Koh Samui, Thailand: December 2006

In this issue, our last Daily Lama of 2006, Ray and Nikki visit The Spa Samui. Our Health and Fitness correspondent, Me So Fit, found out what their seven day fast and detox was all about, and then followed them to Bangkok, where they finally departed Thailand for Christmas 'down under' in Perth, Western Australia.

We also include the first feature in our new 'Readers Lives' section - the part of the Daily Lama dedicated exclusively to you, our readers. Find out how Ray and Nikki's friend and world traveller, Dave Cox, has started an interesting new business in Seville, Spain.

And as 2006 draws to a close, we take a look at what the future holds in store for our readers in 2007!

Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand, is extremely popular as a tourist destination with many lavish, exotic resorts available for people who want to take a break from it all. And it is also home to perhaps one of the best known and best value Spa's in the whole world, The Spa Samui. "I think this place is one of Asia's best kept secrets" said Nikki, when I asked why on earth they would want to spend their last two weeks in Thailand starving themselves! "It was the place I came to when I first arrived two years ago and I always thought I would come back again" said Nikki.

Above: The map (left) shows the location of The Spa on the island of Koh Samui, and the cover of the local edition of Hello! Magazine (right), which is sharing our coverage of Ray and Nikki's visit there

Guy and Toi Hopkins founded The Spa Samui in 1992, with the primary aim of helping guests learn more about taking better care of themselves. As well as offering an unrivalled cleansing programme, The Spa has some of the best vegetarian food in Thailand, and certainly has one of the best 'raw food' preparation schools anywhere in the world. "I realised that heart disease, cancer, arthritis and diabetes are attacking all of us" said Guy. "And the sad thing is, it simply does not have to happen. I found by getting back to basics - cleaning out the body, exercise, relaxation, proper diet and proper breathing, one could enjoy optimum vitality, rid themselves of disease and feel great" he told me.

Above: Guy and Toi Hopkins, founders of The Spa Samui

The Spa offers a wide range of holistic health practices, including Yoga, Chi Gong, Meditation, Massage and Reiki classes. The deal for guests is more or less what it was in 1981, when Guy moved to Thailand. Therefore, all the services and programmes are very reasonably priced. "We want to offer our friends (guests) a "part of the family" atmosphere" Guy explained. "We have over 140 Thai employees, of which 35 are blood relatives to my wife, Toi. They are all from the north-east part of Thailand, known for their loving kindness. Everyone feels the difference" he added.

Above: Ray arrives at The Spa Samui and hopes that some of the loving kindness from being part of the 'family atmosphere' will rub off on him

So why would anyone want to do a "cleanse"? Dr. Rich Anderson, one of the world's leading authorities, explains in his best selling book, Cleanse and Purify Thyself. "When the bowel becomes filthy, the blood becomes filthy and the liver is the first line of defence against toxic bowel particles that enter the bloodstream. After relentless seasons of toxic bowel particles, the liver becomes challenged and over exerted. Eventually, the liver accumulates excessive proteins and fats, losing its ability to function normally, and then toxicity begins to enter deeper areas of the body". According to Dr. Anderson, 85% of the western world's population have sluggish livers.

For more information about why people cleanse, you can explore the links on The Spa Samui web site and The 6 Crucial Components of Cleansing.

Above: Ray settles in at The Spa and gets ready for his fast, with three days of 'pre-cleansing', in which he and Nikki only ate raw fruit or vegetables. At The Spa, the fresh food is incredibly tasty and therefore, easier for guests to adjust to

Most of us suffer on the odd occasion from feeling tired or stressed, having headaches or digestive problems, bloating, poor concentration, unexplained rashes and frequent mood changes. All of these conditions result from 'toxic' overload. "Ray and I have both had cleanses before and are in relatively good health, after a year on the road" Nikki told me. "However, we felt it was a great opportunity to look after our bodies and carry out some 'routine maintenance' before heading to Australia - a bit like getting a 100,000 mile service for your car!" she explained.

"We are heavily dependent on having good health, given the travelling life we lead, and you cannot be too careful" said Ray. "I did my first cleanse in Portugal over three years ago and it had a tremendous effect on my overall health" he added. "Like Nikki, I felt this was a good time to cleanse again and Koh Samui was a great place to do it" he explained.

Above: Nikki 'enjoys' one of the pure vegetable juices at The Spa during her 'pre-cleansing' period - "I thought it tasted absolutely yukky" said Ray

Below: No, this is not one of the extra's from the movie "Men in Black" - it is Ray and Nikki's friend Susie, who lives nearby and accompanied them to The Spa on their day of arrival, as she also tries the rather nasty tasting juice

Most people who decide to visit The Spa choose the seven day 'clean me out' programme. "We arrived early, so that we would have three days of 'pre-cleansing' before our programme began" explained Ray. "During this period, we started to gently prepare our bodies by cutting out foods that produce toxins, including dairy, wheat, meat, coffee and alcohol" he told me. "Basically, Nikki and I were only eating fresh fruit, vegetables, salads and juices until we started fasting" he added.

Above: "How many days of fasting have you done so far?" asks Ray, as he meets Marschinda from Santa Monica, USA who is taking one of her 'daily' detox drinks

Below: Ray tries his first detox drink of the fast - "Not too bad if you get it down your neck quickly" he says

Once their seven day programme had begun, Ray and Nikki were required to maintain a strict regime each day, beginning with the first of five 'detox' drinks at 7.00am. "It was not the most pleasant thing to do" said a sleepy Nikki, as she told me about waking up early and walking to The Spa's detox counter. "Instead of our usual breakfast, we were faced with a glutenous mixture of fruit juice, Psyllium husks (a gentle, natural laxative) and Sodium Bentonite (a soft, volcanic clay that is a rich source of trace minerals and absorbs toxins in the gut)" she explained. "It does taste pretty foul" said Ray, "but if you knock it back quickly, it is not so bad and you always drink a full glass of water to wash it down" he added.

"Every morning when we took our first detox drink, we were given a pack of 31 pills for the day" explained Nikki. "These were a mixture of herbal supplements, which support your body during the fast by providing the nutrition that you would otherwise be receiving from eating normal food" she added.

Above: "What are you so cheerful for?" thinks Nikki as she watches this smiling staff member mix her first detox drink of the day, which has caused Nikki to reluctantly leave her warm, cosy bed at 7am in the morning ....

Below:... and Nikki collects her pack of 31 pills that will keep her supplied with all the nutrients her body requires that day

The five detox drinks are served at three hour intervals throughout the day. "In between drinks, we were both required to take our supplements, six pills at a time, with an extra tablet before going to bed at night to help replace the friendly bacteria that we all have normally in our colon, and that get removed during the cleanse" explained Ray.

Above: Yummy! thinks Nikki as she prepares her first dose of supplements at 8.30am - breakfast just isn't quite the same when you are a participant of the 'clean me out' programme at The Spa Samui!

There are four main elements to a cleansing programme. "In addition to the fasters daily diet of detox drinks and supplements, guests are required to 'flush' or 'wash' their colon twice a day, with 16 litres of specially filtered water, mixed with a small amount of freshly ground organic coffee" said Ray. "The reason for doing this is to remove the numerous toxins that have accumulated over time inside our digestive systems" said Nikki. "The use of coffee in enemas for detoxification is well known, as it stimulates the release of fecal matter in the colon and draws toxins out of the liver. The effects of having a coffee enema are not the same as drinking coffee! It is safe even for people who are sensitive to caffeine because the coffee remains in the colon where it is not fully absorbed" explained a very knowledgeable Nikki.

Saturated fats, excess proteins, refined and processed foods, drugs, artificial additives and chemicals all combine in the colon to create a nasty substance, called 'Mucoid Plaque'. "Because this gunk is of inorganic origin, it sticks to the sides of the colon" Ray explained to me. "Although waste can still pass through, creating the illusion of a clear colon, the space can actually be as thin as a pencil" he pointed out.

Above: Ray attacks the enemy within (mucoid plaque), as he takes his 'colema board' and pink plastic sieve into his bungalow at The Spa and prepares for his first colon flush of the seven day programme. You lay on your back whilst on the board for maximum comfort

Below: Yes, coffee colema's can be fun and are very good for your health, as Ray demonstrates. At The Spa, you collect your own bucket and tubing from the staff and rig up the apparatus yourself - you don't really need to be told where to stick the tube!

The modern world we live in is constantly undermining our health. "We had not realised that most of us are exposed to nearly 5,000 new chemicals per year" said Nikki. "The pesticides used in modern farming can be harmful (one million tonnes of pesticides on food are consumed in the UK every year)" she informed me, "and the average beauty regime will expose you to about 150 potentially toxic ingredients - many of the toothpastes, shampoos, creams etc. that we use daily have chemicals in them that are known to be carcinogenic - and levels of pollution are higher than they have ever been" added Ray.

I asked Ray and NIkki about their regular colon washes. "We followed the flushing programme carefully, twice a day as required" said Ray. "The Spa give you a small, pink plastic sieve to place in the specially designed colema board, so that you can collect and inspect what has come out after each flush" he told me. "At first, the idea of 'investigating' was really off-putting, but we both became fascinated after a couple of days as we learnt and understood more about what was happening. Even though we have done fasts before, and know what to expect, we are still shocked when we see how much unnecessary and harmful gunk comes out of our system" added Nikki.

Above: "This is as far as you go" says a rather shy Nikki to our photographer, as she goes into the bathroom to set up the apparatus for her colema

Below: It was just too gross for us to publish a photograph of the contents collected in Ray or Nikki's small plastic sieve after one of their colema's, but they assure us that this picture they took at a meat market in Vietnam bears an extremely close resemblance to what comes out!

After a couple of days at The Spa, Ray and Nikki had settled into the routine and had more time to investigate some of the other therapies on offer. "One of the things I was interested in is called "Zapping" said Nikki. "A few weeks ago, I had been regularly eating at cheap, street side stalls in Vietnam and was concerned that I may have picked up some parasites from dirty food" she told me. "The parasites and worms living in our gut are usually eliminated with the fasting programme, but those in the rest of the body are not, and the zapper is designed to get them" she explained.

Above: The latest buzz in the world of cleansing - the 'zapper' is a low voltage electrical device that you hold in both hands, and it emits a pulse intended to kill off all parasites that are in the body, outside of the gut. "I could not feel anything during my seven minute treatments, so I was not sure if it was actually doing anything, but research shows that they do work" said Nikki

Although the fasting regime is fairly strict, there are one or two things that fasters can enjoy for a bit of light relief. "The staff at The Spa recommend the odd fresh coconut or carrot juice, which provide essential vitamins and minerals" said Nikki. "And there are a variety of different teas which are offered during a special 'Tea Ceremony', run by a charming resident of the island, called San Bao" added Ray. "These ceremonies are a bit of a legend at The Spa and are very good social events, as well as a welcome break from the somewhat boring routine" said Ray. "Nikki and I met some really interesting people there" he added.

Above: San Bao, host and master of the Tea Ceremony (right) makes people feel at home as he makes a number of brews for everyone to try

Below: Ray talks with Ivana, an Australian of Italian descendency, who was also doing the 'clean me out' programme at The Spa - "I had a lot in common with Ivana and could really relate to the stories she told me about her life in the corporate world" said Ray

Above: Nikki chats with Howard Carter (left), frrom London, England about his new business venture - selling natural, chemical free insect repellent spray

The fourth element of the cleansing programme is exercise. "It is quite important to develop the habit of correct breathing for optimum health and to develop good reserves of energy, and The Spa runs a number of Yoga and Chi Gong classes for this purpose" said Nikki. "I have become very good friends with a couple of the yoga teachers here whom I met on previous visits, so attending their class is an excuse to catch up with them as well as staying healthy" added Nikki.

"I am not into yoga, so I opted for a more conventional form of exercise, choosing to attend one or two of the gym classes during the week and walking along the beach, or the road to the Internet cafe on the other days!" said Ray.

Above: There are plenty of exercise classes available at The Spa, although Ray and Nikki managed to miss this one on the beach in the late afternoon!

Below: Caught in the act! Ray (right) proves that he really does attend the gym classes, as he gives his legs a good stretch

Above: Nikki enjoys a re-union with her old friend and Spa yoga teacher, the gorgeous Ute. She has been teaching yoga at the Spa for many years and plans to return to Germany in 2007 to continue her yoga studies

Below: Anna, from Russia, is also a yoga teacher at The Spa, whom Nikki met on a previous visit - "She is a very special lady and a dear friend and I am very happy to see her again" said Nikki

During their stay, our two fasters had plenty of time to catch up with some of their friends who live on the island. "It was difficult for us to leave The Spa during the fast, because we had to be taking our drinks, supplements and colema's throughout the day" said Ray. "So we invited friends to come and join us for lunch or dinner - which was a bit of a challenge for us, as we had to sit and watch them eat the delicious food in the restaurant, while we drank our water and took our supplements!" he told me.

Above: "It's not fair" says Nikki, who salivates as she watches her friend Ali from Bang Por, who has come for lunch, tuck in to a tasty omelette, while she carries on with her 'zapping'

Below: Nikki was really surprised and delighted to link up with Aerial (right) from Los Angeles, USA, whom she had met on her first cleanse at The Spa two years ago!

Above: The surprises continue as Nikki bumps into Nadine (left) from Toronto, Canada who also had been fasting with Nikki a couple of years ago. The two of them visited their dear friend Hajjar (centre), who they have got to know on previous visits to the island

Below: The gorgeous and talented Hajjar Gibran, who is a descendant of Khalil Gibran (author of The Prophet), is about to launch his own book, entitled "The Return of The Prophet"

Although not strictly part of the cleansing programme, meditation is encouraged. "Getting into the habit of two daily peaceful periods for meditation, or just contemplation helped to take our mind off eating food, or the lack of it, although we weren't ever really that hungry" said Nikki. "We had practiced meditation earlier in the year at the Suan Mokkh Buddhist monastery, so we understood the benefits, although I had not kept up a regular practice since we left there" added Ray.

Above: Ray prepares himself for some meditation between detox drinks and supplements - "Perhaps I can master this meditation thing after all and become a guru" thinks Ray....

Below: "Aha - it's working. I can feel myself becoming wiser by the minute" says Ray

Above: Nikki and James, their friend from Bang Por beach, turn to 'guru' Ray for some wisdom and inspiration. "You must go within..." advises Ray!

As their seven day 'clean me out' programme was coming to an end, Ray and Nikki turned their attention to breaking the fast in the correct way. "After a week of not eating, your body is not used to dealing with solid food, so you have to go carefully to begin with, and eat stuff that is easily digestible" said Nikki. "And our own friendly bacteria had become depleted through constant washing of the colon, so we were given a concentrated 'top up' of these, called an 'implant', which we were required to inject into our colon after our final flush" added Ray.

Above: Nikki checks her weight on the scales on day seven, as she prepares to collect her bucket for the last coffee colema of her fast

Below: "Oh gosh! I am not sure about this implant thing" says Ray, as he prepares to administer his own friendly bacterial 'top up'

Breaking the fast is perhaps one of the happiest moments for most guests at The Spa, and Ray and Nikki were no exception. "It was a great moment when we sat at the table in the restaurant for our first 'proper' breakfast in seven days" recalled a very excited Ray. "Nikki and I were joined by another guest called Keith, a very amiable Scotsman who had taken a break from working on an oil rig in Oman to improve his general well-being" he told me. "We were all very pleased that our fast was over, and our food tasted ever so good, as I am sure you can imagine" added Nikki.

Above: Nikki is very happy as she eats her first 'proper' breakfast after breaking her fast - a plate of her favourite juicy, tasty papaya

Below: Keith is overcome with excitement at the thought of tucking into his salad!

Above: Ray is drooling as he receives his order - the famous "Guy's Breakfast" which comprises of Mango, Goat Yoghurt and Bee Pollen and is a very popular choice with fast breakers

Below: All together now - eat! Our very healthy looking guests, Keith, Ray and Nikki, enjoy their reward after seven days of cleansing

Another couple who Ray and Nikki created a great bond with were Billy and Tina, from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, USA. "They were fantastic company" said Ray. "They both work as crew on luxury yachts which are chartered by very wealthy individuals for cruises" said Nikki. "Billy works as a chef, and Tina looks after the guests on board, so they were both particularly interested in new ideas for preparing healthy meals" she explained.

"They decided to attend a raw food preparation class, run by the chef at The Spa restuarant, who specialises in creating amazing food using only raw ingredients" said Nikki. "Each day, they brought us some of the food they had prepared, and luckily for us, our fast was over, so we had no objections about being their "tasters" recalled Nikki. "The food they made was absolutely delicious and it was hard to believe that their pizza and brownies were 100% nutritious" she added. "Billy and Tina were lovely, generous souls - it is no surprise that they are so successful at what they do" remarked Ray.

Above: "Wakey, Wakey Nikki!" - the lovely Tina and Billy arrive from their raw food preparation class with what is probably the healthiest pizza in the world, for Ray and Nikki to try

Below: Billy pops up again with yet more wonderful gourmet surprises - this time it's some coleslaw and fudge brownies (all made from raw foods, of course!)

Ray and Nikki were also invited to dinner by their friend Anna, one of the yoga teachers at The Spa, who lives in one of Samui's secluded beach coves nearby. "Anna and I met just after the Tsunami hit Thailand two years ago" recalled Nikki. "She had already taken some supplies to an isolated village that had been badly hit and I was so inspired by this act that I asked to go back there with her on the next trip. This was the start of a really wonderful friendship and I am always delighted to spend time with her" she told me.

"Anna is also a great cook and familiar with the fasting regime" added Ray. "She knew we had just come off the fast, so she lavished us with her healthy, yet delightfully tasty home made chocolates, knowing we were now able to eat them!" he said happily.

Above: Nikki with her lovely friend Anna, on the beach near Anna's house

Below: Ray and Nikki enjoy the legendary Samui sunset, whilst Anna prepares a tasty meal for our two recently completed fasters

Two weeks after arriving at The Spa, Ray and Nikki enjoyed a special last night get together and farewell with all the friends they had met there. "It's hard to find the words to convey what a brilliant experience we had" said a radiant Ray. "Not only did we feel incredibly well after our cleanse, we also made some great friends who I know we will see again" he added. "And we made sure that we tried all of the things on the proper menu on our last night, that we had dreamed about and salivated over for the whole of the week we were fasting" said Nikki.

Above: From left to right: Ivana, Nikki, Tina, Billy and Ray - everyone spent their last evening together and took the opportunity to try a number of dishes on the fabulous menu, that has enabled The Spa restaurant to earn 35th place in the world's Top 50 healthiest restaurants

With only two days to go before Ray and Nikki departed Thailand for Australia, there was just enough time for a quick stop in Bangkok, to organise a couple of last minute things before heading for the airport and their flight to Perth. "We always like making short trips to Bangkok (this was our fifth visit this year) as you can buy a lot of goods there very cheaply and get things done that are much more difficult elsewhere" said Nikki. "For example, I wanted to get my hair cut and needed a proper 'western' experience, as I had abandoned my hair dryer some time ago! she told me.

Above: Ray and Nikki touch down at the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok for a very brief 48 hour visit, before returning for their flight to Perth

Below: "Ah, it's good to be back" says Nikki as she goes for the full 'western' experience at her 'regular' Toni and Guy hair salon in the Siam district of Bangkok

Above: "Oh my God, Ray - do you think they have found out about the bar of soap we took from the guesthouse on our last visit?" wonders Nikki, as the Police move in for a closer look at her

Below: Even though they did not have much time in Bangkok, there was still a couple of hours in which our two travellers could hang out at the fabulous rooftop pool of their favourite back-packers guesthouse, the Rambuttri Village Inn in the Khaosan Road area of the city

In our last issue of The Daily Lama, my colleague Po Scard reported that Ray and Nikki developed a great friendship with a couple who live on Bang Por beach in Koh Samui, called James and Susie. "We found out that they were both going to be in Bangkok the night we arrived, so we made arrangements to see them" said Ray. "Susie was also hosting a visit from her son Giles and his girlfriend Samantha, so we had a bit of a crowd for the evening" he added. "Susie is such great fun - she is thinking about starting her own blog and if she does, I guarantee it will be a very good read" added Ray.

Above: Ray and James enjoy their evening together in the ever lively city of Bangkok

With their last minute shopping complete, and having sent their photographs to us at The Daily Lama office, Ray and Nikki were ready to bid farewell to Thailand (for now, anyway). "We have had an absolutely amazing year on the road and have really loved our experiences here - it almost feels like a second home to us" said an emotional Nikki.

"We shall really miss Thailand, and who knows when we will be back?" she added. "Alll I can say is that Ray and I feel very privileged that we have had the opportunity to spend the last year travelling like this, and we greatly appreciate everyone who has given us their support and encouragement throughout this time. We are looking forward to spending Christmas with my relatives in Australia" said a very excited Nikki.

"Even though we are a long way from home, we constantly think about our family and friends all around the world, and I would like to thank everyone at The Daily Lama for helping us stay in touch with them and providing such a great news service on our behalf" said Ray.

Above: Ray, wearing our new Daily Lama T shirt, gets into a taxi that will take him and Nikki back to the airport for their flight to Australia....

Below:... and a wonderful Christmas with Nikki and her relatives, as the message inside the cabin of the aircraft confirms

Editors Note: Ray and Nikki were due to arrive in Australia on 14th December and will be there until after Christmas. We hope to bring you the next issue of The Daily Lama towards the end of January 2007, when we will catch up with our dynamic duo and update you about their travel plans for the coming year. We also have a few exciting ideas on the drawing board that we hope to introduce in The Daily Lama over the next 12 months, so look out for forthcoming announcements.

In the meantime, it gives us great pleasure to introduce the first of what we hope will become a regular feature in The Daily Lama:

Readers Lives!

Our first featured reader is Dave Cox, an Englishman living in Spain. Ray and Dave met whilst they were at school, and although they lost contact for a while, they have remained close friends over the years. "I am a big fan of his" said Ray. "He is always trying new things out and has a very adventurous spirit, and makes me laugh a lot when we are together" he told me.

Above: Dave Cox (left) and Ray haven't changed a bit since their school days - at least in spirit anyway!

At the end of last year, having reached 48 years of age and still not sure of what to do with his life, Dave decided to spend a week on the road with Ray and Nikki in Thailand. "Ray is a constant source of inspiration to many people and it was great to catch up with him and Nikki whilst they were travelling" said Dave. "I had been living in Spain for three years, learnt the language, ran a bar and worked for a Spanish law firm, but there was something missing - I wanted to find something that I had my heart in and knew that speaking to Ray would help me clarify my thoughts" he told me.

"It was during our conversations last Christmas in Koh Pangan, that I realised my best travel experiences had happened when I was with friends "in the know", or visiting places that the guidebooks didn't recommend. "So, armed with this realisation and with Ray and Nikki's support and encouragement, I returned to Spain to set up a company called Really Discover in Seville, creating personalised tours for small groups" he explained. "We are now three months old, doing tapas nights to hidden busy, local bars and tours to lesser known places which people seem to love. "And for me?" he added, "walking around the beautiful city of Seville in the sunshine, showing nice people fantastic sights, eating amazing tapas with them, and going to flamenco nights in the back streets - god its awful! I must write myself a note to never speak to Ray again!" said a very inspired Dave.

Above: Dave Cox has 'really discovered' work that he can put his heart and soul into. He is pictured here showing a small group of people the hidden secrets of Seville

Your Year Ahead

We thought our readers might like to find out what is in store for them in 2007, so we researched some horoscope sites on the web and chose this one at Tiscali as the most accurate and comprehensive we could find. Why not go and have a look at what your stars are saying!

Late News

We have just heard that the Editor at Time Magazine has been avidly reading The Daily Lama during the year, and has bestowed on us the honour of choosing one of our photographs for the front cover of their magazine. Naturally, we are delighted!

Above: Ray and Nikki on the cover of Time Magazine, thanks to The Daily Lama!

That's all from us for 2006. We would like to thank all of our readers for your support throughout this year and for your feedback, which has been very helpful and encouraging every time someone has sent us their comments. Have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year to all of you.

AMBER SOLAIRE, MOZZIE BYTE AND THE TEAM AT THE DAILY LAMA

Below: A final message from our two travellers.....

Post A Comment