It was an odd experience being outside both Australia and NZ on Anzac Day. The streets of Langkawi are quiet as can be today, but that is because it is Friday - the first day of the weekend here in Kedah state - not for any other reason. There's no Anzac Biscuits, Dawn Parades (unless you count the Kampong cows, cats, chickens and random insects moving up and down Lorong Keramat) or ceremony. I feel very strange today.
Back at the shala, after neti, pranayama and meditation, it was time to bid Marc farewell. I really like this Irish yoga teacher. He and Meng Foon work so well together and complement each other so sincerely - it's so cute! They really are well suited and I would say perfect for each other. Marc has written a book that I will get my hands on when I'm back on the mainland, or back in July.
After my final class with Meng Foon, I got a little teary. I absolutely adore her and Marc, they are such fantastic, generous, kind and caring people. I can't wait to come back. Hopefully next year!
So, in the blink of an eye, eight days of yoga retreats are done and dusted. I leave the yoga shala today stronger in body, mind and spirit; with sore muscles, a few bruises and a broken sandal - but far richer for having had this amazing experience and sharing it with two amazing, wise and experienced teachers. Om shanti.
After a nice lunch of heck-knows-what again, I went to the beach for a swim and the obligatory narcoleptic nap. I decided I'd be far more comfortable in bed so I retired to the hotel for a better nap. I woke up about 2pm, had a shower, threw on my riding gear and caught a cab to Perdana Stables for some horse riding. Perdana Stables is owned by Dr Mahathir (gees, this guy owns half the darn island) and has some very, very pretty horses in the stables. They breed racehorses and equestrian horses, with nice pedigrees.
I haven't been on a horse in about 20 years (almost to the day), so I was pretty concerned about coming off and buggering up my recently fixed shoulder. I wasn't worried about the horse taking off, just about me coming off said beast of burden. I really shouldn't have been too worried. I had Layla, a fairly placid plodder of a horse. She was very pretty and apart from a couple of random but fairly violent tail flicks, a few sarcastic snorts and a "who they heck are you?" look, we got along fine.
Layla carried me confidently through the jungle at the back of the pack, until we hit the beach and she decided it was time to gallop! I didn't get thrown off, but she sure as heck wasn't happy with my desire to go slower or stop for photos. We had to chuck a guide rope on her to get her to stay still for photos as she kept moving!
It was a pleasant ride and a nice experience, but not one that I would repeat in a hurry. Give me a roller coaster or a boat any day over horseback. I'd rather be on a Harley than a horse. The only horse I'd like a crack at these days is a '69 Mustang Fastback convertible! The staff at Perdana are lovely, friendly and helpful - just like everywhere else in Malaysia. The stable cats and kittens were more to my liking and there was a tiny kitten who I wanted to tuck into my backpack, but sadly I couldn't take him home. Boo, hiss.
After returning to the hotel by taxi, having a swim, drink and shower then throwing on something a bit nice, I decided to walk up the beach and watch the sun set. I parked up outside one of the fancy resorts in Cenang and enjoyed the colours of the sunset with some peanut butter and cheese crackers (totally gross but my blood sugar levels were heading towards subterranean depths so I had no choice) and a bottle of 100 plus. It was a nice warm evening, not too humid and not too hot. The sunset wasn't the best I've ever seen, but it was still pretty good.
I decided that tonight I'd hit Tengah for dinner, so I got in a cab and figured that Star would be a good place to eat. Their menu had plenty of white man options and their mocktail selection was pretty good too, so it was game on. I ordered the chicken cordon bleu with fries and as the menu picture didn't show any tomato and I was dog tired, I didn't bother asking for it with no salad. I ordered a Virgin Pina Colada (I don't drink alcohol) and as soon as it arrived, I was being dive-bombed by pesky flies.
I moved inside with the assistance of a nice and very tall ladyboy (!!) and my meal arrived just in time. I'd already smashed down the bread basket with some nice NZ butter and I was starving!
I had to pull the turkey ham out of the plastic cheese they'd used to make the "cordon bleu" (more like cordon bleugh!) but other than that it was pretty edible. I finished my meal and walked back to Cenang.
I got about 20 minutes down the road and my legs started to itch just below my knees on the outside of my calves. I figured I'd been bitten by something so did my best to ignore it. Once back at the hotel, I was getting REALLY over the itching, so i rolled up my trouser legs and discovered that I had...HIVES!!!
I sent my friends Karena and Jay (a nurse and an advanced paramedic) a text with a photo so they could help me diagnose them. It was now almost an hour after they came up and nothing else had happened, so I popped my strongest antihistamine and sat on the bed to monitor them. After another two hours, I still felt fine and nothing else had occurred, so I decided to swathe them in burn, bite and sting gel. This cut the itching a bit, so then I topped them off with some gamat (LOL) and now they are just there, all red and angry, but just being there.
The hives this time were huge so I wasn't overly convinced that they were hives, but since I was in the tropics and in the stinking heat and humidity, anything was possible. The last time I had them was in NZ and they were tiny, everywhere and incredibly annoying. The fact that they didn't burst when I scratched them (and they kept on itching) tonight sealed the deal. I had HIVES!
My Facebook status about it says "Broke out in what I think is large angry hives about an hour after dinner - either that or a jellyfish cuddled me on both legs when I wasn't looking about two hours before dinner - my money is on the dinner having caused it. There was salad on my plate but no tomato and I ate around the salad anyway. I have antihistamines and epipens, it's all good; so don't panic people, I'm fine!".
Apparently a few people still worried, but there was nothing we could do. The nearest hospital to deal with this was a helicopter ride away and I WAS fine - but I'm never letting another salad touch my plate again, EVER!
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