This blog is kept as a diary so we’ll remember every day when we’re back on the hamster wheel after the tour has ended. Parts like this, when we do nothing but train and recover, will of course present itself as repetitive. They will also be shorter, include less pictures, but for those outside our own little family that reads it I’ll try to include potential special events in the ingress.

We did BJJ in the morning with Alex and did moves from the butterfly guard. The moves are hard to do, and there are subtle differences and details that make it a success or a fiasco. We both enjoy the BJJ training. It’s good fun, good training, feelgood atmosphere and really good stretching.

We go for a massage after training and this time I got a real good one. My masseuse’s nickname is “Sumo” and she was big, tough and gave a deep massage. Absolutely the best massage ever.

After massage is finished we get tea and I talk to a young Swedish girl who’s there to get her hair braided. She will do her first Muay Thai fight ever tonight. Tough girl.

We relax and try to catch a half hour shut eye afterwards, but the rooms so hot we just toss and turn.

Katja get sent to the intermediate group while I have to do more basic/bootcamp.

When we talk afterwards we’ve done more or less the same, but there is more sparring and focus on power at the next level. I guess I’ll be shipped over whenever.

After training we hurry home, shower, change and go back for dinner. We are going to a fight night at Chalong stadium afterwards. I’ve bought tickets from one of the trainers and we’re going by car there at 20:00. It’s not far from here, so it’s a short ride.

There are eight matches on the itinerary, and the first one is two kids beating the crap out of each other. Elbows and knees – 8 and 9 years old. Even though I think Norwegians have made kids to soft in sports, this is too much the other way. The match is ended by the referee when one of the kids is almost crying and can’t really defend himself anymore.

Next match it’s a couple of kids about the age of my oldest nephews. I guess they’re about fifteen. This match ends when one is bleeding profusely from a cut above one eye. Right…

The Swedish girl it’s up in the fourth match and get run over by a shorter but more aggressive fighter. She has nothing to put up with, but she got a fighters heart and stay in the match until mid of round three. She’s knocked down a couple of times by then and isn’t really coherent anymore. After all the fights are over the two girls talk, exchange email addresses and start a friendship. Leave any differences in the ring. Beautiful to see.

A Norwegian guy, a real slugger, is in one of the last matches and he’s happy to hear Norwegian cheer him on from the audience. HEIA NORGE! There’s not many there, so our cheers are really heard in the ring. He almost gets knocked down by a kick to that head after twenty seconds, but damn! this guy’s a Viking. He fights back, get hit with elbows and bleeds from a cut in the hairline. The opponent, a Thai, wants the referee to stop the match and handled the bleeding, but the ref just keeps it running. Coming back into round two the Norwegian fired on all cylinders and connects with a couple of good right crosses. At one point he hit the Thai guy in between the ropes. And then it’s over. A one-two combination connects with the jaw of the Thai and he’s out. Little finesse, lots of heart and hammering.

It’s only the kids and the last fight that are only Thai’s. These shows have limited value for me. I talk to a guy from Toronto sitting next to me and asked him before it all began what the differences between local and foreign fights are. In his opinion locals take their time. Feel each other out and act on what they learn. The foreigners are all guns blazing and gung ho – full speed from first round.

After watching the last match I have to agree. One of our trainers from Tiger is fighting and it’s the only match going five rounds tonight. It’s start slow then steadily grows in intensity. Our guy win and bring some honor back to the gym.

We get dropped off at the hotel and go straight to bed. It’s thirty two degrees in the room which doesn’t really facilitate sleeping. We try though. Another day another couple of training sessions tomorrow.