Raw food hidey-hole

I've joined around 50 others here to do a week long cleanse. So that we are not tempted by the excellent Esalen fare, our raw delights are served in another building (Fritz) way on the far side of the property. I tottered up the hill this morning and was greeted by the smell of woodsmoke. A log fire had been lit in the carpeted room. Cushions abounded to chill out on, books on healthy living and intimacy were scattered around the hearth and there was a beautiful silence as people were sitting around meditatively or digesting a book.

As I'm ill (ish) the leaders put me on a special diet for the morning. No solids, just smoothies and hot drinks with ginger and lemon juice. My orange, apricot, ginger and coconut smoothie was quite divine. Lunch was a raw veggie burger (equally delicious) and I took a coconut to work for the afternoon stint. Great multi-purpose snack! Stuck a drinking straw in and slurped up the juice (lying down next to the swimming pool) and then scooped out the innards when hunger struck in the afternoon.

Dinner was - oh so delicious - roasted nori with avocadoes and all sorts of other things to roll up inside - a little like sushi, but without the fish and rice. And there was a chocolate mousse desert made out of cocoa beans, avocado, raisins and other goodies - all blended together. No sugar, no nasties, 100 per cent pure yum!