Stunning Views from Vikasa
After the retreat ended, four of us zipped over to the Thai island of Ko Samui to relax a bit and get some work done before heading back to our regularly scheduled lives. We stayed one extra night at the Alisea hotel, and then hopped on the plane to Ko Samui. And there, we had some interesting adventures.
My New Favorite Place - Vikasa
The sun on the water is mesmerizing
The view from inside the yoga sala when you are practicing
The view from the yoga sala when standing behind the railway
Yoga at Vikasa's Big Sala
My yogini/pilates friend Amber brought me over to her “happy yoga place” on the island shortly after we arrived, and it instantly became my new favorite spot in the universe. I went at least once a day during my 10 days in Samui, and enjoyed every single time. It is such a magical place, and I hope to come back and actually stay there one day.
The views from Vikasa were simply stunning; they were the most impressive I experienced on the island. To get to the yoga salas, you have to descend over 100 steps down to the ocean. Because of that, you get to practice yoga while listening to the enchanting song of the waves crashing, birds singing and insects buzzing in the outdoor hut every day. Wow.
The views from Vikasa were simply stunning; they were the most impressive I experienced on the island. To get to the yoga salas, you have to descend over 100 steps down to the ocean. Because of that, you get to practice yoga while listening to the enchanting song of the waves crashing, birds singing and insects buzzing in the outdoor hut every day. Wow.
Good Eats, Great Treats
Vikasa Life Cafe
Chia pudding with banana and chocolate from Vikasa
My staple meal at The Spa - vegetable fried rice and a coconut
I didn't have the courage to eat here... I suppose you should be careful what you order though.
In addition to the yoga, Vikasa runs my favorite food establishment on the island. They offer brunch buffet after the morning yoga class and dinner buffet, so you can work up an appetite and then satisfy it with raw salads and greens, delicious cooked vegan and veggie dishes, sliced fresh fruits and yummy teas and smoothies. They serve made-to-order meals all day as well. Did I mention I love this place?
When I wasn’t eating at Vikasa, I usually headed to The Spa, with lower prices and more raw options for my friends to eat, and for me to try. Yeah, clever name, right? It really is their name, though; I checked. They had a better menu and prices, but no buffet option. I alternated here between trying raw salads and sauces and my $5 staple of “veggie fried rice and a coconut to drink.” They keep the coconuts on ice, then hack the top off and stick a straw in when you order it. Delicious refreshingness.
When I wasn’t eating at Vikasa, I usually headed to The Spa, with lower prices and more raw options for my friends to eat, and for me to try. Yeah, clever name, right? It really is their name, though; I checked. They had a better menu and prices, but no buffet option. I alternated here between trying raw salads and sauces and my $5 staple of “veggie fried rice and a coconut to drink.” They keep the coconuts on ice, then hack the top off and stick a straw in when you order it. Delicious refreshingness.
Motorbike adventures
Recessed lounge inside the infinity pool at the W hotel
T-Rex at dinosaur park on top of the mountain
I spent well over half my free time in either Vikasa or The Spa, eating and/or coworking with my friends. However, I did get a screaming deal on a motorbike rental for a cool five bucks a day, so I took advantage of that too for some solo adventures. I put-put-putted up-up-up to the top of a couple of mountains to gawk at the views. Frankly, though, the views from Vikasa were better. I did get to play with some cool dinosaur statues on the top of one mountain, though, and strike up an intriguing conversation with an Australian nurse practitioner and mum-of-four.
Heavenly Kitties
Fabiano and friend at The Spa
My Stress-Relief Companion at the hostel
My hostel, as well as The Spa, had resident domesticated cats that were allowed to roam free, so I got to enjoy some quality snuggly kitty time, as did my friend Fabiano, who was also part of the retreat. The hostel kitty absolutely helped decrease my stress level several times when I was having a hard day and she would pad up to me begging for scritches and scratches and caresses.
Work-Life Balance
Red Temple
Entrance guardians at Red Temple
Statue behind red temple
I took two weeks off of all of my jobs to attend the retreat, so I came back to a mammoth mountain of heaps and heaps “to-do’s” and “oops’s” and “oh my God’s.” I was expecting such to happen, and it certainly did, and I stressed and suffered for it, but I have to admit it’s nothing like coming back from 2 weeks of vacation when I was a Nurse Practitioner. Compared to that, I have nothing to complain about. And I won’t.
I do want to say a few words about my new business relationship with Daniel, one of the other retreat-goers. Daniel and I were both burning brightly with passion for this new project we were undertaking together, and threw ourselves into overdrive to prove how valuable we could be to the company. I sent hundreds of emails, and made dozens of phone calls, all over the world, to get people into month-long yoga retreats at $4,000-6,000 a pop. I got up early. I stayed up late. I really wanted this to work, because I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it was going to fill an income gap I was experiencing and allow me to make a difference in the world.
And then it all came crashing down.
I do want to say a few words about my new business relationship with Daniel, one of the other retreat-goers. Daniel and I were both burning brightly with passion for this new project we were undertaking together, and threw ourselves into overdrive to prove how valuable we could be to the company. I sent hundreds of emails, and made dozens of phone calls, all over the world, to get people into month-long yoga retreats at $4,000-6,000 a pop. I got up early. I stayed up late. I really wanted this to work, because I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it was going to fill an income gap I was experiencing and allow me to make a difference in the world.
And then it all came crashing down.
Shrine at Vikasa
Infinity pool overlooking the ocean at Vikasa
Jade something something Wat (main building, side view)
Jade something something Wat (side building, front view)
These guys creeped me out. I put some money in the well-protected bucket, and the scary fat-Buddha baby started bellowing at me along with blaringly loud music.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really. It was essentially a personality difference between Daniel and the owner/founder of the yoga studio collective we were working for. It became clear within a week that they were incompatible business-wise. So Daniel cut himself free, pulled the plug, pulled out the rug, disconnected, extricated, liberated, or whatever word you want to use. And I followed him. I technically could have stayed on and worked for the yoga collective without him, but I would have had to re-negotiate everything from scratch, and I had no interest in that. I was disappointed, but my heart had come to the same conclusion two days before Daniel ended involvement with them, so I jumped ship as well.
I know in my heart it was the right decision, but… damn. It isn’t exactly regret, or even disappointment. Chagrin, maybe? Yeah, that’s it. I feel chagrined.
The upside is that Daniel and I learned that we work fantabulously well together, and are already plotting for future cooperations. It didn’t last long, but we both had fun and ironed out our expectations on what it would look like to work together on things. Stay tuned for more!
I know in my heart it was the right decision, but… damn. It isn’t exactly regret, or even disappointment. Chagrin, maybe? Yeah, that’s it. I feel chagrined.
The upside is that Daniel and I learned that we work fantabulously well together, and are already plotting for future cooperations. It didn’t last long, but we both had fun and ironed out our expectations on what it would look like to work together on things. Stay tuned for more!
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