Heather Fell, Olympic modern pentathlete silver medalist, writes about her life 'on and off' the track.
I'M sat having a tropical breakfast on Petani Beach, while watching the acrobatics of a shoal of fish. Prior to this I rolled out of bed and walked the whole ten metres to the sea for a wake up dip.
Now I don't mean to show off but this place really can't go unmentioned. I've already had three days on the Perentian Islands, just off the East Coast of Malaysia. The wildlife both in the jungle and on the coast is spectacular and conveniently, the best way to see it seems to have been through the gentle jogs, hikes and swims I've done.
The climate is certainly a change from my previous stop in the Cameron Highlands where trousers and a raincoat were regularly required. I wasn't complaining of the lower temperature however, when climbing some steep trails through thick jungle. I soon discovered to take the Malays at their word. .. when the waiter warned me the dish was quite spicy I thought I can handle it; the same when I was told the jungle path was demanding. In both cases I realised I'd underestimated their judgement. Four hours spent trekking through the jungle and the closest we came to any human sighting was a pair of monkeys leaping around in the tree tops.
With my next stop being Delhi to watch the Commenwealth Games I've been keeping an eye on the reports of the various problems. I'm pleased to see that England have taken a vote of confidence in the competition. I hope this will send out an encouraging message to those still hesitant.
There always seem to be various scandals prior to any large sports event, so lets hope that that is all these are. For the majority of athletes this will be the focus of their season; the big competition that they've been training for all year. I hope for them the games are a success, whatever the experience of the public and the organisers. I'm now starting to get envious and wish the pentathlon was included, although not quite enough to wish away my holiday.