I kept sleeping in a semi cool room, allowing the meds to combat the flu-ish fever that arrived as a result of hot and cold. My bike was parked right outside my door. I had an arrangement of fruits on my dining table. There were three bottles of water. My luggage was all over the room-unpacked, as I had forgotten where I had kept the antibiotics. I had briefly got up to have the prepaid breakfast and promptly got back into the hollow of my bed.

Sometimes it’s just good to sleep it off. I needed to be in good Asian condition, to ride nonstop to Mumbai. 36 more days.

Dhanraj my Santana host at Penang WhatsApped me to check if I was alive. I told him I just need to sleep it off. Dr. Kuldip Singh at Kuala Lumpur had foreseen this Asian fever and had sent a cough mixture and meds, that made me feel drowsy though better.

A knock on the door and I went to open it in my towel. Dhanraj’s dad stood there. An extremely handsome man. He asked if I needed a hospice, a doctor. We made polite conversation at the doorstep and seeing me alive, I guess he felt relieved and left.

By late afternoon, the meds started kicking in and almost magically, Dhanraj sent me an invite for tea at his house. I decided to look bright and thankful and dressed in my best Tshirt, that I was gifted by my friend Moha in Los Angeles.

Picking me up, Dhanraj took me to his house and met his parents. His mom and dad are both very good looking and Dhanraj has benefited from that collaboration. His wife, Cheryl served some green crepes that had coconut and honey within and all of a sudden, I felt better.

Curious about my ride, his parents asked me a lot and kept feeding me so that I don’t slow down. I kept eating. It was a lovely evening.

Bidding adieu, Dhanraj, Cheryl and I took off for Georgetown, on Penang island. A beautiful drop in the ocean, we car-ferried across. I scampered all over the ferry, taking pictures.

Colonial Georgetown is a great tourist destination. Listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO, this place has a British colonial feel, mixed with Chinese shophouses and a lovely Chew-Jetty where you boardwalk right to your own boat, if you have one. I was competing with the Japanese tourists in clicking pictures. Everyone moved in groups from one picture point to another. All groups smiled at each other. The hamster will always find another wheel!

The three of us had a lovely evening, which included a delightful dinner at a food court. I had clay-pot pork and rice. This is clay-pot cooked and is terrifyingly tasty!

We drove back over the old bridge, which looked shiningly new. It’s called old, cause the government has built another one that’s parallel, at a distance and connects to different points between the Mainland and the Island.

Well done Malaysia!

Goodnight!