Harrisville, WV...Thirty Three members of Team Americas Karate, Ju-jitsu and Kung Fu Federations traveled to Bangkok Thailand on October 27th 2006 for a 10 day adventure led by Team America Coach - Grandmaster Don Madden. Among those traveling were 6 members of the Hornet's Nest Martial Arts Academy of Street Survival from Harrisville , West Virginia, they were Coach Steve Colkett and his students Sensei Diana Colkett, Sifu Jimmy Colkett, Sensei Joseph Colkett, Si Je LiMing Colkett, and Si Hing Mark Lanham. The team flew out of Columbus, Ohio to Detroit and then on to Tokyo, Japan and on to Bangkok, Thailand, The trip took 24 hours with over 20 hours in the air. They crossed the date line so the trip took 2 days, Everyone arrived with extreme jetlag.

The team was met at the airport by their guide Tangwandee Pumin who spoke excellent English, everyone called him Pumin. As the team boarded the tour bus to go to their hotel each member had a lei hung around their neck by a beautiful Thai woman in traditional dress to welcome them to Thailand.

Day 3 was their first full day in Bangkok and it was spent exploring the area around the Royal Princess hotel where the team stayed. They visited a local Buddhist Monastery and many stores, the temperature was 95 degrees so the hotel pool was a favorite meeting spot. That evening the entire team went for a traditional Thai massage which was wonderful, with the massage taking 2 hours, The ladies learn the art of Thai massage in the temple and it is an art, they crack and massage every joint and muscle from the toes to the forehead. This massage cost the equivalent of 7 US dollars.

Day 4 The team visited 2 of the largest Buddhist temples in Thailand, Wat Traimit had a Buddha that was made of 6 tons of solid gold and wat Po housed the reclining Buddha which was 45 feet high and 160 feet long, these temple were so ornate they had to be seen to be believed, words cannot explain. That night the team went to the Muay Thai fights, the arena was sold out but the team had reserved the ring side seats, there were 15 fights, and the team was taken back to the locker room to meet the fighters and take photos with the champ.

Day 5 began with a trip to Pak Khlong Talaat flower market which was quite beautiful with hundreds of vendors selling flowers, fruits, vegetables and food of every kind, even a steaming bowl of Madagascar hissing cockroaches could be purchased. Then it was on to the Grand Palace which is the main home of King Rama IX. The palace is like a small city and contains many beautiful buildings and temples. Pumin led the team around the palace and explained the history of each part. The temperature was 100 degrees so touring inside the buildings was a pleasure. The team also toured a large temple called Wat Phra Kaew which was beautiful like an Asian version of the Sistine Chapel. that night the team went on a 3 hour diner cruise down the Chao Phraya river, the Loy Krathong water festival was in progress and all the boats were lighted up reminiscent of Christmas. The team was entertained by a Thai rock group and the music was very good as was the diner. It was Mark Lanham's birthday and the Thai Chef made him a birthday cake.

Day 6 the team boarded the tour bus and drove 2 and a half hours into the country to visit a coconut farm where they saw how coconuts are grown, harvested, and converted into coconut meat, sugar, candy and cooking and skin oils. They then loaded onto boats for a trip down the canals thru the jungle to the floating market where they sold everything from silk scarves to taxidermied king cobras. The bus met the team there and drove them to a woodworking shop where the craftsmanship was simply amazing. That night team members took a ride in tuk tuks which are 3 wheel taxies to go shopping at a large outdoor market where alot of souvenirs were bought. It was quite an experience with men coming up every minute inviting the team to some XXX rated show and prostitutes offering whatever. Prostitution is legal in Thailand and no surprise aids is a problem in the red light district.

Day 7 the team boarded a ship and traveled 5 hours up the river to the first capitol of Siam called Ayutthaya. It is an ancient ruin 700 years old and is the site where the movie Mortal Combat was filmed. The team toured the ruins and took many photos.

Day 8 started with a 2 hour bus ride out of the city into the jungle and through the mountains of Kanchanaburi in Northwestern Thailand near the border of Burma. There the team visited the Saiyok elephant farm. Everyone mounted an elephant and set off on for an hour elephant back ride thru the jungle and down the river. The elephants would stop and drink water from the river and tear leaves and branches off the trees and eat them as they went along. baby elephants traveled with their mothers and nursed at every stop. It was a wonderful adventure. the team then boarded big bamboo rafts and a boat towed the rafts way up the river and then cut the rafts loose and they floated back down the river to the starting point with the help of guides that steered from the front of each raft.The jungle along the river was beautiful. Then there was an elephant show . Two young elephants did tricks like dancing, sitting up, balancing on front then rear legs and playing the harmonica with it's trunk. If you held out money the elephant would take it from you and take the money over to a vendor and buy food or drink and bring it back to you and then you got to feed the elephant. One elephant gave Thai elephant massage, if you were brave enough to lay on the ground the elephant came over, stood next to you, and would massage your back with it's giant foot.

The team then bused to the village of Wang Pho where they were treated to a traditional Thai lunch which was fantastic. Then it was onto a train for a 2 hour ride along the Kwai Noi River and thru the Phetchabun mountains on the death railroad to the bridge over the river Kwai. The railroad is called the death railroad because 96000 workers and POW's died building it at the hands of the Japanese army.The team visited the death railroad museum and paid their respects at the POW cemetery.

Day 9 was the 1st Bangkok Cup Martial Arts Championship held at the Assumption University in Bang Na, Thailand. Only 9 countries were represented at the 1st cup, They were the USA, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Russia, Thailand, Japan, Nepal and India. The competitors marched in by country as Asia wide TV filmed the entire event. The American team was asked to put on a demonstration and performed flawlessly. The Competition went on all day and the American team won the cup, taking 5 of 6 Grand Champion trophies, 55 Gold medals and over 100 silver and bronze medals. The 6 Hornet Nest members took 24 of the medals.

Day 10 brought the dreaded trip home, the journey back seemed endless and was absolutely exhausting but was worth it. Travel to foreign lands is fun and educational too. The memories will last forever.

COMBAT WARRIOR E-MAGAZINE January 2007 / CombatWarriorMag.net