VADOULOU

We both slept really well but jet leg still evident this morning. We managed breakfast on the beach before finishing our unpacking. I was surprised by a lovely bunch of flowers delivered by the manager & his 2 assistants & he assures me there will be a cake & candle at dinner tonight. I have a bet with Doug that the staff are having a sweep on how old I am!
The Manager walked us through what is available but I think that we will not venture far—-the chill out factor here is huge—& we want to avail of it.
We have had a session with the resident Ayurvedic doctor & have had a series of treatments organised for us. We both had the 1st one just before lunch & have one each day over the week that we will be here.
The food here is superb & is freshly cooked to order. Yoga is available each morning & I will be going tomorrow. I can see the yoga chalet from our room, so not too far to totter. We haven’t tried the pool yet—maybe before dinner. I am posting some photos of the Retreat—basically sea, sand and palm trees.

After a sleepless night in a hotel at Toulouse airport, we made the BA flight to London without any problem. We even got the seats that we had booked—a first for BA!
We checked into the Sofitel Hotel for the day. A first for Doug! The Sofitel is linked to Term 5 & it proved ideal for our needs. We had the room until 6pm which worked well. It enabled us to have something to eat & then a rest, shower etc. before embarking on the next leg. A bus ride to Terminal 4 & we were quickly checked in & through Security & ensconced in the Lounge. There is a lot to said for Business class ticket! We took off just after 9pm on Friday & arrived in Mumbai at 11h30 Sat. The trolley dollies on the flight were beautiful & the service 1st class. I managed to sleep quite well as the seats went completely flat but Doug wasn’t t so lucky although he did sleep some of the time. 6ft 3ins tall & aeroplanes don’t really go in the same sentence.
In Mumbai we transferred to a local flight & arrived at Mangalore mid afternoon. We were met by a car & driver & so began a very ‘interesting’ journey. The roads are terrible, the driving remarkable & what I think is probably about a 1hr trip took 3 hrs. I had every confidence in our driver & he never took risks but tooting the horn is de rigeur along with pothole avoidance. We arrived in one piece to be given a traditional Indian welcome of Namaste (all yogis will understand) & our foreheads anointed with oil.
Our chalet is delightful & the whole Retreat is beautifully done. There is a high ratio of staff to guest & we feel truly pampered. We were exhausted last night but did manage dinner on the beach & a bottle of Indian wine.

Raining & miserable. Xmas market in Vaour —-said all our goodbyes.
Had pizza with Martyn & Anne.
Leaving for Toulouse tonight for early flight tomorrow—Theo our chauffeur.

Looks like the bags want to go today!