Sports & Fitness

(contributed by Nathan)

Here is an overview of fitness and sports opportunities in and around Thana City. The most convenient but rustic options to get a little pump is to visit the mini-gyms on the ground floor of buildings B, D, or F of NC. Don't laugh too hard when you first see it, it just takes a little creativity and imagination and soon enough you will discover that you can work all of your major muscle groups. The ping pong rooms right next to the gyms at NC offer a good alternative activity, but keep in mind the ping pong rooms can get a little warm because they are not air-conditioned. Just think of it as sauna-pong, an exotic form of South East Asian Ping Pong. Don't forget the beautiful pools located behind each set of condos at NC. They offer a refreshing variety for your fitness needs. Just be careful not to swallow any of the water.

If you are after a more intense workout then put your jogging shoes on and go for a run around the golf course loop road or run to the Club House at Thana City. The facilities are pretty good at the Club House but you have to pay around 100 Baht for each activity. There is an indoor basketball court, a regulation size olympic swimming pool, aerobic classes, and a gym. The gym is pretty good, all of the machines are Nautilus that are in great condition. The gym also offers an olympic bench with plenty of weight for the average person, a dumbell rack, and a few cardio machines. It's is a clean facility with friendly staff.

If you want to venture out of Thana City, than I suggest taking a taxi or a bus to Nation Tower on Bangna Trad. There is a nice gym on the 9th floor. It costs 100 baht which includes two towels, use of the machines, weights and treadmills, use of the pool, hot-tub, sauna, ping-pong, and nice showers. The weight room, and cardio machines are much better than the Club House at Thana City but it is not as convenient and you have to factor in the time it takes to get there and the extra cost for the taxi. You can also play squash and take aerobic classes for an extra charge at Nation Tower. If you are after a fancier option and you are not concerned about money then you can join one of the many high class health clubs in and around Bangkok. A few include one at Central City Bangna, California Fitness, and most nice hotels have good gyms.

The best place to pick up a variety of sporting goods is at Bangna Towers on Bagna Trad. The store is an outlet store for Triborg products. The store is around the side of the building and it sells everything from cheap wetsuits, to roller-blades, to swimming goggles, and back-packs. There are of course sporting goods stores at every mall but the prices will be higher in the mall.

Scuba Diving

Just a quick blurb on scuba diving should be enough to get you excited about this awesome sport. There are several dive shops in Bangkok who offer certification courses but Larry's Dive is recommended. Larry's offers the flexibility to get certified at your pace when it's most convenient for you and the staff are very knowledgable and friendly. Every weekend they do diving trips to Pattaya. Pattaya is our closest dive site but of course not the best in Thailand. One can see some really cool marine life diving off of Pattaya but sometimes the visibility can be bad. Larry's Dive will offer it's customers a special rate (500 baht) at the Lido Hotel which is a nice, clean place very close to where you would catch the boat to go diving. Diving cost around 2,000 baht for an all day trip including 2 dives, lunch, and a friendly dive instructor. To experience some of the best diving in the world one has to get down to Koh Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, or the Similan Islands. There are many divers at TCIS who got certified at Larry's Dive and who have experience some amazing dives in South East Asia.

-- Nathan & Stacie

We got our Open Water & Advanced diving certification during the week-long Songkran holiday in Koh Tao, a diver's paradise to learn diving. The 5-star PADI certified Buddha View gave us great value for our money through a package that included accommodations, bus and train tickets: just US$200 including the 3-day Open Water Course. Our instructors and divemasters were very competent and their infectious enthusiasm for diving got us hooked enough to sign up for the Advanced course. We're glad we did because we were able to go night diving and see barracudas.

-- Brian & Tonette

Golf

If you've had any interest in playing golf before, I can pretty much guarantee you that your interest in the sport will increase twofold while you're here in Thailand. This is a golfer's paradise!

If you're a golfer already and are wondering if you should ship your clubs over, here's the scoop. Golf is a very popular year-round activity in Thailand with numerous beautiful and inexpensive golf courses close at hand. For about one-fourth of the cost for green fees in the States, you can play on immaculate, manicured courses that are very challenging. There is a small group of teachers that enjoy getting out on the odd weekend, playing nine holes after school on Friday, and sometimes take a golf holiday at the nearby resorts. You'll always be able to find someone to go hit a few.

So if you're wondering what to do with your clubs, I'd say it all depends on what type of clubs you have. If you have a really good set that fits your game, I'd suggest you pay the cost of having them shipped over here. I do not have any information on the cheapest, most reliable way of shipping clubs over here but will be willing to look into it if you have any questions. If your clubs are an old, beat up set, I'd suggest you plan on buying a set of clubs over here. Golf stores here have sets which run the whole price spectrum (a cheap set for about $400 to top of the line where the driver alone costs over $1000). Used sets are also available. Name brands such as Ping, Taylor Made, etc. are just as expensive here as in the States (maybe even more so).

-- Joe Simonson

Golf in Thana City