Word: thailander
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...area around Mae Sot in Thailand's wild west is a tense mix of Thai soldiers, Burmese rebels and smugglers of jade, gemstones, heroin and amphetamines. A boxer calling himself Thai may have been born in a Burmese refugee camp and speak the language of the Karen guerrillas or the Mon tribesmen over the frontier. Crowds flock from Burma for the fights, some crossing legally at the checkpoint but most just wade across the parched Moei river. In this town of mixed allegiances and sliding identities, boxing alone provides a little certainty?without exception, every match is Thailand vs. Burma...
...Bare-knuckle boxing has been outlawed in Thailand since 1923: too many fighters never awoke from that conclusive knockout, often delivered by a fist of hemp rubbed in ground glass. Nevertheless, tournaments are tolerated, partly because Muay Thai has a place in the country's history. Siamese soldiers perfected the martial art in the 16th century, and Thais have been flooring Burmese since as long ago as the 18th century, when soldier Nai Khanom won his freedom from captors by defeating 12 top Burmese fighters. To this day, many Thais ascribe their status as the sole unconquered Asian nation...
...idea of traveling halfway around the world to starve yourself is, however you look at it, a little odd. To make hunger the theme of your vacation and pay good dollars for, well, nothing seems to be bordering on the plain loopy. Yet southern Thailand is becoming a hub for a growing number of professionals whose guilty affluence and/or search for the soulful drive them to seek a week or two of deprivation. On offer is bare-board living: fasting, yoga, meditation and?the ultimate in purification?twice daily cleansing of the colon...
...fasting centers and rudimentary health retreats have little in common with the luxurious, pampering spa resorts that sprang up across Asia in the late 1990s. Like other Gulf of Thailand getaways, many were once the preserve of the pierced and tattooed classes. But as onetime travelers swapped backpacks for briefcases and Koh Samui opened an airport, the resorts found themselves swamped with stressed-out executives in need of a little spiritual care...
...ACTION ASIA www.actionasia.com SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF Plan your next diving adventure in Thailand or trekking excursion through Nepal. The "where to go when" tool is especially helpful: match an activity with a location and date and the site tells you what the weather will be like...