Uñt’ayata: 21.09.2017
Hallo Hello
So there I am on the last evening of my vacation in Kuala Lumpur. I had to go and get my student visa for the next 3 months. And voila, it worked! (For those who know how much trouble I had with the visa and in the end it didn't work in Switzerland - you understand that I ran out of the consulate with my visa in my passport and did a little dance on the sidewalk, so that construction workers looked at me and probably wondered what's wrong with this crazy person? 😂😂😂
But one thing after another...
I try to write a diary every day but the days just go by too quickly, so here's a summary of the last 2 weeks:
I trained diligently every day, only took 2 days off in the last 2 weeks, unfortunately that led to me spraining my foot because I didn't kick properly with one leg. But my determination didn't let me not train and now I have the mess, my foot is blue, swollen and hurts like hell, it shouldn't be stressed (difficult in a big city like Kuala Lumpur) and I have to keep it cool and bandaged. No more words needed...
I even managed to train twice in one day last week, poahhh tough, but it's totally my thing! I was even allowed to do sparring. As always, the trainer explained very little (and laughed at the newbie) and suddenly I had shin guards on and it was time to go... I was completely overwhelmed in the ring and even asked if I could hit the trainer 😄 On the second attempt I knew what I could and couldn't do and I went full throttle, but I still had to take a few easy blows. There is a lot of technique to practice, it really matters whether your foot is one way or the other (2cm to the right or left makes a big difference), how you hold your upper body, where you look, etc... Since there are always few people in training, I can benefit a lot when they have time to correct me. Sometimes I'm alone with 4 trainers 😀 My endurance is also improving, I don't have muscle soreness anymore but after 1 1/2 hours my body is exhausted and I'm glad I have a day off to recover and recharge. One training session consists of 10 minutes warm-up (running), sit-ups, push-ups... then 10 minutes stretching and again sit-ups & push-ups... then we continue with shadow boxing, then 4/5x 3 minutes hitting the pads and/or sparring, then 100 kicks with the foot and 100 with the knee on the punching bag. Finally, sit-ups/push-ups and stretching. And all of this in sweltering heat of 45 degrees! I drink 2.3 liters of water per training session and I can wring out my clothes! But after the training, the feeling is so great!
In addition to my training, I spent a lot of time at the pool because the sea was dirty due to storms and rain 😏 I'm getting better and going further with the scooter and by now I also know where to find fresh shrimps in the restaurants and not old, rubbery or even cultured ones. I have about 5 restaurants in the village where I live, which I always like to go back to and the people are very friendly and cool.
Last week Christian came with his family (he is the Swedish manager at the resort and also does Muay Thai), a really great family with a big heart and good humor (both are sociable😀). Since about 2 days before they arrived, all the employees suddenly worked like crazy to make everything look perfect when the boss arrives 😁 Joy, who works at the reception with her husband and son, is also very adorable. It feels like a big family and not like a hotel at all 😍 I went out with one of the trainers twice at night, so I get to know Thai culture better, but I occasionally step into a faux pas (what you should or should not do - it takes a long time to learn all this even after 10 vacations and traveling in Thailand) but luckily I can make up for it with my charm 😄
I did Trash Hero again, this time in the rain with an English couple. The last time I had to stop because my stomach was upset (whether it was due to spicy food or the red wine 😅?) I'm looking forward to the next Sunday when it will take place again, I just saw on Facebook that there have been floods again 😣 Last week it rained heavily for 3 days, streets were flooded, water flowed into my room and the fitness center had to pump it out! I'm glad I don't have to go out in such weather, training, room, restaurant at the hotel and waiting until it's over...
Now I'm really looking forward to going home tomorrow!
Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful, exciting multicultural city (I have negative memories when I was here 15 years ago). It's much quieter and more relaxed than Bangkok, there are no honking tuk-tuks and it's clean everywhere. Besides the sights, the people and the food are interesting. There are not many 'pure' Malaysians in KL, most of them are a mixture of different Asian countries (Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Burmese, Filipinos, Thais, etc.), it's always funny to find out where they or their ancestors come from. They are really good at speaking English, very relaxed compared to the Thais...
The food is different depending on the neighborhood... I mostly ate Chinese and Indian (yummy dumplings), alongside Western junk food 😁
I enjoyed these 4 days here a lot - had a little vacation, relaxed by the pool, went shopping, sightseeing, and got my visa, hurray!
Oh yes, and here in KL I'm married and my mom is waiting for me in Thailand 😂 She always says it's easier not to have any arguments when she's not constantly stared at because of her blond hair.
If you want to see what I look like besides the Petronas Twin Towers, you should look at the photos...
I wish you all a happy start of autumn and never forget: stay calm and relaxed and HAPPY😍
Sawadee kah, Dany