Today was one of the most amazing days of my life, for
reasons I can’t really explain.
When you live aboard a ship, which travels from port to port
daily, days are not dates or days of the week. Days are places. Thus, today was Penang, Malaysia.
I left the ship, went to the mall where I grabbed a
Starbucks Frappuccino, and from there hailed a taxi to the Botanical Gardens.
I had read to beware of the cheeky monkeys at the gardens.
So my first stop when I arrived at the gardens was a bin (aka trashcan) to toss
my Frappuccino in.
Monkeys are not stupid. They hang out between the bins and the
entrance. Seeing this naive, white tourist approaching, clearly with yummy drink in
hand, one charged for my Frappuccino.
Startled by this fast approaching, small, but no doubt ferocious
monkey, I kind of shrieked and the Frappuccino was thrown aside as a
diversion tactic.
Mission accomplished! The monkey grabbed my Frappuccino and
high tailed it up a tree to enjoy.
I was outsmarted by a fifteen-pound monkey. But it was worth
the photo op.
My cheeky friend, playing it coy, up the tree:
From there I wandered the gardens and was blessed with miles
of Malaysian rainforest trails. I love
hiking, heat (85 degrees F), humidity, lush green growth, a blue sky, solitude,
in a world away from home.
Before leaving home, my girlfriend somewhat ordered my return
to travel writing, with the twist of post-cancer (times two), cognizance.
As I dripped sweat and gained altitude, I honestly could not
think of a place in the world I would rather be.
Today was a reason I survived cancer.
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