My perfect day at Kamalaya
The picture is courtesy Kamalaya and JD Marston and it really shows how serene this place is. I am midway through my week long stay at Kamalaya in Thailand for a DUI (Detox, Unwind & Invigorate) experience one must have. My earlier blogs cover arrival on Day1, settling in Day 2, how to unwind day3.
This is what my perfect day was:
Mornings
- I woke up around 7am. Soaking in the quiet (you only hear birds chirping) and breathing in the fresh air was wonderful.
- Then at 7.30am I went for one of the relaxing activities in the Yoga pavilion or the beach. It would be easy yoga, breathing, meditation or a beach yoga.
- Then I would skip a bath and go straight for breakfast as I was hungry.
- Followed by having a fresh coconut, lying down in the verandah of the Alchemy lounge upstairs from the breakfast place.
- A slow walk back to my room for a long shower.
- Then one or two massages and treatments before lunch, interspersed with reading at the Alchemy lounge.
Afternoons
- Lunch at the Amrita cafe overlooking the lovely beach.
- I don’t normally sleep in the afternoons, but if you like to, this place is perfect. I would go back to my book at the Alchemy lounge.
- Then another massage or treatment in the late afternoon.
Evenings
- Go for another soothing session in the Yoga pavilion.
- Then back to my favourite place the Alchemy lounge with my book. Try some of the interesting appetisers and salads they offer.
- Dinner would be around 8pm. After eating I would drop into the community table and for once in the day speak to some of the other guests!
- Then off to bed and asleep (very quickly) after some of the breathing exercises I learnt.
Lunch at Kamalaya
This is served at the Amrita cafe, at the end of a steep walk downhill from the reception. I once walked down after an oily foot massage and it was slippery, so be careful. The cafe is spread out over 4 levels, moving further downhill towards the beach. I always ate at the 3rd level from where one had a great view of the beach. There is a 4th level I noticed many days later as it was shut, probably used only during peak times.
I would arrive and order one of the tasty fresh vegetable juices. I always ask for one including ginger as it gives a good zing. Looking out to the beach I would see the almost white sand and the low lying reef going out about 400metres into the sea. There were never more than 3 or 4 the guests, so it was quiet.
My almost standard order was Vietnamese rice spring rolls. There were very fresh, and came with delicious tamarind and lemon sauce. I mistook the tamarind sauce for something else I don’t like, so never tried it at first. But one day I dropped my roll into it and when I had it, the taste was super.
My standard main course was a Thai vegetable curry to which I added steamed white rice and chilli paste. It was so tasty, I would always be slurping up the dregs. I didn’t have dessert, though they have a good selection of fresh fruit and sorbets.
Heading back uphill was daunting. Its best to walk up slowly, or be lazy and get a buggy!
My Acupuncture Experience
Today I had a very different acupuncture session. My earlier ones in Singapore went like this. The place I went to was in a mall. The specialist asked me what I was here for, I said I wanted to try it out. I was taken into a small, darkened room and had some needles stuck into me. Then, after giving me a panic button to press if I felt the need to, I was left alone for 30 minutes. When they came back, they took the needles out and said bye.
At Kamalaya, the acupuncturist took me to this lovely, very soothing room with wide windows and great views. OK, I agree they had an unfair advantage over the mall in Singapore on the location. But the rest of the experience was all down to the way it is done better here.
She had been through the “why I am here” and the special acupuncture questionnaire I had filled out when I checked in. When I first saw this, I thought, what a pain. But the questions were quite interesting and had things I had not thought much about. The acupuncturist had also spoken to my mentor.
She told me what she was going to do, and then started. Having needles stuck into your muscles, groin, hands, the soles of your feet and around your spine can appear unsettling. But in most cases I just felt a slight tickling sensation. If you can, relax your body and don’t anticipate the needle. If you do, you automatically tense up & the insertion may pinch.
While the needles did their thing, I relaxed and almost fell asleep. I had 3 sets of needles, each staying for about 10-15 minutes. The first set was to check if I had energy blocks, the second addressed a block that was discovered, and the third to address my “why I am here” objective.
A very relaxing, informative & different experience.
