Farewell health farm

So I lasted two weeks at the health farm, or Lotus Villa Ayurvedic health retreat. What a strange two weeks it's been.

There have only been a maximum of 8 people here, but only four for most of my stay. There are millions of staff - well just over 100. I've spent my days being massaged until I'm an oil slick, taking weird medicine concoctions and eating strange but ok food which never really needed much chewing - refer to pics in previous post.

I have lush soft skin, shiny hair and more energy than I know what to do with. Too much energy for a place where there isn't much to do. I've walked the beach, swam laps in the pool, practiced yoga (til i had my 'oops moment), meditated, created my own mini-gym (back pack as weights) and buried my nose in a book. But it's been hard to spend much time doing anything as there is always the next person saying 'time for your next treatment' or 'time for medicine'. Being woken up on your sun lounge to take awful medicine doesn't make for a happy Lynne.

But the doctors (in orange) knew exactly what we were doing at all times so I was a good health farm girl.





I've enjoyed my time here. On 1 May there was a big afternoon party for the staff and their families to celebrate may day. There were some interesting games created and everyone had a fun time.

There was an opening ceremony, I got to light a little oil thingy. Then the national anthem was played and flags raised. Very Olympic games!



This game was hysterical. People were blind folded, twirled around loads then headed off to try and hit a clay thing. Only one person made it.



The kids raced to eat a bread roll tied to a string. All looked a bit dry really.




Filling scotch bottles with water from the pool was hysterical. I did wonder what scotch bottles were doing at the health farm .... I haven't been able to sniff out any booze.




Then the craziest game of all was walking the palm tree to grab flags off the end. A very bendy, wobbly tree I might add, luckily the tree was tied over the pool as there were loads of spills.




It was great to see the staff in their casual clothes having fun and wonderful to meet their children. Sri Lankan people are so warm and friendly with smiles that light up their faces.












And the highlight of the day was cake. It was dry, boring cake but what the hell, it was cake.

The other highlight was going to the local temple with some of the staff to provide food for the local people. The retreat is in a country area so many of the locals struggle to provide food for their families. It was Buddha's birthday, so everyone was dressed in white looking beautiful.





















As today was my last full day at the retreat, I didn't have to have any treatments - or take any medicine. My day started with a flower bath .... amazing.




Notice my name made out of flowers on the side of the bath.



Then I had a blessing from the senior doctor before coming back to my room to change for the pool. This is what I found in my room.



The room boys were so proud of their work and got a kick out of my squeals of delight.

So with my doshas now aligned and armed with a list of foods that I should and shouldn't eat (to keep my doshas sorted) I head out tomorrow to explore this amazing country. First stop, probably Maccas.


Posted from somewhere round the world...

Life at the Ayurveda Health Retreat

So what was I expecting when I booked myself into an ayurvedic health retreat for two weeks? Well to tell the truth, I didn't think too much about it. After all I was planning lists of destinations, booking flights etc. I guess I figured on lots of yoga and some massages.

Well I was kinda right and a whole lot wrong.

I was picked up by the Lotus Villa team at the airport in Colomobo, Sri Lanka and driven south 3 hours through bustling traffic then lush green countryside and amazing beaches to my home for two weeks.





I settled into my lovely room then had some lunch. Reality started to hit. What about my need for my morning coffee? What if I need chocolate? What if.....

I visited the doctor in the afternoon and she devised a treatment plan. I didn't ask much about what this would be - the staff come and find you for treatments and to give out the medicine. There was a pool, an amazing beach and the sun was shining, I was happy.

Two days in and I was feeling awful. I had a nasty headache that wouldn't go away and absolutely no energy. I hadn't been near the pool and had only made it to the beach for a walk on my first day. Who would have thought I'd have so much crap in my system??? I trudged from my sun lounge ( in the shade) to the treatment rooms and back - all in a brown robe, looking kinda monk like. I slept a lot and the massages felt like such hard work. I thought death by oil was on the cards.

I woke up on day 3 feeling so much better. And I've been feeling better every day since. I've never had so much energy, it's quite amazing. Whatever is in the weird medicine I take seems to be working.

My not too strenuous life kinda goes like this .....

6.45 - Yoga with possibly a bit of meditation thrown in
8am - the dude with the medicine is waiting. First a mouth wash, then a murky brown drink, then a handful of tablets
8.10ish Breakfast
Now this soup may look ok if you like your greens as I do, but first up in the morning?


But there's also little roti's with fruit jam (well not really jam, more like mushy fruit), fresh fruit and herbal tea.



And yummy papaya, mango and sometimes weird local fruits.


Then the treatments start

9am - Royal Massage (warm oil dripped on forehead)
10am - Body Massage (2 people ,assuaging at the same time)
11am - Thapasweda (pounding with warm bags of herbs - think mini plum puddings)
12 noon - Face massage
12.45 Lunch
There is medicine during the morning, a thick sludge that you need a spoon to get out of the glass.

Now lunch is the biggest meal of the day, 4 courses!

First the salad. Today was hybiscus salad .... I know, should really be in a vase. But I threw on some chilli and lime and proceeded to eat my flowers.


Then comes soup. This is usually quite good. My soup today was veggie.



Main course is always lots of different veggies and sometimes I get fish. This is Dahl, mini augergine curry, potatoes (woo hoo!), green stuff that tastes like pea pods (throw on some chilli) and rice. It was all yummy.


Then comes desert. Sometimes this is a fruit smoothy type thing which is a little disappointing, but today was a weird carrot and raison concoction. It was ok.





2pm - Special massage. This is a kick arse hard core massage. Luv it!
2.30pm - Face massage
3.00pm - Foot massage

There is 3pm medicine, liquid and tablets.


Then it's time for a shower to scrub off the herbs and oil that I have been coated in all day. Except for my hair - when you have a royal massage you can't wash your hair til the next morning. This happens often unfortunately. But my hair is lovely and soft and shiny when it goes get washed.

5.00pm - Medicine, liquid and tablets




5.30pm - Tai Chi
6.45pm - Dinner

Dinner starts with soup which is usually yummy. For a change, this is fish soup.





Main course is also lots of veggies and I also got some fish. Sorry that dinner looks a bit messy, I forgot to take the pic before I started eating.




Fresh mango and papaya for desert.




8pm - we get more medicine and our schedule for treatments for the following day. I've now sorted my treatments so I'm finished by half two so I have some pool time.

9pm - yep you guessed it, just a bit more medicine to finish off the day.

Obviously I'm not starving. While some of the Sri Lankan veggies are a bit weird, most of the food is yummy.

So now it's time to relax in the hammock and stare at the ocean.


Posted from somewhere round the world...

Location:Anunggalla, Sri Lanka