Although
we were fasting, there were still mealtimes and we would sit
around the table, talking about nutrition,
life, our health and habits. The group was mixed, 10 women and
one man, from places as diverse as Afghanistan and America.
Health and nutrition knowledge ranged from ignorance (me and
a Portuguese couple) to the extremely conscientious. Meat was
generally considered the anti-Christ; when I mentioned that
I had done the Atkins diet, a hushed silence descended on the
table.
There
was no television, no newspapers and little word from the outside
world, as mobiles did not work. There was one temperamental
telephone, and although I managed to phone home every day, it
was only through persistence.
Lunch
started with a blessing for the juice - as did every other meal
- followed by the vile bentonite clay, then a litre of vegetable
juice of varying awfulness, made from veg grown organically
at Moinhos Velhos.
Supper
was a broth in which a selection of vegetables had been cooked,
followed by evening meditation. Bed was ridiculously early.
We
had a couple of trips to the local town of Lagos, where we could
gaze wistfully at tourists tucking into sardines and carafes
of vinho de mesa, and squeeze into various outfits at clothes
shops that we wouldn't even have considered at the start of
the fast. Unlike everyone else in the town, we had our lunch
at the local juice bar, where, after the monotony of orange
and vegetable, it was really exciting to be able to tuck into
strawberry and kiwi fruit, and other such exotic combinations.
My
own physical journey over the two weeks went from fine and dandy
on day one to tear-inducing agony from my kidneys on days two
to five - only alleviated by scoring a few illegal painkillers
from one of my fellow fasters. To make matters worse, I was
briefly concussed and tearfully sorry for myself after whacking
my head on the minibus on the way back from a day-trip to Lagos.
In
the second week, I was hideously nauseous as my liver went through
its paces. Every day brought new horrors in terms of spots,
foul breath, headaches, tears and all-round grumpiness.
Then
on day nine I had a breakthrough and started to feel amazing!
From
that point on, I would wake in the morning and pound up the
hills to use a surplus of energy before lemon tea and yoga.
Moinhos Velhos is set in a glorious valley within walking distance
of the majestic barragem (dam), and the surrounding hillsides
are criss-crossed with sandy paths lined with eucalyptus trees. |
