Tag Archives: chiangmai

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

Aug 19, 2018 rebeccamurphyactivetravels

Location: Hoorn, The Netherlands

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

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.

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

Jul 17, 2018 rebeccamurphyactivetravels 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.

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?

Jun 26, 2018 rebeccamurphyactivetravels Leave a comment

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

Travelling and training on a budget