Lady boxing in Lamai

Lady boxing in Lamai

Tonight, tonight, Muay Thai, Chaweng Stadium, Chaweng Stadium, get the seats early, get the seats early.

Who has been to Samui and visited Chaweng, most likely heard this utterly annoying (at least after 9 years although it become annoying fairly quickly!) on a regular base. Noise pollution is an understatement.

Not being a big fan of Muay Thai, I never been to any fights in either of the Chaweng Stadiums, but funnily enough do find myself back at a regular irregular base in Lamai on Saturday evenings.

Every Saturday there's lady boxing in Lamai and it's great fun.

There are fights between two girls, usually girls that work in a beer bar and they really go for it. If they win they get a couple of Thousand Baht, a lot more than they would make during any given night working at their respective bars.

The lady fights are on and off between guys fighting and again, the guys go for it and it's not the first time that someone had to be carried or helped off the stage.

The fighting ring is located upon entering Lamai's one way street system, opposite the 'original' 7-11 is a cluster of beer bars that never seem to be really busy, except each Saturday night when the boxing event is on.

Chairs and tables are arranged around the ring and everybody is welcome, no entrance fee is required (in contrast to Chaweng where the cheapest ticket is around 1.000,-THB).

The jury at work

The fights usually start around 10.30 pm and there's always a mixed crowd, expats, tourists, families and Thais a like enjoy the relaxed atmosphere surrounding the ring, although during some fights the crowd gets excited easily by the fights and yells support along!

A great time to be had on your Saturday evening, surely not to be missed!

Camille

Erik's Restaurant, former Ciao and 'Lady Boxing' in Lamai

Erik's Restaurant, former Ciao and 'Lady Boxing' in Lamai

With an average of once every two years I seem to visit Erik's Swedish Restaurant in Lamai, formerly known as Ciao Restaurant.

It's smack down in the middle of Lamai, a stone throw away from the Bauhaus.



The food is mainly Swedish and makes for a nice break from the usual standard fare available everywhere. As they say in the picture below; Are you tired of rice everyday? Than this is one of the places to be!

The whole theme of the restaurant is Swedish oriented, with local football and ice hockey shirts on the wall and the ceiling. The place is really big but is nicely split up in a front part and another room in the back.

The food is very affordable, most meals are less than 200,-THB, which is a real bargain and you get plenty. This is what I ordered, 3 different kinds of Herring. Note the boiled potatoes, it was ages ago I had some of them! Yummy.

One of the other guys in our party ordered this beef with mashed potatoes dish, which was plenty and excellent, he stated.

We also had some apple cake with vanilla sauce as desert, the fact that cake translates as 'kaka' in Swedish, didn't temper us from ordering, in contrast!

If you're Swedish or just looking for a cheap and good meal, but something completely different, try Erik's place. I can recommend it.

Since it was a Saturday night evening, we also visited the "Lady Boxing' event, held every Saturday at the cluster of beer bars. located at the one way street in Lamai, you can't really miss it. It was packed as usual and the Muay Thai fights are alternated by local bar girls giving their all in the fights and quite literally beating each other around the ring in a very fanatic way, since if they win, they will also win a couple of thousand Baht, after each 'Lady Fight' there's a fight between two guys, from the local Muay Thai training schools, who get pretty serious and down to business.

However, the third fight of the evening turned out to be between two boys aged 9 or 10 and it turned us all off, so we went to Chaweng, which happens to be a lot nearer home as well.

All in all, the 'Lady Boxing' nights are well worth watching and visiting on a Saturday night! They start at about 10.30 pm and last well until after midnight.

Camille