Day 2 of Phuket retreat:

- Woke up in time to join Gamma for yoga in the garden, pursued the lotus and overstretched my muscles to the therapeutic and tempering sound of waves breaking gently on the sand. Met the gardener, who was without balaclava (usually his accessory of choice when tending to the lawn, or so I've been told - we're still trying to figure that one out).

- Enlightening conversation with Bhupi about Indian politics ... while G very adroitly whipped up a mouthwatering lunch. Cooed about how heavenly the meal was.

- B took us on a driving tour of some nearby beaches, a vantage point overlooking the bays and an elephant safari park with a young trainee elephant named Tong and a capricious gibbon called Charlie.

- Parked ourselves on the beach. Relaxed, read and napped. Watched the sun set behind an obstructive islet and practiced our chit chatting skills till it got dark.

- Overate at Nature Restaurant, while a pair of gobbing goldfish gazed at as through the telly. The restaurant is decked out in recycled/recyclable items as decor features.

- Adjourned to a local club with a lively band and good music. They played a mix of Thai pop and English pop classics/hits. Boogied on down till nearly 2am, which I hadn't done in ages!