After returning from Australia, I had five more days of leave which I was made to use up before the year was up so I decided to take myself to Taiwan for a detox retreat as that was something I hadn’t done before. I did a Google search and found Ananda Marga Detox Retreat that’s located in Yujing (玉井), which is a 50-min bus ride from Tainan.

I opted for the five-day yoga and detox retreat that costs TWD7,500 with meals and accommodation provided. It’s that cheap because the place is very basic and really, you don’t eat very much while there.

The retreat is in a pretty secluded spot surrounded by green hills and fruit plantations. There’s lots of fresh air and greenery, and it’s really peaceful…just the sort of place for some quiet time.

Men and women sleep in separate rooms and you have to share the room with other participants. We slept on a mattress that was placed on the floor and had to bring our own sleeping bags as well as cutlery for meals. We were also told to bring a big water bottle (at least 1 litre capacity) as we had to keep drinking ionised water to flush out toxins in our body throughout the retreat.

The first night we had a yoghurt drink for dinner, the second day it was just freshly squeezed fruit juice for all three meals. The third day we drank water only. On the fourth and fifth day, we had solid food again. Every morning, we had to wake up at 5.30am to squeeze lemon juice and drink it together with ionised water and lots of unprocessed sea salt. This very unpalatable combination made all of us shit and vomit a lot, which serves to purge all the crap from the intestines.

Even though I didn’t eat a lot, the surprising thing was that my stomach didn’t actually feel hungry. When it came to meal times, it was just the mind saying it was time for food, but in actual fact the stomach itself wasn’t really crying out. During the retreat, we also had nutrition lessons which focused mainly on the advantages of vegetarianism to prevent cancer.

In the mornings and evenings, we also had yoga and meditation sessions. The yoga sessions are targeted at beginners and so it’s easy to do and follow. There was also time allocated to go for walks around the area and we were also given quiet time to reflect on our own. When I was at the retreat, I didn’t feel the need nor want to check my iPhone or surf the internet. I wanted to be shut away from the world and this was a good place to do so.

Our breakfast on the fifth and last day were these delicious slices of bread and pineapple jam made by the couple who run the place. We were SO glad to be able to eat solid food again on the last two days! All the food we ate were organic vegetarian food and some of the vegetables and fruits were actually from the vegetable patch and fruit plantation that belong to this place.

The last meal we had was a healthy and yummy meal that was also homemade. This was such a feast compared to the liquid diet we had been on for 2.5 days. Needless to say, nothing went uneaten. During the retreat, I realised going vegetarian really wasn’t that difficult. After the retreat, my body couldn’t and didn’t feel like eating any meat straight after the detox. So I continued with the vegetarian streak while I was in Tainan and Taipei for the next four days.

And I’m still at it, believe it or not! Going vegetarian in the past 1.5 months has been a pretty life-changing experience. I’ve discovered more vegetarian food options and have started cooking more for myself. If I really have to eat some meat, I will opt only for seafood, but even that I have avoided. I still eat eggs and cheese though. I’ve found that my body feels lighter and I’ve also lost a little weight as a result of my diet change. Ordering from a menu is now a lot faster as I only have to zero in on the few vegetarian options available at most restaurants.

Friends have been shocked at my sudden change in diet, disbelieving the fact that this foodie is capable of such a thing. Surprisingly, I haven’t had the urge to eat meat and now I’m a lot more mindful about what I put into my body. I never thought I’d be able to do it, but since it’s beneficial to my health and is more environmentally, I’m going to stick to being vegetarian for as long as possible.