September 27-28, 2008 @ Future Mart on Rama III Rd.
www.thailandbjj.com
For those who haven't heard, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association of Thailand is producing the upcoming tournament this September.
All belt levels have been confirmed from white to black with competitors coming from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Bahrain and Philippines.
Hope to see you guys there!
ttt
Want to keep us updated on the political situation?
That seem to have made some tourists nervous, but I've been travelling to SE Asia, China, and Thailand for two decades and Thailand is one of the friendliest, safest countries I've ever been to, even when they are going through one of their frequent "coups." They aren't rolling tanks into Government House to evict the protesters after all.
The only annoying aspect to this particular attempt to change the Prime Minister (instigated by the public and not the military this time around) is the fact that for the first time ever, protesters actually briefly shut down two airports, Phuket and Hat Yai, which of course just adds a little more misery to the general state of air travel misery these days.
But since the tourney is in Bangkok, the capital city, I doubt the protests will affect the main international airport, Suvarnabhumi. Too much is at stake to the government (read: military and police) and tourism industry to allow Suvarnahumi to be shut down, and given that it hasn't happened yet, I doubt it will happen while the political unrest is being resolved.
While Thailand politics are hard to fathom, my wife has been talking to her family daily, business and life go on as usual over there, and the main concern of my wife and her family is that the city dwellers are trying to eliminate the importance of the farmers' votes in deciding elections - which impacts the concessions that were made in prior administrations to the rural poor. But there is not the level of bitterness or anger that would lead to civil unrest.
I'm flying out on the 23rd. Should be interesting. Ain't jiu jitsu life great?
Without getting into the details of how we've gotten to this point in Thailand, I just want to confirm that Bangkok and Thailand as a whole is still a very safe place to visit. I've been living here for 3+ years and I have been in the city for both the coup and the recent protests and have not seen it effect daily life in Bangkok what so ever. The media has sensationalized the events for their own ratings and I am sure certain political parties here have encouraged that for their own gain.
Looking forward to the tournament as it promises to be a great time and with some tough competition. Thanks
http://www.bjj-asia.com/2008/09/bangkok-tournament.html
http://www.bjj-asia.com/2008/09/bangkok-tournament-update.html
http://www.bjj-asia.com/2008/08/interview-w-mark-vesuvius-simmerman.html