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THE RETREAT - Part 2
OK, I'm back in the land of the living really quickly thanks to a lovely Balinese doctor (and unfortunately some antibiotics) So here's part 2 of the Retreat...
DAY 4
The day of silence was running until Breakfast so I couldn't even swear when the alarm call came at 4.45am this morning. We sleepily bundled into a minivan and drove for just under an hour until we reached a restaurant overlooking the volcano (closed at that hour of the morning!). On the Balcony we had all our yoga mats set out and after everyone had finished running around taking photos of the spectacular view we sat down the our meditation - eyes open this time taking in the incredible colours of sunrise over the mountains and volcano.
We went through through the yoga class as normal - which was getting suprisingly easier even after just a few days - and as we finished the class, mist descended over the volcano hiding it completely - which must have been the reason for such an early start.
On the way back we stopped at a traditional Balinese Village which was all cobbled lanes and thatched rooves. We met some local children who ran waving and shouting down the laneway to say hello and use the some of the English they learned at school. At one stage I saw a dog pelting out of one of the family compound with a cookie still wrapped in plastic between it's teeth angrily pursued by a bewlidered toddler bawling and shouting as the dog tacked the wrapper and ate the cookie.
The drive back was through some amazing countryside with old men at the side of the road cutting grass with scythes and women carrying everything from baskets of offerings to bricks on their heads.
Before lunch I went for a walk while the others either cycled or slept off the early morning. And that's where I met the crazy coconut man. Iyan had told me that there might be someone selling coconut juice - what he didn't tell me was that he was likely to jump out on me from the tall grass. As mentioned in the photo description, he reminded me of a Monty Python beggar. He kind of hopped and skipped as he giggled "I was in the tree, I see you, I Jump down" which was funny except I kinda wished he's put the big knife down...
After another amazing lunch it was time for the afternoon beauty treatment. Mandi Lulur. Again it was heaven. First off was an hour long massage, followed by a full body scrub with Lulur which is an amazing combination of herbs, spices and flowers. In not sure exactly what but there was definitely Jasmine and Tumeric in there. It smelt gorgeous. That was followed by Yoghurt which was chilled and a bit of a shock to the system! Then, after showering it all off, a bath full of rose petals, frangipani flowers and essential oils. I floated out of there.
We were all pretty tired so the evening yoga was quite low key - though Iyan did show us some funny positions using a folding chair. Dinner was quite sedate that night and we all drifted off to bed early.
DAY 5
After the usual Meditation, yoga and breakfast routine (it was amazing how normal it all felt by now) we had a walk through the paddi fields planned. The exertions of the day before had taken their toll and we ended up with only 3 of us up for it. It was a beautiful walk though - about 3 hours through villages and lots more paddi fields. We ended up in the Botanical gardens where we met the others for another feast (I discovered tempura spinach leaves - weirdly they're delicious) then more of a potter around the Paddis.
For Yoga that evening Iyan was in a playful mood. He taught us tricks like the one in the photo where I'm upside down on his back. When he tried to persuade me to do it I thought he was insane but it was actually a lot easier than it looked. We did tricks involving pairs and one even had 5 of us involved. It was heaps of fun. The only drawback was that the whole time Nim (the lovely Thai journalist) was taking photos and there are just some angles you really don't want to end up in a magazine...
That night we had a glass or two of wine to celebrate the last night of the retreat and a couple of us escaped to the Jazz Cafe for a beer as a nightcap after dinner.
DAY 6
Yoga on the last morning was surprisingly a breeze (after a couple of drinks the night before) I couldn't quite believe the progress I'd made from 6 days before. I was actually sad it was the last one!
After yoga and breakfast we learned how to make Balinese offerings from palm leaves and flowers. Then had the closing ceremony. During the week were were told to write down anything that we wanted to let go of on little pieces of paper we sat around and one by one burned them and sent the ashes floating down the river in a big palm leaf creation, throwing handfuls of petals on them for good measure. If that doesn't get rid of them I don't know what will.
Then we said our goodbyes and went off our own ways. Nim, Melanie and I decided to visit a Balinese Healer that afternoon. (in fact he talked about drawing poison out of my throat and gave me a left to eat the day before I came down with tonsilitis so I think it might have got stuck!) Anyway what he dod with the others was scary and amazing but too personal for me to go into.
That night I moved down into Ubud to a cheaper room - missing everyo0ne heaps. I felt light as a feather
Everything about the retreat was thought through beautifully and the experience was pretty much indescribable - I've tried but I feel like there's no way I've done it justice. We got a sarong and some incense as a gift both of which I've been using. And I'm planning on going to a yoga class tonight so I must be hooked!
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