Location: Langkawi, Malaysia
Anyone who knows me knows that I love to dance and work out. At home, I taught Zumba and kickboxing, and for all of the amazing things that come along with living on Argo, being able to move around a whole lot is not one of them (although I have been known to host a Zumba or yoga class on top of the chart house for anyone onboard who wants to join me, or just start doing squats and planks at midships). So when we get to shore, I enjoy looking for local fitness classes to participate in. So far, on this trip, I have done Zumba, strength training, and even a Bollywood dance class while in Singapore and Australia, and last semester I took a hula fitness class in Rarotonga. Today in Langkawi, I found a yoga/pilates class. Although the main reason I go is to get my body moving, I have found that this is also a really good way to experience some local culture and meet people. Every place I have gone, I have struck up a conversation with someone standing next to me and usually end up finding out that we have quite a bit in common, despite that we are from opposite sides of the world. It is also fun to see how similar some things are no matter where in the world you are, and also to experience the local twists (Bollywood dance in Singapore was awesome!) Most of my experiences have been in English. Still, even if I don’t speak the same language as every person in the room, everybody moves their bodies in the same way, and you can always follow along – and people smiling and having a good time is international.
After my yoga and pilates fun this morning, I enjoyed a nice quiet day in town and on the boat catching up on some work. However, the rest of the crew went in search of adventure, and they found it. One group visited some beautiful waterfalls that they explored and swam in, while others went on a scenic tour of Langkawi via a cable car or checked out the marine life park. For those of you who were left on the edge of your seats by John’s blog yesterday, yes, he did go to the bird sanctuary and said it was very cool. Back on board, we had a delicious dinner of peanut chicken and pasta with homemade spring rolls and pineapple. Then the students taking the Emergency First Responder course took their certification exam. Tomorrow we start a one-and-a-half-day passage next stop, Thailand!