Page 38 - ISSUE 2

GRAPPLER Fall 2018

Bangkok

The morning started with breakfast at Ruelle Cafe, a black or white ball. Black is the military and white is-”
a five-minute walk from Eric’s apartment in Taipei. he sank back into the wooden stool, “you’re good man.”
There, Eric booked us a hostel for Bangkok, sticking to
our budget of $8 USD/guy/night. From Ruelle we took We slowly processed his reality. This is Thailand’s
an Uber to the MRT (Taiwan’s underground metro) and conscription service process. It is important to note, we
loaded onto the express train to Terminal one of the also heard rumor of a third possible “monk” ball added
Taoyuan airport. to the process in some cities, requiring its recipient to
shave off their hair and enlist in the monastery for a
The three of us made our way through security, predetermined time.
immigration, and after a discreet exchange of weight
between bags behind an elevator, were able to get Bacon spent the night enlightening us on the life of
through the ticketing gate without any additional a mid-20’s university student in Thailand. We thanked
fees. We landed in Bangkok around 9 PM, grabbed SIM him for his hospitality, and he dropped us off on the side
cards for our phones, and made our way to the hostel, of the highway, witty enough to get us to a taxi at 2 AM.
a twenty-minute taxi ride from Arête BJJ. Marshall,
a fellow expat grappler living in Taiwan, had taken a We laughed our way back to the room, where
separate flight and met us at the hostel with beer and Marshall was waiting for us, prepared to access bail
the aroma of a backpacker’s journey. We gave hugs and money if we were 30 minutes later. Eric thanked him for
left Marshall to shower as we went to meet up with the awareness, Rome politely asked him to adorn more
Bacon, a friend of a friend who agreed to entertain us than underwear if they were to share a bed, and we all
for the evening. turned in for the night.

“Ya man,” Bacon said with a glazed-over stare. This was it: we had made it to Thailand and were
“That’s how it happens.” all under the same roof. I woke up the next morning
and saw Marshall reading a book, postured in the lotus
“Explain the full process to me,” I requested as he position. We were ready.
sent a plume of smoke my way. So he went on: “Ya man,
when you’re 21, they take like a whole, you know-” and Each gym would be its own experience, the down
gestured the shape of a square with his hands. time a journey, and the travel a web of trains and ferries
that crisscrossed Thailand’s scenic landscape. It’s good
“A neighborhood,” Eric assisted; to be a Grappler on the road.

“Ya man, they bring in all the 21 year olds in the
neighborhood, you reach in this bag, and you either get

36 37