Don Curry under the spell of Ayurveda

Don Curry actually feels fit. Joints, muscles, the entire musculoskeletal system - everything works without noticeable complaints. Certainly, Don Curry still avoids any kind of sports activities, but he is well equipped for walking, climbing stairs, and occasional hiking. However, on this day Don Curry would come to realize the hidden muscles in his body.

The day's program started with an extensive Jeep tour through the mountain landscape around Thekkady, after the obligatory visit to the breakfast buffet. A total of 8 vehicles were ready to accommodate the entire group. Initially, they headed to two viewing points on the edge of Periyar National Park, driving over bumpy tracks that taught the gluteal muscles to fear. Then, they made stops at the extensive tea plantations, where they could even observe some tea pickers from a distance.

The result of their work was honored at the Connemara Tea Factory, where amidst constant noise, a single woman had to push masses of freshly harvested tea leaves into the processing machinery. At the end of the otherwise fully automatic process, the initially green leaves had turned into black tea powder.

The next stop was the classic tourist elephant ride: 5 animals walked all day in a 15-minute circular path through a small forest area, carrying 3 tourists each on their backs. Actually, Don Curry does not appreciate this kind of commercial exploitation of animals at all, but the chance to be close to one of these mighty pachyderms again outweighed his moral concerns. So, he took a seat on Morty the female elephant's back and could repeatedly stroke her rough, thick skin and wiry hairs. Sitting on the broad elephant's back also proved to be an ideal test of the flexibility of his own limbs. Morty leisurely completed her round, and Don Curry and his two companions were captured on numerous cameras and smartphones.

The touristic journey continued: the small town of Thekkady has dozens of spice shops, as in this area, besides tea and coffee, many spice plants thrive splendidly, especially pepper and cardamom. Don Curry stocked up on enough spices in one of the shops.

As the final point of the day, the entire group was scheduled for a one-hour Ayurvedic massage each. Don Curry had never experienced this kind of body experience before, but he bravely accepted his fate. An especially small yet strong young Indian named Anou took care of him, led him into a small massage room, and first asked him to undress completely. Then he tied a kind of paper loincloth around Don Curry's hips and asked him to sit on a chair. Even before Don Curry had a clue of what was to come, Anou poured a lot of oil onto his head, generously distributing it in Don Curry's hairstyle, and started with a thorough head massage. Anou demanded a lot from him, from gently massaging the oil into his scalp to strong blows with an open hand and fist, and even pulling his hair.

After that, he was allowed to lie face down on a bed. Now, Anou was in his element. First, he heated up more oil, presumably enriched with cardamom, and generously dropped hot oil onto various points on Don Curry's back and legs. Don Curry even sensed a slight sizzling of his skin, presumably singed. Then, he used various massage techniques, from gentle strokes to tapping, pressing, and firm squeezing of individual muscle strands. At times, Don Curry felt like a mighty bread dough that needed to be kneaded properly. Then, he felt like a tablecloth in a hot mangle that needed to be stretched and rid of wrinkles. Anou even seemed to struggle as he apparently tried to pull Don Curry's calf muscles apart or even shift them towards his shoulders. Then, he tickled Don Curry's soles intensively and quickly reshaped Don Curry's entire body from the palm of the hand to the feet in a single long movement. The only uncomfortable part for Don Curry was the stretching of the outer toe joints until they began to crack.

After being asked to lie on his back, Don Curry underwent an almost identical process on his front side. Fresh cardamom oil was constantly poured onto him until Don Curry was dripping with oil from head to toe. Anou even intertwined one of his hands with one of Don Curry's and bent his fingers in all possible directions, pulling hard on the fingertips until they cracked under the pressure. Finally, Anou also massaged Don Curry's face. Cold oil was used here, and Anou handled the numerous facial muscles rather gently; even the eyelids were gently massaged one by one.

In the end, Don Curry could perceive his body much more intensely than before. All muscles emitted an inner warmth, the joints felt more supple, and the skin gleamed with oil. But that had to be changed. Don Curry's body was meticulously wiped free of the oil with a rough cloth - another form of massage. Within 60 minutes, Don Curry became aware of muscles in his body that he had never even suspected existed. Although not every part of the procedure was truly pleasant, in the end, Don Curry experienced a unique blend of pleasant tiredness and invigorating freshness. As a final touch, Anou sprinkled a significant amount of greenish-yellow cardamom powder on Don Curry's head, and he was finally released.

The remains of the cardamom oil were allowed to penetrate his skin for another two hours before he could finally shower, go to the dinner buffet, and then sleep as relaxed as he had not for a long time...