dare i say it???...

but i think i'm over the worst of the belly ailment, at least for the time being. i'm being ultra vigilant from now on and have had brekky at Alia's the past 2 days...a cafe/ guesthouse with a very clean kitchen and mostly a western menu...

no nasty surprises before practise this morning, so i was feeling a little stronger, but a little less flexy than all this week. I'd slept heaps so that might've contributed? Glad to have had 5 practises in a row, with tomorrow = Friday being a lead class. The Badger cream worked wonders, though it wasn't fully worked into my muscles, or that's just the way it is, coz I was badger slippery during my practise. Nice for Garbha Pindasana, but not so good for Marichyasana C or D, or Kurmasana...

I finished about the same time as Lee and Natalie. Lee's a Brit, who's been around a lot, Natalie's an American girl...and they live in the Baha, in Mexico. Lee's an ultra chatty bloke (or maybe I'm unusually unchatty?). Sounds like a pretty good life in Baha, lots of sunshine and warm weather, and surf. They're right into basic whole, raw foods. They gave me a bit of a rundown on the Primal Diet...sounds a bit extreme for me, but there are elements that I might take on board.

I checked out their place, one street further back from the Shala from mine. It's in a huge 3 level house/ apartment block. They're paying 15k Rs, like me, but they're moving up to the top flat with a huge balcony and really nice apartment. They're renting through Shiva as well, I think they talked a better deal than me.

We then went along to Alia's for a mid morning breakfast. I had a small chai yesterday, which was pretty large, so I ordered the large, which is huge, and really tasty...no coffee, which I might continue for a bit. At the same table was Hanuman, a young German guy, who'd lived around a lot. Hanuman's a Hindu, he was there with a German girl, who was doing the same yoga teacher training course nearby...then Lars showed up, who I met for the first time. Lars is practising at the Shala as well. A girl was with him, I didn't get her name...and Carol we'd arranged to meet there as well.

Lee had an interesting story about being arrested in Thailand for burning down a house, by accident...we then talked a bit about philosophy and other stuff. Lee and Natalie seem to be open to any idea, with a healthy goal in mind. Lee was DJ'ing for 10 years and had somehow reached a point where that was enough. I get the idea that he was getting into a bit of yoga, which didn't go along with the DJ lifestyle and he went the way of yoga.

I haven't yet met Alia, but Bruno's her partner, I think, who serves tables and keeps everything organised...including leaving my sunnies out on the table, which I'd left the day before and was grateful to pick up again today. He remembered my name, which is always a nice touch....something I appreciate moreso because I suck at it!

We were at breakfast til midday, which is such a nice way to spend a good chunk of the day.

I did some washing, then I'd arranged for Manju to pick me up in his rickshaw...I decided i needed some supplies...so, off to Loyal World, of course. A supermarket within about a 5 minute drive of the Shala. There's ultra tight security at Loyal World, I'm not exactly sure why. There were about 4 security guards there...it's arranged like a western supermarket and it was more of a recon effort for me, to see what I could get there. I picked up some easy noodle meals and some tea...tomorrow i think i might head back for something to discourage the overzealous ants that have taken up residence, or at least spend a lot of time, at my unit.

Tomorrow, a lead practise at 5