So yesterday I left koh samui and headed on the ferry for koh phangan. Once I arrived on koh phangan a man approached me and told me he would charge 100 baht to take me to my hotel so I thought that was a good price so went with him. It wasn't until we got to his mode of transport that I realised I would be going by motorbike! So myself, my two backpacks and the driver piled on the bike! Thankfully he was a good driver so we got there safely!
The place where I was staying was very pretty and basic however it was so odd because they had about 50 staff and for the whole afternoon that I was beside the pool I did not see any other guests! Even at dinner there were no other guests! I felt like a queen!
So today I entered the monte vista retreat after scrambling up a very steep hill with both of my backpacks! The retreat is set on a hillside overlooking koh samui. It's beautiful. I was greeted by a lovely Brazilian lady and given detox tea! After a quick look round I was given lunch which consisted of lentils and a few herbs, coconut water and sesame oil which I had to swish in my mouth for 15 minutes before spitting out. This is called oil plucking and is supposed to get rid of the toxins in your mouth!
This afternoon I was given a sesame oil massage which is supposed to encourage all of our toxins to be released. I was also given a probiotic drink and some more herbs to drink before watching a movie. The movie was about using our thoughts to improve our lives. This is a very powerful tool, I can assure you that if you replaced every negative thought with a positive one you would feel much happier by the end of the day.
I have never completed a detox before so I am still very apprehensive about the whole thing but intrigued. There is only myself and one other lady here at the moment so it is a very personal experience. I have a hammock and a good book so I'm sure I'll be kept busy!

This morning I completed 1.5 hours of yoga on the deck looking over the sea and islands. It was beautiful. The yoga we completed this morning was all about stretching different parts of your body and becoming aware of yourself. It felt very powerful and by the end I felt very energised. This morning was my first experience of a colonic! It was such an odd sensation and i can't really believe that I am writing about it in my blog but I try and be honest on here so I feel I should include it! The idea is to hold the water in your body for 15-20 minutes. I only managed 5 as it gives you the biggest sensation that you really need the toilet! However I now feel less bloated and less sluggish. This morning for breakfast we had dragonfruit (yuck, not my cup of tea), papaya (im getting used to that) and melon and lychees, yum! We also had to drink this solution called ghee.
I had another massage mid morning and then lunch was the same as lunch and dinner the previous day. I found this afternoon tough, I had a horrible headache which I presume is because I have cut out all sugar and coffee and because the massage and drinks are pushing the toxins out of my body. I also felt weak because the lack of food so I slept in my hammock for the majority of the afternoon. However after dinner I felt brilliant so I can see how the detox is starting to benefit me.

....I could go through the duller information about what I did and what I are on the detox, but I think I'll spare you. What I can tell you is that it was hard. Day 2 I had a splitting headache and day 4 I had no energy and felt faint for the majority of the day. But on leaving the retreat today I can see how all of that has benefited me. I feel refreshed and cleansed. And most importantly I don't feel worried or stressed about the future. I feel calm and more knowledgeable about how my body works. Completing 1.5 hours of yoga every morning has been great, it makes you feel fresh and ready for the day ahead. Today's practice was fab, I was able to get deeper into some of the stretches and felt more aware of my body.
I met some beautiful people at the retreat. A Brazilian girl called Carolina managed the place, she was very knowledgeable about the body and the benefits of different foods and yoga. The retreat followed an Ayurvedic notion. The notion is that our bodies are made up of three dosha's; vitta, pitta and Kapha. We are all made up of all three but we all have different percentages of each. I am predominately pitta but have a large influence from Kapha. However at the moment I am more Kapha which means I am out of balance which is why I don't feel 100% content. I was sceptical of the whole Ayurvedic notion but now I know more about it I believe it. So I have to eat certain things and complete certain activities to get myself balanced.
I also met a beautiful lady from holland named Haneka. Haneka lacked self confidence which was hard to believe as she was beautiful and had such a lovely personality. Throughout my trip I feel as though I have met certain people at the right time, and I believe that I Haneka and I met for a reason and I feel that we have both learnt several things from each other. I really hope that she finds what she is looking for and becomes content because she has so much to offer and has positively affected me. When I said goodbye to her she told me 'keep that twinkle in your eye'. I'm going to remember that and work on that :)
So all in all my time at monte vista has been a personal challenge but one that I feel was needed and have benefited from.