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Its two in the afternoon, and its raining quite heavily; the thunder is loud too. Who says the Thai wet season isn’t that wet?
It is now two weeks into our ‘rest from travelling’ here in Phuket, but who would have thought that ‘resting’ could be so tiring? Instead of just sitting around, we decided last week to join a gym to shed some of the Oreo/Mocha-ccino extra weight.
Exercising should be illegal! My calves burn, my biceps ache, my neck chafes and my buns are raw; this was supposed to be ‘rest’ wasn’t it?
I guess it boils down to the agreement that before we embark on our next adventure, we wanted to get back to some kind of clean slate – to ensure we won’t die the next time we have to climb a hill!
Keeping fit and establishing a healthy balanced diet is a problem for lots of travellers I’ve gathered (thank you ‘Boots ‘N All’ forum). It all comes from an element of routine. The only real way to maintain some kind of fitness is to put in place a nice reliable plan involving the right amount of exercise, and eating only proper, balanced meals. This last point is the real issue when on the road. Ok, so no one forces biscuits and greasy noodles down your throat; but there are times (many times in fact) when your only option is go hungry, or opt for some dry crackers from a convenience store (By convenience store, I actually mean the Indonesian equivalent; someone’s living room that happens to have a million packs of stale biscuits, a box or two of boil in a bag noodles, and enough individual sachets of shampoo to scrub up every single stray dog there is in the world - although, not all the ones in Thailand, as there are a billion here).
Then of course, there is the ‘portion control’ problem. Sadly, (or, luckily – depends how you look at it) I come from a family where gargantuan amounts are the way to go.
“He’s a growing boy – he needs to eat up”
“He’s growing, not aiming for the dubious title of ‘world’s first teenage blimp’”
Don’t get me wrong, meals just don’t feel right unless one feels full at the end. But perhaps this is where my problem lies? For my task now is to shrink my appetite to a descent size, so that the next time a Chinese lady scoops a sad little lump of anaemic rice, onto a woefully small plate, my mind will say;
“Mmmm, what a satisfying portion!”
instead of
“Excuse me Ma’am, did you mistake me for a budgerigar? Because you seem to have misplaced my meal for that of a small, household bird.”
Nevertheless, its been 2 weeks, and I’m sticking to it. You might call it a little foolish to try and adapt to a ‘healthier’ plan, when you are based in Thailand; home of all things fragrant, fried and F#!#%!? yummy!
My 23rd birthday arrived last Saturday, and, after a great day of diving (huge wrecks, millions of fish) I indulged in a bit of BBC World on the TV, and then a bit of ‘Boston Legal’. (Law shows in the U.S are so much better! They are all just so glamorous and sleazy!)
On that note, Karon beach (Where we are based) isn’t nearly as seedy as one would imagine. Perhaps its due to the low season, or maybe the true rat-hole is a few kilometres north on Patong Beach? Either way, I'm sure we’ll venture up there at some point before we move on, but for now, I’m happy reading books for women, and learning to ‘touch-type’. You know, when you type really fast without looking at your fingers! Agent Dana Scully does it on the X Files (so does Dante for that matter!).
One person has commented on this article.  1. UntitledBeth, UnregisteredCongratulations on the fitness regime. Commiserations however on the vacuous part of your soul that allows you to eat Nestle. They kill babies you know?! x x |
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