Relaxing in Kuching

Kuching, Borneo Malaysia

April 23, 2009

After our many days in the big city of Kuala Lumpur, we were ready to move on to something a little less busy. Our next stop was in Port Dickson. That wasn’t lively enough, so we just stayed there one night and moved on. We took a bus to Singapore and then caught a flight over the sea, to Kuching, in the Borneo part of Malaysia. Our goal was to make it to a festival in a nearby city that I had read about in a magazine. But we had a day to kill in Kuching first. We decided to just relax and explore the town with no set agenda and without doing any research for tourist things.

After a good Chinese breakfast, we decided to relax with a Chinese reflexology massage that emphasized spinal health. It also included a previously-unknown-to-me alternative medicine technique called ear candling, thrown in for free.

Supposedly, when a hollow candle is lit and put in your ear, it removes ear wax. I spent the entire time that the candle was in my ear trying to figure out the physics behind it and just couldn’t quite explain it. Later, I googled it and found out the entire concept is worthless. The benefits are a total myth. But, it was fun to try, regardless of its ineffectiveness. We received a fairly standard massage and then the attendants walked out--and we thought it was over. But, a few minutes later they returned with a contraption that looked a little too similar to a medieval torture device. We had to lay on this device, with our spine in the very center, causing our back to arch up. It wasn’t very comfortable, but I figured it was worth it for a healthy spine. After we were settled on our spinal contraption, the attendants started binding our legs together using heavy straps!!! I looked over at Staci with a can-you-believe-this-is-happening look and we both started giggling, unable to say aloud the jokes we were thinking inside.

After our wonderfully exciting massage experience, we decided to shop for awhile in a nearby mall. I was able to replace some yellow shirts that had been turned gray by the last laundry experience. I tried, in vain, to find a swimming suit that I was happy with.
I must admit that after our full day of exploring, we felt like a taste of home. For the first time in the trip, I actually missed American food and longed for a big juicy cheeseburger, like a Royal Red Robin burger from Red Robin.


McDonald’s would have to suffice.