Relax - The one about turtle island

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The one about turtle island

By Joanne Lee, AsiaOne | Tue, Sep 1 2009

While Joanne lazes on the beach with a coconut and a good book, her sister Janice gets an adrenalin fix with some rock climbing.

Keywords

detox

koh samui

JOANNE'S JOURNEYS: day 5
Straits Times Online Editor Joanne Lee shares about her 'grueling' one-week detox holiday in Koh Samui in this exclusive blog feature.

I AWOKE much happier today.

Managed to have a good night of sleep so maybe my body is getting used to the initial shock of the detox programme. Then again, it might be because I'm starting to feel a little slimmer around the mid-section too. There's nothing like some feel-thin vibes to set a girl off on a good footing in the morning.

The morning was spent just like the other mornings: Kicking off with a detox massage to get the lymphatic system flowing without "blockages". This the masseuses achieve by pressing the tips of their fingers really hard and deep into various points on your abdomen - not the most soothing of massages, but it does the job in getting the insides loosened up.

Much smilier today!
[Photo: Joanne Lee]

Off for my morning sessions.
[Photo: Joanne Lee]

It hurts like hell but I'm getting used to it - along with the post-massage colonic hydrotherapy session. After three full days of (almost) fasting full-on, the hydrotherapy is beginning to rate a little lower on the discomfort scale. Still, I have to chant "just four more, just four more" to get me through the hour, lying there getting my insides flushed out.

Taunting me with Thai-style shrimp ceviche.
[Photo: Joanne Lee]

After a quick lunch (more veggie broth for me), we get set for a special afternoon. Claire Bostock, the Executive Director of Absolute Sanctuary (http://absolutesanctuary.com) has arranged for an island trip just for us.

My sister, Little Miss Triathlon, has been itching to do something active and Claire thought she might like to do some rock-climbing. So Claire wrangled us an invitation to nearby island Koh Som (http://www.kohsomparadise.com/), which is currently being developed into a villa resort by The Shores, a private island luxury resort developer.

Our hosts for the afternoon were Santos Asano, The Shores' marketing director, and Jason Bergerson, its operations director.