Day 9 - Tuesday/Mangalwar - Are We Sitting Uncomfortably?

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I woke up at 7:45, as late as possible before the morning yoga session - the girls have the worst of it, yoga at 7am! Afterwards I skipped breakfast as I had booked myself a treatment the previous day after my massage . . . an enema . . . it was certainly an experience . . .



I went to the small room where the treatment would take place. I lay on a small wooden bench, and was asked by the therapist to lower my shorts and part my cheeks, which I nervously did, ant to try to relax, which I tried to do, although the anticipation of what was coming next wasn't exactly condusive to relaxation . . . The therapist then inserted a small yet uncomfortable plastic nozzle, before opening a tap on a small siphon and telling me to breath short quick breaths, as my colon filled with warm water. After about 30 seconds, the feeling went from "odd" to "decidedly uncomfortable" and I was told to quickly sit on the nearby w.c. Cue what felt like a flush being pulled, as warm water gushed out. I sat there for 2 to 3 minutes until I was sure everything was out, then cleaned myself up (without toilet paper - god I love india!) and headed back towards my room.

About half way back, I realised I must've only got half of the "water" out, and increased my pace, with clenched buttocks - much to the amusement of Louise and Carly, watching me mince across the courtyard from the dining room! I got to the toilet - thank heavens it was a western one and not one of the delightful Indian squat toilets - and REALLY emptied.



I felt a lot better, refreshed and cleansed afterwards though, and for the next few days my skin was clearer. I returned to my room, and read for a little while, before our laundry, given in after the trek, was brought back from the wash. It amused everyone to find that each item had a little cotton tag attatched to it by a piece of thread - and the socks were done this way individually! I have to hand it to them, they hadn't lost a single one, and considering they'd done 13 people's washing, that's some feat!

After another inedible lunch - and I was later told I shouldn't have been eating for a few hours after my treatrment anyway - I went into town and emailed home. It took ages to sort out my contacts into a list with Hotmail, then had to split the list as you can't email over 50 people at once (I have a lot of people wanting updates!) and compose a mass email to everyone back home - in all took me me two hours! I had lunch of pizza, again, then and walked back. I read a bit more, repacked my bags, did the afternoon yoga session and then went to the evening prayer session at the Swami's hut.

Twenty of us crowded the small room, while he and his assistant chanted for an hour around a fire in a small granite pot. It was a very calming experience the smell of burning wood and incense filling the air and the firelight flickering the shadows on the walls. We all received an indian sweet, a kind of sweet rice ball, which we ate before heading for dinner.

After eating very little, Keith and I headed into town and met the English girls in the pizza parlour, where we had a little of their pizzas (they'd ordered loads and opverfaced themselves) before going to the Krishna Hotel for beers. I had Kingfisher Premium - 650ml, 8%!a(MISSING)bv, for a quid!

We drank the beers quickly - by the time we'd arrived and been served it was 8:30 - so were feeling the effect of that one strong beer in the autorickshaw home. We arrived back at the Ashram at 9:10, convinced we'd have to scale the walls, but the guard smiled and opened the gates for us. We chatted to a cockney Indian and an Israeli girl playing chess, before heading to bed.

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