Detox week

This Christmas season Joyce and I decided to meet up so that we could spend it together since we would be missing our family festivities. Since Joyce is heading back to Toronto after 11 months of travelling she was looking to do a detox retreat and asked if I’d be interested. I jumped on board since daily yoga, open rooms and a chance to try raw vegan food sounded like a cool experience.

We booked a 7-day, 6-night Deep Nature Cleanse programme at Bahay Kalipay on Palawan Island, Philippines. In addition to the raw meals, snacks and supplements, there were various activities you could join in on throughout the day. Joyce and I took full advantage of the daily yoga and tried to keep an open mind when trying thai chi and guided meditation with the resident monk. I think it is safe to say that mediation (for 2.5 hours) is not my forte. Joyce admitted to thinking about her to-do list while I was trying my hardest not to fall asleep. The space and the people were lovely but we ended up spending a lot of our time hiding in our beds under the nets to get away from the unrelenting mosquitos.

With the not-so-great experiences like the bugs, meditation and the colonic, came highlights including 2 raw food demonstrations where we made desserts, unlimited coconuts and a day trip the beach. It was great having a partner in crime as we were on the exact same page about what we enjoyed and what we thought was a little too "out there". While we may not be cut out for this kind of thing but we definitely had our own fun and made pile of great memories.

Here we go!

The welcome kit that included a sheet, luffa, supplements and bio-degradable soap. 

Our beds and our life saving mosquito nets.

View from our room.

Where we had daily yoga and meditation. 

One of multiple meditation areas. 

Bucket and pail shower system. 

Our favourite meal of the day. Fresh fruit with raw cacao for breakfast. Lunch and dinner usually consisted of jicama, lettuce, carrots and cucumber with some sort of dressing. It was tasty for the first few days but as the group grew larger, the kitchen seemed slightly overwhelmed and would make the same thing for both meals which was slightly disappointing. All in all, I was surprised I wasn't hungry but still found myself craving rice and fresh fish.    

Team effort in making raw chocolate cake. Some of the desserts were tasty but I still look forward to returning to my oven after a 8 month hiatus. 

Me feeling desperate for a hot shower and real shampoo.