Retreat life can sometimes seem like groundhog day especially the moment when your alarm goes off at 5:45. But it feels good to be in a routine and in a safe and relaxing environment, especially food wise. Everything is good and everything is vegan. No stressing about what I’m eating. 1 hour meditation began at 6 and lasted an eternity. It took nearly as long to get my knees moving again after being locked in a kneeling position for so long. Legs were proper dead. Standard beautiful breakfast of fruit and homemade peanut butter before a vigorous 90 minute hatha yoga session.
We sat under the giant tree watching huge bird sized butterflies flit and flutter about, never settling for a picture to be taken. Lunch was outstanding with aubergine fritters, ginger curry rice and salad. Emma was twitchy as the instant coffee was not hitting the spot so we headed into the village to find something stronger. There were kids everywhere today and they had upgraded their reactions to us from smiling and saying allo to full hugs, high fives and blowing kisses. It was kind of like being famous, walking down the street everyone wanted our attention and seeing the kids laugh and smile made our day. When we got to the coffee shop it was bad news, no power. So we walked further in the draining heat to another place that turned out to be closed. Not a good day coffee wise but Em pulled through. When we got back we had a dip in the pool and we’re joined by the dog which was fun. Cambodian police then arrived to check the passports of two guests as they said their visa photos weren’t clear. We all expected trouble but trouble didn’t arrive.
Next we had a 1 hour aerial yoga session and learnt to hang upside down in monkey pose which was really good fun. Another 1 hour hatha session as the sunset. And now the mozzies made an all you can eat buffet out of my legs. Dinner served was vietnamese pancakes with Pho which was lovely and filling. As we ate a gecko sat in the table light grabbing any flies that came near attracted by the glow of the bulb. All of a sudden the french girl exploded into the air screaming and freaking. A praying mantis had flown into her hair but then flew off before I could get a photo (of the mantis). The owner came running out and said he thought it was ANOTHER snake as a large one had fallen out of the tree onto the very table we sat at only last week, traumatizing the guests.
My mozzie bites kept me up most of the night itching like crazy, immediate relief arrived when I scratched them but then disappeared when I stopped scratching. I was lucky to have any skin left by morning. Which arrived early, 4am as the monks at the temple started chanting through a loudspeaker that sounded like it was in our room. Emma kept telling me to turn my alarm off and refused to believe it was real chanting not a phone alarm!
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