Tuesday, 11 February

6:30 AM – I went to bed at about 1 AM and, typically, was awake by 6. I’m averaging about five hours of sleep now. Which would be fine if I could have my second sleep but, since I have a full day ahead, it really isn’t an option.

I still don’t sleep before midnight.

Did 100 jumping jacks.

7:45 AM – Iyengar yoga. Put off by yesterday’s kiddie yoga, I wasn’t going to come in today but Urja urged me to check out the new instructor, so I did. Except that it was still Anya. She said she’s been having neck issues but was feeling better today so she decided to come in.

I finally interviewed her. She’s been doing yoga for five years, but wasn’t serious for the first two. Max only started two years ago but is more flexible than her. They both completed their teacher training in Arambol in November of last year.

Four of the ten Chinese returned today. And only two of the massage school students, myself included. If this were an Agatha Christie novel, it would be “And Then There Were None.”

Today’s session was much better than yesterday’s. As I said, I don’t mind it being slow because I haven’t done anything strenuous since forever and my shoulders are so sore than I can barely do diddly anyway.

After the class, Anya told me that the pain in her neck had started up again. She’s sending another instructor tomorrow. I guess Urja’s going to want me to check him out.

12:00 PM – Skipped the fruits and had a nap during chai break. This could be my second sleep.

3:00 PM – Monica and I were supposed to go to Arambol today and ordered a cab but it was commandeered by someone else when the massage class went into overtime when we stayed for some meditation. Monica still wanted to go but I begged off and was glad for the time alone.

I accepted a ride on Miwa’s motorbike going back to the guesthouse.

5:00 PM – It’s hard not to eat when you’re sitting in a restaurant. Am at my guesthouse’s restaurant, using the WiFi because the signal here is much stronger than in my room. There’s a menu on the table, which I’ve browsed through and pushed aside a hundred times. I finally ordered a butter chicken paneer and it was a beautiful thing.

The Indians don’t understand how someone could order a curry and not order some sort of flat bread or rice to go with it, so I ordered a roti but had less than half of it. I didn’t really need it. At least now I know I can have a curry and not need any carbs to go with it. Although if that had been lemon rice or ghee rice or anything-rice instead of a roti, I’m pretty sure I still wouldn’t have needed it but, boy, would I have loved it.

8:00 PM – Did 100 more jumping jacks and only one set of the exercises in this article. Except for the step-ups because I have nothing to step up on in my room. (The table looks rickety, and the bed is too high, and the mattress rock hard and impossible to move.) With no weights, of course.

Wednesday, 12 February

6:30 AM – 100 jumping jacks.

Btw, can you believe that I am now doing my own laundry? My mother would have a heart attack if she knew. (Don’t tell her lest she get some funny ideas.)

Well, there’s a bucket and a clothesline in the bathroom. And the only laundry place I’ve seen charges 20 rupees a piece, and I change clothes everyday, sometimes twice a day. I’m not sure why when almost everyone else in class is wearing the same clothes they’ve been in since I met them. Seriously. That’s five days now. I’m wondering if they’re going ten for ten.

Anyway, I got back from the first day of school covered in oil, powder (- the massage I am studying uses an herbal powder) and dust. I couldn’t get out of my clothes fast enough. I dunked them in the bucket, swirled in some detergent, and left them to soak overnight. The next day, I changed the water, swirled the clothes around a bit more, and did this on repeat until the water was clear. Et voila! Fresh clothes!

Now I do this daily.

Next thing you know I’ll be buying a backpack and staying at hostels!

Well, it only take a few minutes. I did it this morning before I left for school.

I know my clothes can’t be that clean but, when in India, I’ve resigned myself to being covered in grime. You should see my feet. I’m definitely due for a good scrubbing.

7:45 AM – Iyengar yoga. The new instructor showed up. Another Russian bloke who was quite massive but very strong and flexible. I liked the session. Maybe because he didn’t know that the Chinese couldn’t understand English – or maybe he just didn’t care – and the class was a bit more challenging than the ones we had the past few days.

9:30 AM – I spoke to one of the Chinese girls who can speak English and she said, “I come to India to study yoga with Indian teacher and there are only Russian teacher.” True that. I told her about the Indian instructor a few doors down from my guesthouse – but then I remembered that he teaches – get this – Thai yoga. He also gives Thai massage. Go figure.

12:00 PM – Chai break: bananas, papaya and grapes.

2:30 PM – Lunch with Monica and Lua (- our Brazilian classmate) at Morjim Resort’s restaurant, Esperanto. The specials of the day are written only in Cyrillic. Goa has been annexed by Russia.

Before our orders arrived, I ducked into Cafe Delicieux for a brownie.

Lunch was so-so. I ordered a beef stroganoff that I found too sweet because they put capsicum in it. They also put capsicum in the Basmati rice which, at least, ensured that I wouldn’t eat much of it. Yeah, capsicum. I’m not a fan. Unless it’s roasted, doused with olive oil and sprinkled with rock salt.

And then we got to talking to a man at the table next to us. Rakesh turned out to be the owner of the resort/restaurant and he was having lunch with his in-laws and his son. When their food arrived, he offered us a taste of “typical Indian food”. It turned out to be chole (chick peas curry) bhature (fried bread), which I had in Mumbai with Alan. Rakesh told us that he only cooked it once a month because it was too heavy.

Chole, on the left, and bhature, on the right.

It was delicious and totally saved the afternoon.

Of course, the glutton in me didn’t find it heavy at all. He should try that beef burger I devoured in Bangalore. It had two patties stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, with an extra topping of bacon. Now, THAT is heavy. Yum.

That’s half of the burger called Juicy Lucy from Plan B in Bangalore.

4:30 PM – Monica and I headed back to school to try the Kundalini meditation. It was led by a German guy who informed us that we would be doing an Osho “active mediation”. It was broken down into four parts: Part 1: Shaking (15 minutes, to music); Part 2: Dancing (15 minutes, to music); Part 3: Sitting (15 minutes, to music); Part 4: Lying Down (15 minutes, to silence, ended by a gong).

All-righty then.

(I am open-minded and will not judge. I am open-minded and will not judge. I am open-minded and will not judge.)

Well, the shaking and dancing should count as some form of exercise.

6:00 PM – It occurred to me this morning that I may be dehydrated. I confirmed it tonight. I bought a 5-liter water bottle when I arrived last Friday and only had to return the bottle to the store now. I must have had only 7 liters in 5 days, and that is already a generous estimate. That’s 1.4 liters a day. According to the Mayo Clinic website: “The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.”

Wikepedia says it’s 2.7 liters.

While they do say that the actual amount varies from individual to individual, 1.4 liters is still not enough. Not for India, and not with all the massages we’ve been doing. I should be tripling my water intake and take up permanent residence in a toilet.

9:00 PM – 100 jumping jacks and one more set of those exercises. Will slowly work my way up to three sets of each exercise but am too lazy right now.