Life in the Fast Lane

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! I hope 2007 is full of health and happiness for you!

Greetings from sunny Thailand, where I have now been for the last 4 days with my sister. We are staying on the island of Koh Samui, which is located in the southeast part of the country (and was not touched by the tsunami two years ago.) It rained the first day, but has been sunny, warm, and surprisingly not humid since.

I guess you could say that we're having a different kind of vacation here. Instead of backpacking, sightseeing, and partying, we are detoxing. The place we're staying at is kind of a new-agey health resort known for its fasting programs and vegetarian food. This is our 3rd day of fasting (out of 6) and I have to say I feel pretty good. It's definitely the first time in my life I have gone without food for this long, but it's actually pretty good to give your body a break from eating once in a while (as I'm learning!) I should clarify that I am not eating any SOLID food. We have these specially-made detox drinks 5x a day, and we are allowed two cups of vegetable broth, 2 coconuts full of coconut water, and 1 carrot juice a day, so we actually feel pretty full most of the time.

I thought I'd be pretty cranky because that's how I usually get when I don't eat... but so far, so good. I was also a little concerned about how this would fly, being with my sister 24/7 (as many of you know, fighting is just a healthy part of our relationship) but I am happy to announce that we are both behaving maturely. OK... a few semi-heated discussions but no hair-pulling or anything. Maybe we are too relaxed to argue. At least, not yet! We are also doing 2 colon cleanses a day (by which means I will spare you the details..) so it really IS quite a sister bonding experience...

Being Thailand, everything is quite cheap here, especially the accommodation (our own private bungalow just steps from the beach.) The resort also has Thai massage (we've been getting our share at 8 dollars an hour) and meditation and yoga, etc. I have to say that it was really nice to wake up on New Year's Day completely sober for a change. There were some nice New Year fireworks on the beach, but we just spent a quiet night in at the resort. We're hoping to do some sightseeing after we finish our fast and before we head back to Japan... Unfortunately, our day here is so scheduled with detox drinks and cleanses that it's hard to break away from the resort for long. It's actually really nice to just have an excuse to stay in one place for a change and really, really relax.

Will post again (maybe some pics) after I return to Japan. Wishing all of you all the best in this new year!