if you are on a budget and the night market. Price wise I was charged between $7-$11 USD, Expedia was the cheapest option but speak to the staff about discounts etc this will all depend on availability and season.

The people:

Again, I made so many friends from both the hostel and the gym. The trainers are such great guys as are the kids they train to fight who also work at the gym. Chea was the first kid to join; 15 years of age, the face of an angel, shy, incredibly sweet and humble… then I watched him fight and looks are certainly deceiving, he was awesome.

As mentioned in my previous post, Dutch Luud and American Raven joined me at my recommendation and they were not disappointed. We all agreed this gym suited us better, we trained better, we were more dedicated, we were pushed to our limits and boy did we sweat!

I was also joined by some friends I made at the hostel, so many in fact, Kwok very kindly gave me a free week of training and a gym t-shirt I had been eyeing up! Swiss Silvio ended up staying for a while and trained with me as did German Daniel who returned at one point. English James and Jessicar and Scottish Ryan joined for a session during short stays as did a few others.

 

Daniel, Luud, Daz, Rith, Silvio, Chea and moi
The kids and me
Raven and myself
Lunchtime
The kids with their new bikes
Hiding from the rain mid run
The team!
Me kicking Luud’s ass

The hostel provided people to hangout with in my spare time and when I was injured to go on a few trips to the floating village, Koh Rong Island, Sihanoukville and during a Cambodian holiday I flew out to Kuala Lumpur which combined as a visa run.

 

Dutch Kings Day
Angkor Wat
Koh Rong Island
Koh Rong Island
Koh Rong Island
Lub D with Raven and the kids
Sushi With the girls
Dutch Kings Day
Beer and Frickindal with Luud
Floating Village trip
Floating Village trip
Infinity pooling in KL
Blind massage by actual blind people
Angkor Wat
At the gym looking tough 🙂
Lub D swimming pool

Kingdom Fight Gym……I shall return!

2. Living my dream. Muay Thai, why try?

2 Comments

Gym: Por Silaphai Gym

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Price: £273 for 1 month (accommodation included) (bills not included)

Training video’s: Training Video’s

Instagram: Rebecca_Murphy_Active_Travels

My first stop was Chiang Mai for a month of Muay Thai. My goal was to absolutely, 100% dedicate myself to training; 6 days a week, 4 hours a day…….I could do this!! Then I met Linda, my PIC, the little devil on my shoulder, a social animal and now, one of my bestie’s.

The Gym:

Por Silaphai Gym  is well located outside the craziness of the tourist areas but close enough to be able to enjoy a walk to the night market. There are food stalls just outside the accommodation (which is above a 7-11) which offer incredible rice/noodle dishes for as little as $1 USD.

Por Silaphai had 5 trainers when I joined, all excellent in their own way with everyone offering their own styles and expertise. Most sessions were challenging, exhausting and so much fun. We would start each session with a run which got longer and longer as the weeks went by, this was great for weight loss and fitness but started to eat into the actual Muay Thai sessions which, for some of us, started to get irritating because it meant the trainers were not engaging with us. It was the same issue with the stretching. I don’t  particularly enjoy running, especially in that heat! Also, everyday it was the same routine so it was easy to talk yourself out of training knowing what to expect.

The biggest hurdle was the language barrier as no one spoke English proficiently, this was a massive issue if you have never done martial arts before because they could not articulate instructions or correct your mistakes especially within a large group. However, when one of the trainers would take you for one to one sparring they were able to show you how to improve your form and technique which was invaluable. These one to one sessions were the highlights of the camp. You can see my videos so you know what to expect: Training Video’s

 

The accommodation:

This was included in the above price which was excellent for those on a budget. I couldn’t get my own room (I booked too late) but the dorm room ended up being better for bonding with the other fighters so i stayed there for the full 7 weeks.  It also paved the way for future travel knowing I could share a room (I thought i was too old for that kind of set up). The room was large and kept clean, the bathroom had hot water, there are no cooking facilities but there was a kettle, microwave, plates, cutlery etc so you can make a salad/coffee if you want, however, for the price of the stalls outside its more economical to eat there.

Please note: at the end of your stay you will receive a bill for air conditing and water. I was there when the heat was about 30-35 degrees so we need the AC. Budget about 500 baht (£10/$15) per week to be on the safe side. 

B65957DB-98A7-43C7-95B9-8EB95971D6FF

The people:

About Linda. Linda arrived about a week after me and we became the best of friends even though we couldn;t have been more oppsite in every way imaginable, this meant we socialised as much as we trained for 6 weeks together. We had so much fun and it made my time there. A friend for life was made 🙂 I will be heading to Nova Scotia in August to visit her.

 

Luud and Raven. Dutch Luud and American Raven both joined me in Siem Reap, Cambodia to train in Kun Khmer. Luud was a driving force behind my best week of training in Siem Reap with his encouragement and friendship, we have since met in Holland for a drinking session rather than training. Raven was so dedicated to her training, her weight loss was even better than mine, she stayed 2 months at Kingdom Fight Club and the different in her martial arts skill and weight was astonishing!

 

Myself and Luud in Holland
Myself and Raven in Siem Reap

 

I made so many friends who made the experience fun, happy and homely. I hope to see you all again soon especially my crazy French Sand 🙂

 

 

 

1. Living my dream. Why quit my job to travel and do martial arts?

Leave a comment
2 elephants 🙂

Here is me, a chubby(ish), 38 year old woman, single, loves a party, adventurous blah blah bah, who decided to hand her notice in and leave Singapore after only 9 months (3 months working in a job I was desperate to get). My plan was to start 2018 in a more positive and happier light. Why? 2017 was a roller coaster and quite frankly made me realise that life is too short not to take a chance on doing something that makes you happy. For me, it is definitely travelling!

Before I started my travels I was desperate to lose the 10kgs I gained since I left London in 2017. I decided that instead of an expensive bootcamp in the UK which I had successfully done twice in my life, I wanted to do something abroad without breaking the bank. Could I travel and train successfully on a budget? Yes, thanks to discovering bookmartialarts.com which I used as a base to find gyms across Asia to train.

This was to give me a taste of travel, exercise, friendships and a purpose. I enjoy the discipline and routine I had with working in financial services for asset management companies in Dubai, London & Singapore but without the stress that I HAD to do it, this was my choice after all. I like having something to wake up to do (I have always been a morning person), I like the freedom of committing to something which was on my terms  and of course the people I meet along the way that you immediately share an interest with.

There were so many of us who had never really done martial arts before. This was great as we all got to share the experience and learn together. We enjoyed it so much a couple of people I had met in Chiang Mai joined me in Siem Reap to train in Kun Khmer.

Check out my sparring video’s on youtube: Rebecca Murphy Active Travels Videos

Chiang Mai arrival, Feb 2018 Travelling light haha
Weight after a week of training, down from 73kgs
Siem Reap, May 2018