Friday, 18th January

Like children under the Christmas tree!

...or that's how the therapists behave in the morning when the flower lady appears. In the morning before 7.30 am, she collects blossoms throughout the whole complex with her large plastic bucket. Then, with great anticipation from the blue-clad therapists, she brings them to the hospital and empties them into a woven, flat basket. Then it starts; the little feet shuffle (just like the Indians do when they DON'T wear flip-flops!) and at the speed of a little competition, they race to the basket, dip their hands, sort, inspect, put back, snatch the raisins. All accompanied by an almost childlike giggling. The daily morning procedure in the hustle and bustle of the hospital.

And whoever gets there first, of course, gets the most beautiful flowers for the offering to the gods in the treatment rooms. They all have a small shrine with an image of a deity, an oil lamp, an elongated, decorated wooden box with incense sticks, and a small vase for the fresh flower splendour! Only when all of this is arranged and a short prayer is spoken, the setting up and preparation of the respective treatments begins. For me, it requires, as I became aware of today for the first time, almost a checklist so that Ajjitha doesn't forget anything: sing a short mantra at the beginning of each therapy session - sit down and oil and massage briefly - sprinkle and rub brown powder on the highest point of the head - fasten a headscarf - place a massage mat on the monster table - cover it with a towel - put another thin cloth on top - place a neck pillow under everything - pull out the step stool from under the table - put a cloth on it so I don't slip on the oily slippers - continue massaging on both sides while lying down - cover me with a thin cloth - release water in the integrated bathroom - heat it up - sprinkle herbal powder - select another bowl, cover it with a thin cloth, and put the 4 large herbal stamps on it - boil it - then perform the stamp massage - then apply a face mask, cleanse - administer nasal drops - mix herbal potion for eye cleansing - spread potion on eyes and wipe off the rest - rub my numb shinbone with special oil - cover myself completely with a terry cloth and then lie like that for a few minutes - in the meantime, peel and chew a hand-sized sugarcane (not me!) - then I have to get down from the table - remove the mat - lie back on the table - pour hot water from two copper jugs over me - dry off - prepare inhalation - wait until I stick my head out from under the cloth and am finished - mix brown powder with oil again on my head - tie a new cloth around the head (the old one fell off due to constant repositioning) - tie on a red wrap therapy dress - and bye. See you tomorrow!

Phew, you can see how exhausting this job is. And they do it up to 4 times a day per therapist. And they never lose their smile and always have a mischievous look on their faces. Simply admirable and great. When I think of the grim faces in Switzerland... and they earn soooooo much less than we do. And they are just happy to have a job. Ajitha for 19 years. In the same hotel!

I've been wanting to tell you about that for a long time. You can't imagine how beautiful the butterflies are here. Unbelievable! Although they fly around here in a calm, leisurely OM garden infused with yoga, BUT they are so nervous! Maybe it's because of the overdose of colourful beauties to flutter around! I have no idea. But you can't take pictures of these beauties. So the image of the colourful butterfly that was fluttering in front of the treatment room today was taken from the internet. Sorry.

So, now I'm going to the library with another 500-page book that I've finished reading and I'm going to choose a new reading experience. If I could sleep better, the books would last a bit longer too! Grrrr. But the sleeping pill is supposed to 'normalize the sleep rhythm' for me in the next few days and accordingly, being a herbal medicine of the bitterest quality (!!!), it didn't have the hoped-for 'snip your fingers and sleep' effect! Unfortunately... Maybe I shouldn't worry about changing rooms. It does, I admit, weigh heavily on my mental relaxation here at the hotel. And as if I had anticipated it, today I received the news that I really have to change rooms on the 20th. So, letting go of the matter, OM, and letting it happen just didn't help, OM, and hoping that it will turn out for the best, OM!

Why do I have to change? Because other guests have already reserved it. They could have informed me about that when I arrived. That's true. There's nothing to complain about. I also agree. And yet I clearly said that I don't want to see my new room for the next 2 weeks (at least!!) in a 'row family house' room without privacy and without the beautiful plants (which offer not only a sight but also sun protection!), but rather expect the same type of bungalow and therefore want to see the room beforehand! And that it will make me very, very, yes really very unhappy for the next 2 weeks! It is! Isn't it? Well, she will contact me again. And I will tell you again about my move... sniff!

By the way, I had to wait 45 minutes today until I had the consultation. The doctor didn't come at all and then the young substitute doctor was not used to the order and examined other guests before me. In addition, Ajitha was also running late and the doctors always want to see the therapist after the consultation to discuss today's treatment with them. Today there was actually a change: the stamping was replaced by a rubbing! Smile. Maybe I deserved it... Smile. No, this brown, granular, and slightly muddy mass was applied intensively to my body and is supposed to help with blood circulation and thus with detoxification. Well then! It can't hurt. So bring it on! Hihihi.
By the way, I was sitting there at 7.30 am as the first, because today I wanted to try to finish the treatment before 10 am. That way, I could have gone into meditation for the first time... But no! I was only finished at 10.30 am... But I will definitely try again tomorrow.