Wayanad to Palakkad – breakfast till lunch. It was a great plan but India got in the way. The road we were going to take was closed (don’t know why) so we had to take a detour over the mountains of Tamil Nadu. The drive was beautiful but very slow and we arrived at our destination two hours late. My new favorite saying, together with a shrug, is “this is India!” Another opportunity to use my new favorite saying: the electricity has gone out six times while I have been trying to post this blog. It gives new meaning to the warning – save your work frequently!

The Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort is my home for two days. It is stunning – small buildings set in perfectly manicured lawns and gardens. I’ll take and post a few photos tomorrow as it’s evening now. The resort is set up for folks to spend 7, 14 or 21 days here working on cleanses so some of the benefits are lost on my group.

For example, we have a two-hour window to wander and enjoy the resort tomorrow morning, perhaps have a massage. Perhaps. First you must have a consultation with the Ayurvedic doctor who will tell you which massage to have. And even if the consultation and massage can be accommodated within our time constraint, there are 21 of us, and I would be very surprised if there were 21 masseuses waiting in the wings. But who knows? This is India.

The information package in my room contains the following warnings:

While undergoing treatment don’t do the following:
– continuous reading
– continuously watching T.V.
– strenuous Exercises.
– swimming
– daytime sleep
– cold items (soft drinks, ice water, refrigerated fruits, etc.)
– non-vegetarian food
– alcohol and smoking
– sitting under the hot sun.
– talking loudly
– staying awake after 10:30 pm

Can you imagine not talking loudly for 21 days?!! I am being a tad disrespectful here. After our lecture tomorrow morning on Ayurvedic medicine I may well change my tune! But in the meantime it is approaching 10:30 pm …