Tai Chi Qigong

As well as accommodating random passersby such as us, our host also provides a wellness retreat lasting between half a day and three days. During our stay, there have been no guests staying for the retreat, but today saw a couple arrive for a morning's half-day session.

When people arrive for massage at the spa, we are often present and are shown off along with the cats, dogs, 'meditation rock', and herb garden. We make an effort to fit in with the holistic nature of the environment, but sometimes we are caught unawares and can be seen drinking a beer, eating crisps, or looking at the computer or phone (writing this blog). On the rare occasions we are actually partaking in something in keeping with the surroundings, such as yoga, nobody deigns to show up.

Our host made sure to serve us a healthy breakfast this morning of yoghurt, toast and juice, when his other guests arrived. They had already eaten at the exceptionally expensive hotel they are staying at. "I hope it was a light breakfast", said our host, who was keen to get the husband and wife started with tai chi and yoga, respectively, before their massage.

The garden is a wonderful open green space full of health-giving air, resplendent nature, towering bamboo, and peace. Part of the peaceful atmosphere comes from our host himself, who this morning took us calmly through the 18 moves of tai chi qigong shibashi. We join the man of the couple, who makes a valiant attempt at hiding his 15 years' experience in tai chi, for an introduction to the Chinese calisthenics. We roll our arms in a horse-riding stance and feel energised at the end of the session.

As the couple re-emerged from the spa, visibly relaxed after two hours of massage and pampering, we took the opportunity to indulge in the same lunch being prepared by our host for them.

Healthy lunch feast

All food served to those on a retreat is vegetarian, the better to fit with the objective of wellness. This was a boon for us, as we tucked into the huge portions of delicious food beautifully presented. A warm barley lime drink was presented as a means to cool down the body. I am not sure of the ayurvedic properties of the remaining food, bit the sweet-and-sour tofu claypot, glass noodles with yuba, and kangkung with chilli were a magnificent feast.

K and I took it in turns to roll fatly into the hammock, suspended between two trees at the top of an incline, which gives a wide view over the surrounding jungle and the creatures therein. I regularly see monkeys - both macaques and the rarer spectacled kind - sat in the trees or peering cautiously over the garden perimeter. Before owning dogs, our host tells us that his open kitchen was ransacked by naughty macaques. They keep a wary distance now. K insisted that she saw a king cobra in a clump of bamboo, which upon investigation turned out to be a keeled rat snake. The two kinds are apparently often confused, but the latter is not dangerous to humans. Still it had a hissing stand-off with the cats, who were sensible enough to keep their distance.

After the half-day guests had left, I continued the holistic day with a session of self-guided yoga on the lawn. However, I followed this with a less-than-holistic beer in the hammock.

Having eaten our fill and then some at lunch, dinner time passed us by. We settled in with a fried egg sandwich and a film before bed. This is our retreat and we make the rules.