Splendour Country

So, after a long 12 day event with a 4 day kids camp Ambassadors for Children came to an end and we were itching for a BREAK!
So Mary T, Christa and I checked ourselves into the Splendour Country resort on the recommendation from our manager CL. We were told that it was beautiful and quiet and that’s about it – but it was enough for us. We hired a driver and headed out in the morning. It took about an hour and a half to get there, but it was a great drive through the city to parts I’ve never seen before and through the countryside. It was so gorgeous and green everywhere it was great. I think Mary T – who is from Ireland appreciated the green rolling hills more than anyone.
We drove past a dam and on the other side was this huge lake with some houses and other hotels littered along the hills. Our driver dropped us off and we checked out the grounds…incredible! The resort was built on the side of big hill and all around were these gorgeous mountains. There were a ton of steps leading down to the pool and dining area, which made the hike between our cottage and the pool seem like climbing the Himalayas but we survived. The pool was an infinity pool, the kind with no edge so it looks like you’re swimming in the ocean. In our case it looked like you were swimming out into mountains but it was still tons and tons of fun. The resort was completely deserted so we basically spent our days hanging out at the pool, reading books and soaking up the silence. We had delicious Indian and Chinese food there, with actual spice to it which was nice. During event time at Sangam the food is basically spice-free because the participants can’t all handle it, so its nice to get some spicy stuff in the mix outside of work. Sadly we only had 2 days at the resort and had to leave the second afternoon. Our co-worker Minakshi’s brother-in-law owns and manages a restaurant on the other side of Pune so on our drive back home she called and recommended we stop in for some chai. Its those kind of invites that remind you how incredible the community culture in India is. It’s not a rare occurance to meet someone once and be welcomed into their home. So we stopped at Sandeep’s restaurant and had the largest and most delicious cup of chai I’ve had in my two months here. It was nice to get to meet someone in Minakshi’s family as well. So after a brief chat with Sandeep we heading back home to Sangam. The resort had worked its magic on me and we came back so relaxed I was practically sleep walking through the halls until I hit the bed!
I also got a chance to check out a homeopath last week before our event started, it was very interesting. I thought since I’m so comfortable with doctors back home I would be fine, but as I sat down in her office I got nervous. It was interesting to have a doctor who wanted to listen to the full details of their patient, and it was funny to hear some of the questions she asked. I had started to get a little cold so I was asking her to help me with that and the questions that came we’re pretty unique:
-do you crave fish?
-do you like sweet foods or salty foods?
-when you perspire does it leave a stain on white clothing? (that was my favourite)
And she asked a ton of other questions, some really in depth ones about my life, others about personal relationships, it was cool. I have to admit I walked out of there feeling unsure about the whole thing, but after taking the medicines she gave me my cold died down a bit. I think it was a really cool experience, but I’m still undecided on how I feel about the whole thing.
This week has been busy with “Education for All” our event that included spending 3 mornings at different schools in the city. It’s been a lot of fun hanging out with the kids from 1st-10th standard (grade). We still have a few more days of the event left so I should probably go work on sessions and get things together for our Bollywood movie night tonight!
Love and miss you all…xo