Breakfast - hallelujah - I am hungry. It was actually great - I was worried they would not serve coffee. 2 cup limit. I will take it! About 1/3 of papaya, 1/2 oz of cheese and a slice of homemade dense whole wheat bread. The woman from Peru called me over and introduced me to her table which was nice because it set up the remainder of introductions starting with a small bus shuttling us off to Black Lake - a beautiful park. Lots of interesting conversations and no language barrier. We walked for an hour and upon coming back - did a treatment where you walk in freezing cold water over uneven stones in a maze. It's suppose to increase your cir
culation. I bet! Everyone laughed about the cold and complained about their feet.
Every person's schedule is customized depending on their condition and what they want to achieve. Because I have my back problem, I was
given a red bracelet (alert!) while there are 2 other color coded bracelets regarding what activities you are allowed to do. The good news is - I get private treatments instead of group classes. How wonderful! Finally - my injury totally works in my favor. They scheduled another 30 minutes of treadmill, then on to "Hydro floating" which is a total misnomer. It was aqua aerobics with a flotation device. Hands down - I was the best in the class among regularly fit people - it made me feel very strong and active. I loved it. Then guess what - another walk in cold water. This is a German based therapy called Kneipp - which alternates hot and cold for healing. What next? An "underwater massage" which is another Kneipp Kur. It is a super bath tub where you hook your feet under to secure and immerse yourself with 
an array of strategically placed jets that are timed and have different strength of water power. Pick one of 3 herbal remedies - mine was for muscle relaxation, but you could choose bergamont for vitality and "increased libido" or some other choice. I am simplifying the herbs but I can't remember all that was described.
Snacks are given at 10 and 3 more or less depending on your schedule. A snack is about 3 sips of a fruit shake or about 1/4 cup of tiny pieces of cut fruit. These are very important according to the nutritionist because they will keep you from getting headaches. I forgot to mention the no water rule. No water 20 minutes before a meal or 1.5 hours after dinner. Why? Saliva breaks down food and when you drink water you tend to swallow your food and not chew it. Also saliva has enzymes that break down the food and the stomach has an acid environment to promote breaking down food and when you slug back water, you are diluting the stomach acid so food travels down the bowels in bigger pieces. Apparently causing you to fart more - well ok, the nutrition nicely said it creates more gas and bloating.
Lunch - I don't remember what it was. But I am sure every bit was delicious!
Next a kur massage - and this massage was way better than yesterday's. A whole hour. From my ears to my toes. They also massage your stomach. Strange feeling. That wasn't my favorite part but maybe they are massaging the fat away. haha.
Biogenerization. Whisked away to a special room, 3 metal netted pads are placed on your head, abdomen and feet and you hold on to two metal rods. Electrical current rebalanced your body. I didn't feel anything but I sure liked the dark room, the music, the covering over my eyes....I think I fell asleep.
My nutritional interview I just told you about but in between that and another treatment the hotel guest relations manager - Miguel - gave me a detailed tour and more history.
The water station circuit - I thought it was going to be that cold walk again - and I was going to skip it. Glad I didn't - to a the day spa portion of the property - which just opened 2 months ago. You relax in a tub of hot water with mud (not heavy) which has mineral properties -good for ?? not sure but I know it must be very good for you! Then switch to another tub - of ??? something white and foamy that smells good and it must be good for you too! I will have to ask my English speaking hostess. Not all the spa attendants speak English.
Then a bath in a big beautiful pool like area - with a water fall from the ceiling - the water pressure feels very good on your back - not so much on your cabeza. Finally a shower - with the soap, shampoo and conditioner that is the private line of Kurotel. They have their own cosmetics line. They have their own pharmacy where they compound and create the healthy supplements that are given at lunch and dinner depending on your customized program. I am taking sea algae to make me feel full. I wonder how hungry I would be without it? In fact I am hungry right now and the box of chocolates is less than a foot away.
Each day, (I learned today) you are suppose to report in to the nurse ( 24/7 duty!!!) to have your blood pressure taken and report on sleep or anything else you might want to share (like digestive problems).
Welcome cocktail takes place once a week on Sundays - which is when new guests usually arrive. We are handed a small flute of champagne (non alcholic) and half a small glass of either fresh strawberry, pineapple or melon juice to go with our 4 allotted bite sized appetizers that are hand-served. One guest took all 4 at once. I took mine one at a time and joked with the server that he miscounted. There was a musician who played piano, guitar and sang. He asked if I had a request and since he hadn't played the Girl from Ipanema - and it reminded me of Dad - I asked and he gladly played. He had a very nice voice and I was surprised when he played Ring of Fire from Johnny Cash in a low, low voice. There were a few of us who sat on the couch and listened and it reminded me of an era long gone by - retiring to the music room - how civilized.
Dinner was more soup, fish and this time peas with a fruit gelatin. The fish is very good. Small but good. I had a lovely conversation with a couple that live in Amazonia which is 7 hours away by plane. Brazil is one big country! They said I made a good choice not to travel alone to Rio or Sao Paulo - that it is not safe and that Gramado is a wonderful place filled with cultured Europeans - very little crime - very well to do. Heck, can I pick locations or what?
Well, I am hoping that a snack will arrive soon but it is 11 pm so maybe not.
Love,
A thinner me ( i sure hope!)
culation. I bet! Everyone laughed about the cold and complained about their feet.Every person's schedule is customized depending on their condition and what they want to achieve. Because I have my back problem, I was
given a red bracelet (alert!) while there are 2 other color coded bracelets regarding what activities you are allowed to do. The good news is - I get private treatments instead of group classes. How wonderful! Finally - my injury totally works in my favor. They scheduled another 30 minutes of treadmill, then on to "Hydro floating" which is a total misnomer. It was aqua aerobics with a flotation device. Hands down - I was the best in the class among regularly fit people - it made me feel very strong and active. I loved it. Then guess what - another walk in cold water. This is a German based therapy called Kneipp - which alternates hot and cold for healing. What next? An "underwater massage" which is another Kneipp Kur. It is a super bath tub where you hook your feet under to secure and immerse yourself with 
an array of strategically placed jets that are timed and have different strength of water power. Pick one of 3 herbal remedies - mine was for muscle relaxation, but you could choose bergamont for vitality and "increased libido" or some other choice. I am simplifying the herbs but I can't remember all that was described.Snacks are given at 10 and 3 more or less depending on your schedule. A snack is about 3 sips of a fruit shake or about 1/4 cup of tiny pieces of cut fruit. These are very important according to the nutritionist because they will keep you from getting headaches. I forgot to mention the no water rule. No water 20 minutes before a meal or 1.5 hours after dinner. Why? Saliva breaks down food and when you drink water you tend to swallow your food and not chew it. Also saliva has enzymes that break down the food and the stomach has an acid environment to promote breaking down food and when you slug back water, you are diluting the stomach acid so food travels down the bowels in bigger pieces. Apparently causing you to fart more - well ok, the nutrition nicely said it creates more gas and bloating.
Lunch - I don't remember what it was. But I am sure every bit was delicious!
Next a kur massage - and this massage was way better than yesterday's. A whole hour. From my ears to my toes. They also massage your stomach. Strange feeling. That wasn't my favorite part but maybe they are massaging the fat away. haha.
Biogenerization. Whisked away to a special room, 3 metal netted pads are placed on your head, abdomen and feet and you hold on to two metal rods. Electrical current rebalanced your body. I didn't feel anything but I sure liked the dark room, the music, the covering over my eyes....I think I fell asleep.
My nutritional interview I just told you about but in between that and another treatment the hotel guest relations manager - Miguel - gave me a detailed tour and more history.
The water station circuit - I thought it was going to be that cold walk again - and I was going to skip it. Glad I didn't - to a the day spa portion of the property - which just opened 2 months ago. You relax in a tub of hot water with mud (not heavy) which has mineral properties -good for ?? not sure but I know it must be very good for you! Then switch to another tub - of ??? something white and foamy that smells good and it must be good for you too! I will have to ask my English speaking hostess. Not all the spa attendants speak English.
Then a bath in a big beautiful pool like area - with a water fall from the ceiling - the water pressure feels very good on your back - not so much on your cabeza. Finally a shower - with the soap, shampoo and conditioner that is the private line of Kurotel. They have their own cosmetics line. They have their own pharmacy where they compound and create the healthy supplements that are given at lunch and dinner depending on your customized program. I am taking sea algae to make me feel full. I wonder how hungry I would be without it? In fact I am hungry right now and the box of chocolates is less than a foot away.
Each day, (I learned today) you are suppose to report in to the nurse ( 24/7 duty!!!) to have your blood pressure taken and report on sleep or anything else you might want to share (like digestive problems).
Welcome cocktail takes place once a week on Sundays - which is when new guests usually arrive. We are handed a small flute of champagne (non alcholic) and half a small glass of either fresh strawberry, pineapple or melon juice to go with our 4 allotted bite sized appetizers that are hand-served. One guest took all 4 at once. I took mine one at a time and joked with the server that he miscounted. There was a musician who played piano, guitar and sang. He asked if I had a request and since he hadn't played the Girl from Ipanema - and it reminded me of Dad - I asked and he gladly played. He had a very nice voice and I was surprised when he played Ring of Fire from Johnny Cash in a low, low voice. There were a few of us who sat on the couch and listened and it reminded me of an era long gone by - retiring to the music room - how civilized.
Dinner was more soup, fish and this time peas with a fruit gelatin. The fish is very good. Small but good. I had a lovely conversation with a couple that live in Amazonia which is 7 hours away by plane. Brazil is one big country! They said I made a good choice not to travel alone to Rio or Sao Paulo - that it is not safe and that Gramado is a wonderful place filled with cultured Europeans - very little crime - very well to do. Heck, can I pick locations or what?
Well, I am hoping that a snack will arrive soon but it is 11 pm so maybe not.
Love,
A thinner me ( i sure hope!)
.JPG)
