Mandi Bunga.

Today we all ‘mandi bunga’ (bathe with flowers), including Bobby, the doggie.

I went to the market and got me serai (lemongrass), pandan leaves, limau purut (lemon) and seven flowers with different colors.

I came home and boiled a concoction of serai and pandan leaves in a big pot of water. I boiled until the leaves turned yellow. The fragrance of serai and pandan which permeated through the whole house after that was exhilarating, healing, heavenly!

Then we gave Bobby a bath, and washed him off with the concoction – I squeezed the limau purut into the water, which made it so refreshing! Bobby loved it, and didn’t even make a fuss, although he used to hate water. After that we dried him off and left him in the afternoon sun for awhile to dry off.

You see, weeks ago, Bobby was attacked by fleas…they just wouldn’t leave him, eventhough we bathed him with the anti-flea medicines that I got from the vet. The medicine was harsh on his skin, and on our hands, too. We didn’t like how it smelled. It was acidic after all.

So I decided to do some research myself. I found out, through the internet, that a good natural anti-flea treatment was lavender oil.

I thought to myself that serai or lemongrass are good and natural insect repellant. So that is how I started giving Bobby a lemongrass+pandan+limau purut spa.  Later when he is a bit dry, I would rub lavendar oil over him. The oils were bought for me by my Japanese friend Moyuko, and has a soothing and relaxing smell. You can imagine what it did to Bobby.

But the best part of it all is that Bobby has been cured of his fleas! They no longer bug him, he smells like a garden of herbs, and we as a family feel so relieved!

Seeing how this treatment can deal with insects in our home, since we live in an area surrounded by trees and greens (a blessing!) , that I went a little further. I found a serai wangi liquid for the floor from Tesco here, and we have been using it since to mop our floors. Needless to say, it makes our house smell like a garden! and it also rids our home off the insects.

This is the second time we gave Bobby a spa. This time I decided to treat my niece and myself, too. Since both of us have some quality time bathing Bobby and bonding with each other at the same time.

So I bought flowers – they’re families of crysanthemum, I guess – of seven different colors. The medicine men/women would often use this to ‘buang suay’ (or get rid of bad luck) from one’s aura by soaking them in water, then bathing the whole body with it. It helps to say a little prayer as you go along. It doesn’t matter what prayer it is, as long as it comes from your heart.

I feel entirely refreshed after this ritual, which starts with chasing Bobby to the bathroom, then bathing him. The rest is history.

People, you must try it, because it’s fun. Because it’s natural and harmless. And because there is so much love around after doing things together with the ones you love.