What a life!

Having lived through Typhoon Nuri here in Hong Kong, which reached a Level 9 out of a maximum rating of 10, I am happy to report that I am not washed out at sea like some of the unfortunate surfers who were reported missing yesterday.

Like every trip, I have had my share of adventures and learning experiences. This journey started out last Thursday and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur and was greeted by my great friend and colleague Vince Choo and his lovely wife Kate. As always, Vince was the consummate host, taking great care of me, and organizing a full training schedule for me during my 3 days in Malaysia. I was lucky to be able to see some of my friends and IKFF coaches from my previous trip there and I took part in Malaysia’s official sports—-eating and shopping.  Let me tell you, they really like their food and the food is delicscious.

KL is actually a great city. We don’t hear much about it in US, but it is extremely clean and modern, at least the area where Vince is based and where I stayed. In addition to seeing old friends and making new friends, I felt like a king, with the luxury of daily massages. The quality of massages is very high, and each massage was more enjoyable than the previous. On my last evening there I received a treatment of cupping, which is an aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it was wonderful.

For whatever reason, Malaysia is often cited by US Dept of State as a ‘terrorist’ state, but I think that is just politics because the Malaysian government is Muslim. All the people I interacted with are as friendly and peaceful as can be. The economy is pretty healthy and stable, certainly one of the most stable currencies in SE Asia. From my experiences, KL is one of the hidden gems of Asia, a great place to visit and highly recommended. In addition, one of Vince’s star pupils and IKFF certified trainer Chui Lee was featured extensively in the Malaysian Shape magazine. They did a very nice spread on kettlebell training and Chui was the featured model. There is a nice plug for myself and IKFF in there as well.

After KL, I went to Indonesia for 3 days. First to Bandung, which is a shopper’s paradise. Got lots of nice clothes there. Then went to Jakarta for a day. What a wild place that is. There is such a huge contrast between rich and poor. Driving through I saw some of the most abject poverty and what Americans would consider abysmal living conditions, literally shacks made of scrap materials. The traffic is intense—there are no rules of the road to speak of, pretty much every person for themselves, and massive congestion. It was like being in a high speed car chase when it wasn’t moving at a snail’s pace. Being in Indonesia made me feel like a super wealthy person, walking around with millions of bucks in my pockets. Although the bucks were Rupiahs, which go for over 9,200 to 1 USD. So a few hundred USD will get you a few million rupiahs. Nevertheless, the money goes a very long way and one can live like a king there. The food was ok and the Javanese massage was so-so, not nearly as good as what I experienced in Malaysia.

I got severely ill my last day in Indonesia and thought for a while that I was possibly going to die. I was in the bathroom at the airport and started sweating profusely, feeling faint and weak. I felt helpless. I think it must have been from brushing my teeth with tap water, something I should have known better, but had overlooked. Or perhaps it was ice cubes in my glass of tea. I was so bad that when I finally arrived in Hong Kong the airport officials took me aside as soon as I got to the terminal and took my temperature. I must have looked like a ghost, very pale and my temperature read very high. They did not let me through customs and I first had to be examined by the Dr. at the airport. Who tested me for Avian flu virus. Fortunately I passed the exam and was eventually released. The queue was very long and 1.5 hours later I got through customs. After searching for my checked bag for another 45 min it turned out that my bag never left Singapore, which is where my connection went through. So I was without luggage for a few days.

This was one of the most challenging days I’ve ever had and the next day I struggled to teach a full 8 hour course, but I did it. Today was much better during another 8 hour course and I rewarded myself with a Thai massage that was most excellent. I have 2 more days of teaching then shopping for family and friends on Temple Street Alley, then I get to go home on Tuesday.

This has been a wild experience, full of ups and downs, yin and yang, but I always love coming to Asia. There is such richness here, great food, wonderful people and unforgettable memories!