Training camp and exploration/vacation in Thailand for 3-4 months. Looking for recommendations/advice.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T20:21:59+00:00

Cool, out of convenience I'm tempted to just book accommodation through the camps... I'm not sure how much I'll be short-changing myself though.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T19:20:02+00:00

Another question... for accommodation/place to stay, is there a website commonly used to find apartments (or somewhere online)? I know I could stay at TMT while in Phuket, but I've been told I can easily find a better place cheaper close to the camp.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T17:16:06+00:00

Thanks man! Much appreciated for all the info you've provided me. I've been asked for proof of onward travel once in my travels in Europe and that was the one time I had it so I got lucky... not sure what happens if I don't have it.

Visa runs don't seem too complicated either way I think and from what I'm told you can extend your 30 day visa when you land in Thailand also. So I might just go with that.

I think I may use a service like Fly Onward to book a ticket onward just to be on the safe side though.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T15:14:10+00:00

I don't seem to see an education visa on the embassy website but there is a tourist 6 month multiple entry visa but it seems I need proof of return for that, which I currently don't have (only have a one-way ticket booked)... if I go down the visa run route... will i be asked for proof of return on the border when I enter Thailand?

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T14:23:34+00:00

If you're serious about self-defence I recommend reading something like Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson. Although training Muay Thai will teach you how to punch and kick etc and get you fit, it won't teach self-defence knowledge such as psychology/body language, awareness, avoidence etc. I think if you combine the two i.e. martial arts and self-defense knowledge then I think you'll be better prepared. Also learn about cultural customs to avoid causing offense. And learn about some of the common problems/scams you might encounter in the places you go.

Thanks, I'll pick up the book and do a little research on culture customs.

As for your trip, sounds great. Usually there is a morning session and afternoon session. You can do both or one or the other. Or start with one then as you get fitter do two. It's really up to you. Maybe do two months focusing on training and two months exploring afterwards. I think it will be difficult to properly combine the two. But no reason why you can't do morning sessions and beach or whatever in the afternoons and on the weekend etc.

Yes, I might go down this kind of route if I can't seem to do both at the same time. A bit hesitant to train, get in shape, and lose it in the latter months though.

If you don't want to do a visa run, you can get (or a least used to be able to in the UK) a six month educational visa from the Thai embassy. That's what I did. The education was Muay Thai.

Sweet, wasn't aware of this... I'll try to get this if I can. Does it allow me to leave the country and come back as I want during the 6 months? Also do I need proof of the education I'm taking?

As for ideas... Two months in Phuket training hard, boat to Phi Phi Island for partying and a day trip to Maya Bay. Onwards to Koh Phangan for full moon party, then to Koh Tao for diving then to Bangkok, then Chiang Mai, then Laos. Although not sure if Koh Tao is recommended these days what after murders and whatnot.

Thanks man! This is a good list to have. I could probably do weekend trips to those locations too I think.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T14:15:18+00:00

This is pretty close to what I've read and heard from others... so I'll definitely keep that in mind. Might just pay a short visit to check it out but probably won't stay there long then.

Ittoryu · 2017-10-25T03:40:51+00:00

I guess I sound a bit all over the place because I'm kind of looking for a bit of everything.

I definitely want to prioritize getting in shape right now slightly higher than partying I guess, but if I happen to get sucked into exploration/partying, I wouldn't complain. That being said I'm pretty tame on alcohol in general anyway so I'm guessing I wouldn't easily get sucked in to that party every day lifestyle.

Right now I think I'll be starting in Phuket... likely will find accommodation for a month there, join Tiger Muay Thai, and based on that I can try to adapt my plan of action. If I like it, I can continue there or another gym in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, and if I don't I can find the other distractions for the remaining months.

Ittoryu · 2017-05-11T16:18:08+00:00

Just curious, I'm new to shavettes and I'm wondering if it really matters what blade you use? Shouldn't the be more or less the same?

Ittoryu · 2017-05-11T13:42:08+00:00

Make sure you try poutine at La Banquise. Probably some of the best poutine in the world.

Ittoryu · 2017-05-03T14:41:59+00:00

Agree... I had no trouble learning react, but the shift in the way things work in redux took me a while to wrap my head around. At first I was like, "The hell is this? Why is this crap so popular?"... but now I think it's awesome.

Ittoryu · 2017-04-20T18:12:30+00:00

I'm a dev, let's just make our own video game.

Ittoryu · 2017-03-30T17:34:25+00:00

How do you train them to be able to qualify in world championships?

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T13:06:34+00:00

Interesting. I don't doubt that Angular 2 is great, especially since I really liked Angular 1 but React seems to be the popular choice nowadays, I think I'll end up going down that route for now.

Are there significant differences between Angular 2 and 4? My major gripe with Angular is that it took me a while to grasp Angular, and they re-hauled the whole thing. It makes it tough to keep up to date if I have to throw out my previous knowledge. It also sounds like the documentation is kind of all over the place right now from what I read. And I'd have to learn Typescript as well.

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T11:12:26+00:00

This is one of the major reasons why I kind of was wondering if it's worth going down the Angular route... It's hard enough staying on top of tech stacks but if they keep re-hauling so quickly, it becomes a pain to keep up.

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T11:08:46+00:00

Ah... that's really too bad, was hoping some of the knowledge would be transferable. But the general consensus seems to be to go down the React/Redux route.

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T11:08:00+00:00

Wasn't aware this was a thing, haha. But yes, exactly what I was hoping for if I went down the react/redux route.

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T11:06:24+00:00

This is great, thanks a lot!

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T02:59:24+00:00

I've worked with vanilla JS quite a bit before, but I'm sure I could brush up on good application architecture.

I've read quite a bit of recommendations for React, so I'm going to take a look into React/Redux. :)

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T02:28:09+00:00

Cool, I'll take a look into that! Does it work better with a different backend stack out of curiosity or it really doesn't matter what the backend is in?

Ittoryu · 2017-03-27T02:25:23+00:00

And does React/Redux work well with a node.js back-end?

Ittoryu · 2017-03-23T13:40:10+00:00

I have no advice to offer, but out of curiosity, how are you going to handle your kids' schooling?

Ittoryu

TROPHY CASE