1st August 2015

Come morning, I was still feeling out of sorts from the reiki session I’d had the evening before.

However, I’d been invited to do a morning yoga class with the Venezuelan therapist/yogini at La Sirena and my Dutch friend and I sauntered along the beach to stretch it out.

She was still feeling marvellous after her reiki experience, the lucky girl!

The yoga studio was a large thatched hut with one wall and pillars propping up the corners. The beach, the sea and its crashing waves were your vista. Palms with the odd hammock and swing hanging from the branches completed the picture.

The sound of the sea, singing of the birds, rustling leaves of the palms all added to the spiritual effect of the place. Who needed a calming, meditating CD when they had the real deal in front of them.

I seriously couldn’t think of anywhere better to practice yoga.

Our class that morning was to open our hearts (and I guess our wombs ;-)), in deference to my wish to stay ‘open’.

Sun salutations, downward dog, warriors 1 and 2, pigeon poses and the most needed jathara parivartanasana sorted some of my equilibrium out.

I felt emotionally stronger but also felt very quiet, like I wanted everything and everyone around me to shush and stay in hush mode.

Yoga is the perfect way to start the day off when you have nothing to do other than chill by the pool or in a hammock swinging between the trees, reading.

Unfortunately my Dutch friend had to head off and in my present quiet mood I was nervous about meeting new people again. My natural timidity and shyness were showing too much of their faces and I wasn’t sure I had any small talk in me to network with different people.

I needn’t have worried.

That evening I propped up the Dreamer bar and chatted to the Australian and English bar ladies. They had arrived in Palomino, adored it and took jobs so they could stay for as long as possible.

The English girl however was leaving soon as she had picked up a job teaching English in Medellin, and one of the Australians was in turmoil over whether she should actually go on her planned tour to Machu Picchu as she loved it in Palomino so much – it was actually like she was leaving a lover such were the extent of her feelings for the place.

As I debated what to eat (burger with the works), an Irish couple came and sat by me and like Irish people all over the world, they were friendly, chatty, warm and full of fun.

The pull of their personalities mixed with the ‘tormented’ Australian girl’s vivacious personality and the fantastic hostel manager’s customer-friendly abilities, drew a crowd and a beer pong competition soon ensued.

Gone was the 18-30s vibe that had filled me with disdain when I first arrived at the hostel. It had now been replaced by 30-40 year olds’ childish excitement.  You never grow up! 🙂

It was brilliant to observe everyone.  I didn’t feel the need to join in although all the huge personalities, slowly getting drunk, wanted me to, as extroverts always do.  My introverted self was very happy to watch and sit on the sidelines.

I left everyone to it, said hello to my resident frog who liked to spend the night in my veranda foot bath, and flicked my gecko’s poo off my bedding again.  Nature everywhere. I loved it. :-).