Ulpotha - Back to life, Back to reality

I know that many people use the term "Back to life, Back to reality" when they return from a   vacation. I am one of them! Going to Ulpotha had the exact opposite effect on me this vacation around...

On arrival I was transported back to my childhood. I walked into Kade Hut (breakfast hut) and the smell of the coal fire reminded me of trips we used to take to the Free State to visit my granny. The smell reminded me of early morning family breakfast in that big old kitchen. It smelt like home 

Kade Hut

Taking a trip with a crazy best friend, meant the arrival was slightly blurry due to too much bubbly in-flight but that didn't stop that childhood memory from seeping into my consciousness.

We were shown to our mud hut by the lovely retreat manager Suzi. (Btw, she reminds me so much of my Aunt Lydia (Lala) that I had even more child likeness resonate with me during the stay.) 

The first 2 days were a blur. It's amazing how much sleep one can actually accomplish when you're not distracted by social media, phones, emails and all the other nik-naks going on in daily life. I woke up to eat lunch and dinner and slept some more. It rained terribly so I kept warm with a nice book in bed. 

A cozy little mud hut for 2 

  

Brain food

Inside the mud hut

Some exploring around the retreat showed me all the natural ways in which Ulpotha was built. Everything was grown and built with the land not bulldozing down nature to make way for anything artificial. Yes, I even showered in the open air! The genius little cold jungle shower took some getting used to but boy did it feel good.The water felt cleaner and more pure than even the bottled water I drink on a daily basis in Dubai.

It's not a tree, it's a shower! Brrrrr!!!

I signed up for 3 day Ayuverda treatment. What is that you ask? Trust me when I say, your local spa is doing it wrong! No it doesn't just involve rubbing your head with some hot oils and dripping hot oils over your body. It's actually way more awesome than that. The main aim of Ayuverda is to balance the body's energy and thereby promoting general heath and well-being. Ayurveda is made of two Sanskrit words: Ayur which means life and veda which means knowledge. According to the Charaka Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedia text, Ayu or life is made up of body, mind, senses and soul.The resident Doc Srilal starts with a one-to-one consultation to identify your dosha. Your treatment then starts based on this. (Apparently I'm Pitta-Vata. I've since Googled it to find more info. Pitta - fiery/fire and Vata - closest of the 3 doshas to pure consciousness.) I had a good giggle when the Doc asked me if I was ill coz my pulse was so slow. Clearly I know how to be calm and switched off. My pulse was so low he checked it the next day again and said "Ok, you really know how to be calm"  

On a side note, I started writing this by lantern and a huge full moon! 

We did an early morning hike up to one of the hills surrounding Ulpotha and that was probably my best day there! Never thought I'd say that on a day that started at 5:30am. My war wounds from the tiny branches were the least of my worries as we trekked up the hill. Actually my tummy bug should have been but I told myself I was cured from my hands on Reiki I did after having some spicy local remedy. Note to self: take water on hike the morning after recovery from a tummy bug!

Got back from the hike and it was time to get ready for my first Ayurveda treatment. 2 hours of massages and treatments and steam baths!!!!! Yes please! My 3 day treatment was made up of a combination of:

• Abyanga: Oil application for the first layer of the body
• Angamarda Abyanga: A deeper oil application for the second layer of the body
• Pattu: Application of a detoxifying herbal paste on the body – though this does not involve oil, it is an important step in the process of opening the pores of the body to facilitate detoxification

After my day 1 treatment, I walked out and was immediately met by my massage therapist Laura. She does the most AMAZING Ka Huna massage. I personally have never heard of this massage technique but believe me when I say, it was the best message I ever had anywhere in the world!! And I've racked up my fair share of massages in various countries over the years. I connected so well during the massage that I had all these ideas rushing into my head on various healing techniques. I have the draft of what looks like a Reiki Chakra Balancing Massage in my head to be tested soon. She had this energy about her and even the music playing had a message "Get back to your inner child. Get back to nature. Embrace who you really are" Ok, so those were not the exact lyrics but that's the message I got. And I'm lying there, naked in this jungle hut, thinking to myself "How am I so connected to this experience" Turns out Laura is a very gifted Angel card reader as well! So I immediately signed up for a another massage before my flight with a reading included :) 

We took a half day trip to Hatikuchi - Elephant Belly which is an area of ruins, crystals and caves. I saw a reclining Buddha, ruins of old Ayurveda area and stood on quartz crystals. This all happened before we climbed 100 stairs to get up a hill and see the sun set on 1 side and the full moon rise on the other. Talk about getting high on life. Suzi was our tour guide and she had a thing for the area with the crystals ruins. And this is why we love Suzi...among her many other awesome qualities. 

The awesome Suzi! xoxo

I should probably mention that Ulpotha is a yoga retreat. No I did not do any yoga whilst there and no I do not feel bad about it. The great thing about Ulpotha is you get told what time class is and what time meals are, what you do with your time is up to you. I read 2 books in less than a week. I still have 2 half read books next to my bed at home. I slept, I did Reiki on myself, I listened to the rain, I got grounded and I cleared my mind completely from all the white noise. Lying on a swing bed, listening to Reiki music and meditating = BLISS on many levels of my being! And what made it so great was travelling with Martyna. We both did our own thing and we did things together. We're both very open minded thinkers and we're both on this healing path, albeit different modalities. We don't try to convince others about what we believe in but we get totally excited about it with each other. Yeah, we party in Dubai, sometimes pretty hard but this silent time together was awesome and it strengthened our bond....at least that's what I think! 

Our final night in Ulpotha was brilliant! From the moment I walked around the place, I kept thinking "Bond fire" in my head. Guess what happened the last night?! Yep, Bond Fire!! My manifestation was way better than Martyna's btw. She kept looking for spiders, so they kept climbing into her cupboard! Haha! As Yoda would say "The force is strong with this one", I'm saying "The magic is strong at Ulpotha"

So there you have it, if you want to go get lost in nature in order to ground and find your true self again, head to Ulpotha...and have the dhal! Namaste!

Bond fire time...one side was grass to sit on &

the other a flat rock to dance on with a big full moon in the sky