Something is different

My last 100 days have looked very different from the previous 6000 days (just over 16 years). To get ready for this new phase in my life, I had to sell my house and most of my possessions, stop my work as a Marketing Manager and say goodbye family and friends.

My husband and I are immigrating, but before we go to Australia, we decided to travel for a few months. We started in February and spent 35 days in Vietnam. We have since been to Cambodia, Singapore, India, Nepal, and are currently in Italy.

Photograph I took a few days ago in Calabria, Italy.
It is a apt visual description of that warm fuzzy and
content feeling I currently have about they path my life has taken.

We have travelled over 34 000km and are still going strong. There is a rough plan and budget that will hopefully help us to keep this up for another few months.

Throughout these travels, I have learned so much about other cultures and perspectives. Understanding a little about sincere kindness with no expectation of reciprocity is one of the first things that comes to mind when I look back on what I have learned so far. I have also learned a lot about myself, and my relationship with my husband.

It is also interesting to see how I have used the skills gained in my formal career and put them to good practice in getting the most out of this experience. Who knew my budgeting skills would help with the complex Excel spreadsheets we use to keep track of expenses? I am also using some of my digital marketing skills to write and promote a blog called Nowhere in Particular.

The first 100 days have had their hard times too. Missing the people important to me is one thing I still grapple with daily, but in other areas I have adapted. The sense of security you have when surrounding yourself with the familiar is something I have learned to go without. Each day is a new adventure, potentially a new place, and certainly involves new people I will meet.

Where have I been?

You may have noticed that it has been a while since I last posted. That is because, in 2013, I began studying towards my MBA. This meant very little socialising, even less writing and no photography for two years. I have managed to finish my course work but am currently experiencing a grandiose level of procrastination when it comes to my dissertation.

This year (2016) is also something entirely different, as I will be travelling with my husband for a few months before we immigrate from Johannesburg, South Africa to somewhere in Australia. So right now there is no nine to five grinding away in a corporate office block, but rather many locations and new things as we travel around the world with the few possessions we have not sold.

I have started a blog about these experiences on https://nowhereip.blogspot.com and hope to be contributing more to this Reflect blog in the months that follow.

Lesson learnt - don't ever google 'rash'

Here is a piece I wrote at the end of 2013 that I never posted. I stumbled upon it last night and thought I would put it up.

Earlier this year I got a rash on my abdomen — still from an underdetermined source — and did not want to go to the doctor again for something silly.

This year resulted in many visits to the doctor. Flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis were all reasons to be at the doctor. I also had some moles and lumps checked out, which were all nothing to be concerned about. So when I got a rash, I felt that another visit to the doctor would result in me no longer being able to deny that I was a total hypochondriac.

So I did the next best thing we all do in this age of the Internet and googled my condition. Big mistake! In the past when googling any topic you received suggestions of websites that match the information your search. It seems that this is no longer acceptable to many people — one can only assume they are semi-illiterate and only use the Internet for images and movies. Google now includes images that match your search close to the top of your search results. Interestingly images are selected more often than text-based search results. What is the world coming to?

Anyway, you can imagine the kinds of images that come up when you google something like 'rash'. Won’t make that awful mistake again unless I feel the need to take away my appetite for a few days! Hey, I can invent a new diet — the 'google rash diet' — you won't want to eat again, EVER!

So what about the rash? Determined to not go to the doctor, I scrounged around in my medicine cupboard to find some sort of cream. I eventually found something that was schedule four and had required a prescription at some point. That would do.

Not even being sure if the cream was for a bacterial infection, a cold sore or a mild bout of leprosy, I diligently smeared it on a multitude of red patches. I’m pleased to say the rash went away after about two weeks. I claim it was the miracle schedule four yellow ointment. However, there are those that would say two weeks would be long enough for any basic ailment to run its course. Who knows?

Spa day, anyone?

I was introduced to the wonderful world of ‘spas’ a little later in life – or at least later than I would have liked. I feel cheated that I missed a few years of spa indulgence. But I suppose if I look back honestly, I would know that in my early twenties I could not have afforded it, nor would I have fully appreciated this ‘investment’.

I do see visiting spas is an investment. I am investing in my sanity. I regularly find myself on the verge of flipping out, but then along comes a day of tranquil bliss, and I’m transformed into a reasonable and logical individual once more.

Head Space
When one of my girlfriends asks ‘spa day, anyone?’ a finely polished, hyper-multitasking brain immediately goes to work checking how schedules can be rearranged, deadlines shifted, and priorities realigned to fit in a day off.

Let’s face it, we could always go on a weekend, but the psychological benefits of going to a spa in the middle of the week are vital in relieving stress. That feeling of playing hooky, and knowing your stressed out colleagues are slaving away at the office has a profoundly positive impact on your psyche.

SA's Spa Scene
South Africa has gone spa crazy. On www.healthspas.co.za alone, there are more than 300 spas listed. This is good and bad for us consumers of relaxation. It is good because these spas are all competing for our business. If you scan the net for special offers, you can treat yourself to visiting top retreats at very reasonable prices.

The bad aspect of all these establishments popping up is that anyone with a large garden and Jacuzzi has started a day spa. They create a website with photos stolen online, stock up on scented candles and frilly tissue boxes and voila, a spa is born.

You arrive at this make-shift spa, after dodging gigantic potholes on a dust road in the middle of nowhere (the website described the venue being situated in the tranquil countryside). You are then jammed into a dining area with twenty other patrons, in shabby dressing gowns and worn-out slippers, all waiting for your factory-line treatments to begin, while sipping concentrate juice that you can quite identify.

I have had my share of interesting experiences from hot lava stones falling between my thighs and burning me, to salt scrubs so vigorous that it scrubbed away my skin. Yet, I keep going back in search of the perfect escape from reality and hope that, for a few hours, I will be able to forget everything happening in the real world.

Reviews
I am a freak for customer service, so from my very first visit to a spa I have carefully looked at how it is done; who does it best; and is it good value for money? This all led to doing some ‘mystery shopping’ on behalf of spas and now to publishing my reviews.

Please note that I don’t go to a spa for anything but relaxation treatments. No formal health treatments by professional somatologists are required. These treatments normally involve some sort of pain, best left for an appointment at your trusted salon with a certified therapist, and are not suited for a day of indulgence.

Here, is my first blog reviewing Umlazi Destination Spa from my visit in May 2011: http://reflect-review-opinion.blogspot.com/2011/07/ulwazi-destination-spa.html

Review: Ulwazi Destination Spa

Ulwazi Destination Spa - Half Day Spa Package (May 2011)

Tel: +27 (0)12 370 7917/8
Website: www.ulwazispa.com  
Email: info@ulwazispa.com  
Address: Velmore Hotel, 27 Main Road (M26 Erasmia), Mooiplaats, Erasmia (North West of Johannesburg)

Rating: 7/10

Treatments: Winter Special Package included:

• Swedish full body massage
• Indian head and shoulder massage
• Hand and foot exfoliation and massage

Summary

This spa is close enough for those situated in Centurion and Johannesburg (Northern and Western suburbs). Overall, our experience at Ulwazi Spa was good, and I would visit again. The special offer we took was very good value for money.

When you arrive at the estate and spa, the venue and décor indicates that you have entered an up-market establishment. The spa layout has a clever, compact design that still allows you to feel as though you are the only guests.

The communication skills of the therapists need some work, but they were polite and did what was required.

Detailed Review

Directions on the website from Sandton are good, but they do not make it clear that the spa is situated in the Velmore Estate, which makes you look out for signage for Ulwazi instead.

The spa is situated within an estate that comprises a hotel, conference rooms and wedding facilities. The day of our booking was very quiet within the estate, and it felt as if you had been abducted into this tranquil little planet, just outside of Joburg.

There is ample parking situated directly opposite the door to the spa. The decor is a lovely fusion of contemporary and African pieces, including a beautiful collection of statuettes.

The reception staff members were friendly in welcoming us and taking us through to the small refreshments area. As with any first visit to a spa, we needed to go through the hassle of completing the required paperwork, and then could help ourselves to light refreshments.

Once all the members of our group had arrived, we were ushered to the treatment room and provided soft fluffy gowns and slippers.

The therapists were a little shy and did not have the confidence to explain what was required of us. They also battled to provide clear explanations of the treatments, forgetting to ask what our preferences were in terms of the preferred pressure for the massages.

The full-body massage was a little too firm for me, and I needed to keep reminding my therapist to go softer. But I still thoroughly enjoyed the massage, and my two friends had glowing reports about their massages.

It was a freezing winter day, so we used the break to stock up on coffee and scrumptious scones, finding a veranda to sit and soak up the sun. The therapists saw this and made arrangements to give us our next treatment (Indian head and shoulder massage) outside.

We moved inside again for the hand and foot treatments, which were very enjoyable. All the time soothing background music was playing, and the lights were dimmed creating the perfect relaxed atmosphere.

We changed and took our time to enjoy some sparkling wine and fresh fruit. The bills were settled efficiently and were sent on our way back to planet earth and the harsh reality of Jozi traffic.

I do believe there may have been a few other guests at the spa, but we were unaware of their movements a felt as though we had the facilities to ourselves.