Return from Bangkok

I'm back from my two week trip to Bangkok, Thailand where I went to see how my brother has been doing. He's been in the hospital there for a month now. In fact, he just came out of a second surgery this  morning during which the doctors have been working to remove a tumor from his spine which has compromised his movement.

There are still many unanswered questions in relation to his condition. For now, all I have to say is that he's recovering and the doctors are working to help him regain his mobility.

The trip was a rather stressful one. It wasn't at all like going on a vacation as it was filled with worry and endless hours at the hospital.

I stayed in a hotel very close to the hospital, just a few minutes walk. I was lucky in that the hotel served a breakfast buffet every morning and it had a cute little cafe that served the most delicious salads. Although I did snack a bit, my main meals were pretty much the same each day and I returned with a 1 kg loss. The hotel also had a gym, which I took advantage of. Plus, since I was in Thailand, I had to check out some Muay Thai training. I would have loved to have done more, but at least I got in a few lessons. My Muay Thai coach in Kuwait actually has an affiliated training center in Bangkok so he hooked me up. The gym held a fight night while I was there so I even got to see my first live Muay Thai fights!

Now I'm back in London and really hoping for some uninterrupted time to establish a routine! The biggest distraction now is my worry for my brother, but we are continuing to stay positive and hope for the best!

Pretty much what I had for breakfast each morning - scrambled eggs, raw veggies, smoked salmon -- I had the occasional slice of bread -- oh and fruit each morning

I had this delicious Nicoise salad almost every single night while in Bangkok. 

I had to walk through this ancient Chinese cemetary to get to Fighting Spirit Gym for early morning (7 a.m.) Muay Thai training. It was creepy but also beautiful.

Me and Dan Lyons (who runs Fighting Spirit Gym) 

Me and fighter Zidov Akuma

One of the fights during Fight Night at Fighting Spirit Gym

I only had time to exercise in the mornings, so I'd get up at 5:30 a.m. and hit the gym -- it wasn't always easy, but it was definitely always worth it!