Settled in Seattle

Seattle, taken from the NG Sea Lion

Yes, it’s been awhile. I haven’t written on whereonearth in several months for several different reasons. The last time I posted a blog was way back in March when I was traveling around Ecuador!  One of the reasons I’ve been on hiatus is that I recently started school again, which means that my travels and adventures have virtually stopped (although I did have an awesome two week cross-country road trip and I plan on doing many, many mini vacations!). School also magically and dramatically cuts down on free time… Another reason is that I felt like I had to write a post everyday or at least five days a week. It was a lot of pressure on myself and even though I like to write, I didn’t necessarily want to write everyday. So this time around, it’s going to be a lot less stressful. I want to write posts that I don’t rush through and not just put them up because I feel like I have to put something up. I also want to work on my writing skills because I’m taking a writing course next quarter (writing about food and health to be exact), and I would like to – maybe, possibly – start writing for magazines and/or online blogs or publications. So we’ll see how it goes!

Now for an update on where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to for the past few months. I mentioned in this post that I’ve decided to go back to school. Well, I’ve officially been back in school for three months and I love it! Bastyr is a really great school and even though this quarter has been a quarter of sciences  because I’m in the post-bacc program, I love that I’m learning (academically) again. After a year of post-bacc classes, I’m hoping to start the Master’s in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology.

Along with going back to school, I’ve also been exploring my new city: Seattle. Being in a new city is not so revolutionary for me (check out this series of posts), but what is new to me is the fact that I’m staying in this city, for more that a few days or weeks, at least. I love discovering new places and getting lost amid the gridwork of city streets (as long as I have a map or GPS). Here are a few places that I’ve discovered and love about Seattle:

The Burke-Gilman trail – runs from Ballad to Kenmore and connects to a number of other paved bike trails/lanes. I can bike to Bastyr almost entirely on the trail!

Sutra Restaurant and Yoga Studio – an all-vegan, set-menu, local-food restaurant. What more could I ask for? Also attached to the restaurant is a yoga studio. I’ve been volunteering at the owners farm in Monroe for one day a month in exchange for free yoga. Perfect! Here’s a pic of a greenhouse that we helped build.

Chocolati in Wallingford – my go-to study spot. Amazing almond milk hot chocolate!

Value Village – not very classy, I know, but you can find some amazing discoveries there. Sometimes. A lot of the times it’s all junk, but I’ve gotten some pretty nice plant pots and kitchen stuff for cheap!

I’m still exploring and still discovering, so these are only a few of the places I’ve found. There’s lots of great restaurants and things to do and see in Seattle, so keep checking back! Now on to studying…

The Next Lindblad Model?

Finally! Off the boat at last! It’s been a long two months down here in Costa Rica and Panama on the Sea Lion, but we made it through and now we’re in San Jose relaxing at the endearing Hotel Aranjuez (thanks, mom, for the recommendation). We left the Sea Lion just after lunch yesterday amid the turmoil of a new rotation coming in and an old one on its way out. It was good to see people I haven’t seen for awhile, but I was also ready to start my vacation!

This past week was actually a rather memorable one for me, though, in terms of Lindblad trips. I had a very light work week massage-wise (which I wasn’t sorry about), so I went on a few more outings than I normally do (I can go on any hike or Zodiac cruise I want to when I’m not giving massages, but I typically stay on the ship and work out or catch up on emails). It was a photography-orientated trip, so we had two guest photographers – Ralph Lee Hopkins, a National Geographic photographer, and Richard Maack, a professional freelance photographer from Arizona. The guests ranged from point-and-shooters to semi-professionals with two or more SLR’s strapped around their necks.

Towards the beginning of the week we stopped at a new beach in Coiba National Park that I’d never been to. The landing was difficult – our Zodiac drivers had to bring the Zodiacs in stern first on a rolling wave – so catching the Zodiacs when they came in was exciting and drenching wet. The beach was also home to massive hermit crabs and tide-pools that harbored strange-looking nudibranchs, sea stars, little fish, and snails.

For my last week I also got to lead the horse-back ride at Caletas, just outside of Corcovado National Park. There were about six riders plus myself and we had a nice morning riding along the rainforest trail and out onto the white-sandy beaches as the waves crashed into the rocks.

Later that day I was recruited by our National Geographic photographer – Ralph Lee Hopkins – to do a brochure photo shoot at the base of a waterfall at San Pedrillo. I’d never done a photo shoot before, so I was excited! He had me wear a bright blue top, black carpris and a safari-style hat with a chinstrap. Before taking the brochure photos (for Lindblad’s expedition catalogue, although the photos we took will probably never make the cut), he shot me doing some yoga poses with the waterfall at the background. It was so much fun! Maybe my next career will be a yoga model???

So now here we are, enjoying the expansive breakfast at Hotel Aranjuez, with no plans for the day expect to relax, maybe walk around if we feel motivated, enjoy a nice dinner and perhaps a movie. Tomorrow we board a plane that will take us to Ecuador and our mountain biking/hiking escapade and Galapagos adventure!

Top 10 Yoga Retreats I’d like to Visit

I’ve had a lot of time to daydream and surf the net these past few days while we’ve been at dry dock in Colon. The spa is clean, the library inventoried (which took me all day to do yesterday), and disposing of the massage chair because it was growing at least 7 different varieties of mold. Everyone I have asked has said they don’t need any help, so I have been left to my own devices, which has mainly included reading, doing crosswords, and browsing the Internet. One of my favorite things to search for are yoga retreats around the world and then I daydream about spending at least a week in a beautiful places with fresh, healthy food, and practicing yoga on a daily basis – something I’ve been sorely missing. So here is a list of my top ten yoga retreats that I’d like to visit. I’d love to know of any others you have found!

1) Samudra – Dunsborough, Australia
An Ashtanga yoga studio and live food cafe set on the beach in sunny Western Australia? I can’t think of a more perfect combination.

2) Purple Valley Yoga – Goa, India
Another yoga retreat specializing in Ashtanga yoga. This one draws teachers from all over the globe for workshops and retreats and also has a wide array of Aryuvedic treatments

3) Ashtanga World – Ubud Bali
I love all styles of yoga, but as you can probably tell, my practice consists mainly of Ashtanga. So if there’s an Ashtanga retreat center or studio, it moves right to the top of my list.

4) Flor Blanca – Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
This is way out of my budget, but it looks amazing! Even despite the fact that I’ve spent so much time in Costa Rica.

5) Ak’Bol Yoga Retreat – San Pedro, Belize
Belize will always have a soft spot in my heart as a result of a great family vacation to Ambergris Caye and Ian Anderson’s Cave Branch. This yoga retreat looks just as stellar, so hopefully someday I’ll get to visit!

6) Luna Lodge – Carate, Costa Rica
Another yoga retreat in Costa Rica. I’ve been to the Osa Peninusla with the ship, but it would be nice to be able to relax and do some yoga instead of helping people in and out of Zodiacs

7) Yoga Plus – Crete, Greece
Another retreat for Ashtanga yoga! This place looks absolutely amazing

8) Pranamar – Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
One more yoga retreat I can’t afford, also in Costa Rica. I can dream, right?!

9) Yoga Holidays in the French Pyrenee’s – France
Hiking, yoga, good food… I’m there.

10) Gaia Retreat – Byron Bay, Australia
Founded in part by Olivia Newton-John in 2005, this place looks like a great retreat to visit for a week. Or a month.

And now that I have spent entirely too much time looking a yoga retreats online, I have to get back to the ship. I think the galley is making us a nice meal for dinner (not sure what that implies for the vegan) and after C and I have a shopping date. He needs some black shoes, a black belt, and some t-shirts and I’d like to pick up a few pairs of water shorts. I’m not looking forward to it – Colon is a rough city and I can think of a few places I’d rather be.

A Full Day of Yoga and Such

As part of our volunteer benefit package, we each get one full free day to experience Wanderlust as we wish, without having to stand on the sidelines watching a yoga class or pick up trash. Yesterday was my free day and I took full advantage of it.

My morning started out with a Mysore Ashtanga practice. Because I had taken a class with the teachers (Kristin and Barbara from The Shala in NYC) the previous day, they knew I practiced Ashtanga and thus placed me and another girl at the front of the room so those who didn’t know the sequence could follow our movements. I know I’m supposed to be moving beyond the ego, but it felt good to lead the class.

After Mysore, I grabbed a coffee and settled into the Omega Speakeasy room to listen to Adam Kelinson talk about how a diet of good, fresh, local whole foods is essential for optimum health. It was interesting and informative, but I didn’t learn much apart from what I already know – processed food is bad!

My second yoga class of the day was with Byran Kest from Santa Monica, California. Before I go into detail and the class, I forgot to mention that I ran into someone who I haven’t seen for six years! When I was in Kenya with the St. Lawrence program there was another girl from Vermont – Kristi Post – and as I was doing my Greening shift, she and I ran into each other. It was great to catch up and hear about her travels (Vietnam and Tanzania). We both took Bryan’s Power Yoga class, which was challenging , but hilarious. He is an amazing teacher and the jokes he cracks in class help you to forget the burning in your legs and arms and the sweat dripping down your nose.

After Bryan’s class I moved to the Kripalu yoga space for a workshop on pranayama, or breathing, exercises. It was relaxing and made me motivated to pick up my own pranayama class again. My goal is half and hour every morning!

Finally, my last class was a goal setting lecture back in the Speakeasy room. It was led by a Lululemon ambassador who challenged us to think about where we want to be in ten years and how we want to get there. It was helpful to map out our goals and make plans as to how we want to get there. I’m sure you’re all wondering what my goals are, so my biggest one is to get an apartment or space of my own within a year so I can stop living out of a backpack 🙂 I just need to figure out where I want that place be…

I had a few hours to relax and walk around (and have another go at slacklining) before the music events started. First on stage were the Mayapuris, a group of drummers, dancers, singers, and symbol bangers who got the crowd pumped up and dancing, despite the light drizzle. After them, Shakti Sunfire came onstage with two fire-rimmed hula hoops and performed, without flaw, a spectacular routine.

Finally, after a long wait, Michael Franti and Spearhead took the stage just as the clouds cleared and the stars came out. As much as I was looking forward to seeing him and as much as I enjoy his music, I was a bit disappointed. It was SO LOUD and I couldn’t make out any of the lyrics. He had a lot if energy on stage and was fun to watch, but I left after a few songs with my eardrums throbbing. I guess that just emphasizes my dislike for large crowds and loud places!

All and all, though, it was a great day. No surprise I woke up stiff and sore the next morning!

Island Hopping

It has been a couple of days since I left the craziness of Bangkok and entered the craziness of Krabi, a province down south on the Andaman Sea. I’m staying in a town called Ao Nang, aka Tourist Central, with the rest of the Gap Adventures group (more on that later). At first I was horrified and couldn’t wait until we move on, but after I got settled in a bit I realized it wasn’t that awful. Part if traveling is taking the good with the bad and so far I’ve had a whole lot of good.

I met the rest of the group (10 of them) in Bangkok on the 6th of December and had a few days to explore the city some more. The group is really nice, but they like to drink and party, so I don’t hang out with them much at night. I did a yoga class with several friends from Yoga Thailand who were still in the city and after, we randomly met up with some more classmates in a sky-train station. Small world. Aoy, who lives in Bangkok treated us all to an amazing lunch at a vegetarian Japanese restaurant.

On Tuesday we traveled down south by overnight train, but I didn’t get much sleep because the lights stayed on the whole night (we had curtains, though) and I was either too hot or too cold. Like I said before, Ao Nang is very touristy and the beaches are packed, so on the first day I set out by myself to explore and hopefully find some solace. At the end of the beach I came to a trailhead and followed the rickety stairs up a steep hill and down the other side. I found myself at a private resort with an empty beach. Mission accomplished.

The second day in Ao Nang (yesterday) two friends (Jo and Dan) and I took a fishing boat over to Railey Beach, a 15 minute ride from Ao Nang. Again, I was disappointed with the masses of white bikini and speedo clad tourists, but we found a spot on the beach and spent a few hours swimming and soaking up the sun. We were about to leave when Dan offered to show us where a troop of monkeys liked to hang out (he’s been to Krabi before). We set off down a worn dirt path and soon came across the monkeys (I have no idea what kind they were). We decided to keep walking down the path and head over to the other side of the island. Unlike the beaches we just came from this side had no white sandy shore, only mangroves and dirt. I liked it better, though, because it was less crowded, more laid back, and had a backpacker/traveler feel. Krabi is world famous for its rock climbing because of its tall limestone bluffs and as we made our way down the shoreline, we saw why the area draws so many climbers. At the end of the beach we came to some limestone caves, which were really cool with the stalagmite and stalactite formations. We also came across a “trailhead” that supposedly led up to a viewpoint and secret lagoon. When I say “trailhead” I mean a slippery red clay path the leads almost straight up with jagged rocks as foot holds and a knotted rope to hang on to. I had to try it. Dan and Jo weren’t so keen (although Dan did end up going after me – I met him as I was going back down), so I set off on my own. It really wasn’t that bad, just muddy (or clayey) and quite steep. I asked a few others I met on the way up about the lagoon and they said it was too difficult to reach. So I settled for the look out, which I reached about 20 minutes later. It was so beautiful and definitely worth the orange hands and feet (I went barefoot). The view was out over the two sides of the island, so I could see both beaches with the limestone cliffs in the background. The drop down was probably about 500 feet. It was incredible. Dan said looking over the edge was the scariest thing here’s ever done, but he also thought the climb up was particularly difficult.

Today was another adventure. Nine of us hired a speed boat to take us around to some of the islands. At the first stop we snorkeled with the fish and around the reefs. Then we headed to Maya Bay which is where The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. It was more than a disappointment. The beach was absolutely packed and there were some many speed boats that the air was polluted. Maybe it would have been beautiful if there weren’t so many people and boats. The next stop was better, though. We had lunch on Phi Phi Don island (yes it’s pronounced pee pee) and after eating I headed out to explore. The beaches were still crowded, but it had a more laid back, island feel, so it was nice. Then the last stop of the day was my favorite. We went to Bamboo Island and after wading to shore, I once again took off by myself (I’m starting to realize that I’m quite different from the average traveler who doesn’t explore farther than what they can see). I wasn’t complaining though because as soon as I walked around the bend an climbed over some rocks, there was absolutely nobody. White beaches and turquoise waters all to myself. The only problem was that I didn’t know how big the island was and we only had an hour and a half there, so I couldn’t stop and relax. I found some really cool stones, though, and eventually, after climbing over sharp rocks, tip-toeing over scorching sand, and wading through waist deep water, I made it all the way around the island with lots of time to spare (unfortunately! I would have like to have spent more time on my own private beach).

Tonight is our last night in Ao Nang, then tomorrow we take mini-vans down to Malaysia and the island of Penang. I can’t wait to do some more exploring!

It’s the kings birthday

Which means that entrance into all the temples is free, Tuk Tuk rides anywhere in the Old City are 20 baht (about 80 cents), the army marches down the street in full regalia (including 2-foot high furry hats), and everyone is walking around in pink polo shirts – apparently the color of royalty, resembling his good health.

I know I just posted a blog, but after being dropped off at 5:30 this morning and not being able to get into my room until 12 at the earliest, I decided to explore a bit. My plan was to go to Wat Pho, a temple that is also home to a massage school. I did make it to the temple eventually, but is was a circuitous route. Let me explain. About ten minute after leaving the hotel, I stopped on a street corner to consult my map and determine the best way to get to Wat Pho (which I knew included hazardous street crossings, traffic fumes, littered sidewalks, and hot, sticky air). I must have looked lost because a young Thai man came up to me and asked me where I wanted to go. He promptly took my worn map and circled several temples in the area and told me I should visit them because it’s the kings birthday, and they’re free to get into. Then he hailed a Tuk Tuk and told the driver to take me to the sites for 20 baht – no more. I spent the morning riding from one temple to the next (with several souvenir and tailor shops in between because the companies have a deal with the Tuk Tuk drivers if they bring tourists – we “only have to look – no buy”). After four different temples, I finally found myself at Wat Pho and said goodbye to my Tuk Tuk driver – giving him a generous tip that amounted to $3.50. The Wat is quite big and impressive and I was surprised that there weren’t many tourists. I spent about an hour walking around, but decided against the massage since I was hot and tired and wanted a shower more than a massage. So I walked back to the hotel and thankfully was shown to my room.

I’m already going through yoga withdrawal, so I’m meeting two friends tomorrow for a Mysore class at 9 and possibly for dinner as well, depending on what my Gap Adventures itinerary look like. I guess I’m back to my busy life!

Dance Party and Qi Gong

What happens when a 65 year-old woman gets in front of a roomful of yogis? It turns into a full out dance party. That’s what happened this afternoon, at least. It’s Friday and everyone was tired, especially after a two and a half hour practice this morning and then sitting through four hours of anatomy lecture this afternoon. So when Dorian, the resident “guru” came into the shala dressed in a bathing suit and leggings, we didn’t really know what to expect. Then the music came on and she started to dance. I mean really dance! Pretty soon everyone was doing the steps, legs were flying, hands were in the air, and sweat was spraying in every direction. It was hilarious and so much fun. Dorian is amazing. She started yoga and meditation after a bad car accident in which she should have died, but walked away unscratched. She took that as a sign to change her life before she really did end up dead. So now she lives at Yoga Thailand and does counseling and therapy, as well as kicks off the occasional dance party. I doubt there are many 65 year-old women who can do the moves she came up with today.

After we were spent from dancing, Dorian led us outside to the beach where we calmed down and cooled off with several Qi Gong exercises. It felt kind of surreal, with the ocean before us, the white sand under our feet, the sunset lighting the sky red, gold, and pink, and 39 sweaty yogis doing Qi Gong on the beach. Something I’ll definitely remember.

After, we plunged into the salty water, clothes and all, then squeezed some more sweat out in the steam room. And tomorrow we have a day off!

Rooftop Yoga and Bangkok Chaos

It was a long voyage from Portland to Bangkok (via Seattle and Korea), but I finally arrived at my hotel around 2:00 am this morning. The flights weren’t horrible, just long and tiring. I flew Asiana Airways, which is now my new favorite airline. The stewardesses handed out warm hand towels, slippers, nice blankets, and pillows. Plus there were toothbrushes and toothpaste in the bathrooms as well. The seats were comfortable and reclined far enough to feel like you were sort of lying down, but I still didn’t get much in the way of sleep.

Korea (Seoul airport) was interesting. There were so many people and they were all shopping. I couldn’t believe how many duty free, jewelry, and clothing stores there were and they were all full! I thought Americans were bad…

After a one hour flight, a 11 1/2 hour flight, and a six hour flight, I was finally in Thailand. A half hour taxi ride brought me to my guesthouse and I pretty much dropped my bags and fell into bed. I’m staying at a place a little farther outside the city center, but near the skytrain and bus routes. My room is a dorm with six beds, but it’s quiet and has air conditioning.

I woke up early (jet lag…) and made a few calls home, then I rolled out my yoga mat on the rooftop terrace and did my practice while looking out over the city. After a cup of coffee and some quick map studying down in the common area, I headed out to explore the city. Having a semi-destination in mind, i took the #44 bus into the city center. But then, having no idea where I was (and wondering how I would get back), I got off where a little old lady who spoke no English told me to get off – in hand gestures and Thai mutterings. I spent the next few hours wandering the streets, walking through open markets and trying to figure out where I was. Finally I hailed a tuk tuk and asked him to bring me to Khao San Road, world famous for its backpacker scene. Tuk tuk drivers have deals with tour agencies, so despite my arguments, I was taken to a travel agency “with no pressure to buy anything” before my driver would drop me off at Khao San Road. It worked out though, because I was able to buy my bus and ferry tickets to and from Koh Samui.

After walking around a bit there, I decided to go to the Grand Palace, a walled temple city not too far from where I was. The temples were beautiful, in a gaudy way, and the architecture and details were very impressive. I spent about an hour there and by that time I was starving (I had only eaten a banana coconut smoothie and some tofu on a stick), so I headed to May Kaidee’s vegetarian restaurant for an early dinner. It was so good – fresh spring rolls with a peanut sauce and a tofu peanut coconut curry over rice noodles. May Kaidee also does daily cooking classes, so I think I’m going to sign up for that on Wednesday. Full and tired I hailed a taxi to take me back to my hotel (too exhausted to try to figure out the bus system again).
The taxi ride turned out to be an hour due to traffic – but still only cost 7 dollars. Early to bed tonight, then tomorrow will be another full day – I’m doing a bike tour of the countryside around Bangkok!

A busy week

It has been a very busy couple of days for me, between going on hikes, kayaking, and giving massages – plus spending time on deck watching wildlife and doing my (almost) daily yoga practice. I haven’t had much time to write! Even now I’m using the hour before my next massage to write as much as I can. This week has been really good. The guests are great and we’ve seen lots of whales and bears. The other morning our expedition leader woke us up around 5:30 because there were humpbacks right off our bow. People came out on deck still in their pajamas and were rewarded by the sight of a baby humpback breaching three times. I wrote another DER (daily expedition report) about Saginaw Bay and Red Bluffs – you can read it here. Red Bluffs was really amazing, and I had never been there before, so I didn’t know what to expect. There were waterfalls everywhere. It was so beautiful. We’ll be going there next week too, so I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have my camera! Dad sent it to Petersburg, but I’m not sure when it will get there.

Last night we stopped in a tiny fishing town called Pelican. When I say tiny, I mean 75 people live there. There are no roads, but instead there’s a boardwalk that runs the length of town and people drive 4-wheelers down it. The town is surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains and we were told by a local that a few years ago Tommy Mosely and his crew came to ski one of the peaks and they stayed in Pelican for a few days. The main attraction in town is Rose’s Bar, which is run by a 77 year-old woman who has had 11 kids and lives in Pelican year-round. The ceiling of the bar is covered in people’s names and apparently if you get up on the bar to sign your name, Rose will try to pull your pants down. I didn’t stay long enough to see if that happened.

I’ve also been doing a lot of massages and treatments. Mostly massages, though. It’s hard to balance everything that I’m supposed to do and want to do, but so far I feel like I’m handling it. I know I’ll be ready to get off in seven weeks though! Everyone who has gotten a massage says it was wonderful, and guests are even signing up twice ($80 per massage + a tip)! I don’t get paid per massage, so it doesn’t really matter to me how many sign up, but it’s great to hear the feedback. I gave Captain a half hour massage this morning and he said it was “divine”. I have two more today, and tomorrow is the last day of the trip, so I hope I can fit everyone in who wants a massage.

I ran out of time yesterday to finish writing, so now it’s the last day of the trip and I just got back from leading a long walk along an old logging road. Again, I only have an hour of free time before lunch, then after lunch I have three more massages. The naturalists have commented on how busy I am with treatments, and they say that good news travels fast – meaning they’ve heard a lot of guests talking about their massages, so I’m happy! Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some time to relax in Sitka.

I’ve been offered a few more contracts on the ships, which I’m really excited about (although that means I won’t have as much time to play on my new mountain bike!). I’ll be coming back to Alaska two more times after I get off in July, then I have three weeks on the Colombia River as well. You can see all the dates here.

That’s it for now… Next week is a charter for the New York Yacht Club, so I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories to share…

Livin’ in Miami

I made the promise to some friends and family that I would start up my blog again as I continue my travels with Lindblad, this time as the Wellness Specialist. So, here I am, sitting on a swinging chair with the breeze rustling the palm trees and the sun filtering through the latticework arbor above me. The ocean is a few hundred feet away, preceded by an infinity pool ringed with chaise lounges and umbrellas. There’s a fire pit off to my left, protected by a circle of wicker walls and padded cushions and behind me is a garden of tropical flowers, trees and manicured lawn. I’m in Miami at the Standard Hotel and Spa. It may feel (and sound) like vacation (and it is, I guess…) but I’m also here to meet with my boss, Mina, to go over a few treatments and details of my new job. As a Wellness Specialist, I’ll no longer have to serve meals, make beds, scrub toilets, etc… Instead, I’ll be giving massages, teaching a stretch class in the morning, leading hikes, helping with the kayaks, and eating with the guests at dinner. It’ll be a big, but much welcome change. Not that I didn’t enjoy stewarding, but this is more along my line of interests.

So, back to Miami. The hotel is beautiful. It’s also a full spa with a hamam (a Turkish steam bath), a yoga room with lots of classes, multiple choices for treatments, an amazing and healthy restaurant and plenty of places to sit, relax, and read a good book.  Mina has helped create the spa program, so she comes down pretty regularly to work with the owner. I feel insanely lucky (and slightly guilty) to not only be here, but also take Mina up on her offer to enjoy as many treatments and yoga classes as I’d like – on the company. Which is in addition to my room and meals. I think I’m going to like my new job…

I’ll be in Miami until Friday, then I fly out to Seattle, which my Dad pointed out is pretty much as far from Miami as I could possibly go. After a night in Seattle, I’ll catch a plane up to Juneau, then puddle jump over to Sitka where I’ll meet the Sea Lion. I have a week of training with another Wellness Specialist, then I’m on my own for the next eight weeks. I can’t wait!

Well I didn’t have time last night to post what I wrote yesterday, so I’ll just continue on here. Last night, after dinner with Mina on the oceanside patio, I took an amazing Jivamukti yoga class with Loren. It brought me back to the classes I took at YYoga in Vancouver because I left completely soaked in sweat and completely blissed out. It was a hard class, but it was exactly what I needed after the flight down and I even did some poses I’ve never done before (like put my ankle behind my head).

This morning I woke up at 7 to do another yoga class, this one on the dock facing the rising sun. The teacher, Wayne, is an incredible Ashtanga yogi, and he led the class (primary series) with only a little direction, mostly showing us the poses and having us follow him. It felt great! I’m getting more and more into Ashtanga yoga because it makes me feel so open and light after the practice.

After class, I slurped down a coconut, date, green apple and soy milk smoothie (sooo good!), changed into my robe and headed up to the spa for my massage and coconut oil body scrub. I was told to wait in the hamam – a large cavernous room, dark with candles flickering along the circular walls. As I walked in, there was a round stone table with bath towels, lemon water and a bowl of apples in front of me. Behind the table was the two-tiered marble hamam, heated from below so that the stone is warm like sun-baked rocks. Even better, though are the faucets that pour warm water over the stones so that when you lay down on a towel, you’re lying in a shallow layer of moisture.

As I was fiddling with the faucets, my massage therapist came in and led me away to my treatment room. I had an hour massage and it was so very relaxing. I think getting massages is one of the best ways to learn how to give a good massage because you learn new techniques and experience what feels best.

After the massage, I donned my bathing suit and robe and we went back into the hamam where my therapist set up a ‘bed’ of towels for me to lie on. She doused me with warm water, then began to scrub a mixture of coconut oil and salt all over my body. The warmth of the hamam and the exfoliation (plus the previous hour massage) left me feeling limp and very relaxed. After I was rinsed with more warm water, I was left to lay for as long as I wanted or use the steam room or sauna. I chose the steam room and spent the next 20 minutes breathing in the thick air. To finish the whole experience off, I took one last rinse under a waterfall shower before heading downstairs to drink some tea and read my book.