California dreaming

Safe and sound in San Diego. Just came back from a full day of shopping with Heather and Bettina. We started off at The Container Store, then hit the local Walmart, followed by Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Ralphs. I bought a lot of stuff! The first question the customs officer asked me after I told him I was going on a nine-week yoga "retreat" was how much the entire gig was costing me. After I revealed the price tag, he let me through without any further questioning. I'm definitely contributing to the American economy, and today was no exception.

The Town & Country Resort is pretty decent. I'm in a gorgeous room right now, which I need to move out of tomorrow. The room I'll call home for nine weeks is in the east part of the hotel complex, and I've been told it isn't as nice as my current digs. Below is a picture from the outside. It's a room of my own and as long as it has a bed and a bathroom, it'll serve me just fine.

My hotel room from the outside. Haven't seen the actual room yet, but the exterior is quite inviting.

The Bikram Yoga "Village" is located at the north end of the resort. It consists of a large tent where we'll practice yoga twice a day Monday to Friday as well as on Saturday mornings -- 11 classes a week. (I bought enough electrolyte supplements today to sustain a small army.) I took a quick peek at the hot room yesterday (which wasn't hot at the time) and it's massive -- 14 rows and probably 40 mats can fit across each. The carpet is black and feels soft to the touch. (The Bell Boy asked if we were going to be doing races in the room -- he thought the lines were tracks!) Immediately beside the practice tent is a second tent, where we'll likely watch Bollywood flicks till the wee hours of the morning. Our first Bikram Yoga class is on Monday afternoon, which I believe will be led by Bikram himself. I can't wait!

View of the practice and lecture tents from the Royal Palm Tower.

I've met a handful of other teacher trainees and more and more (and more and more) keep arriving. A couple people recognize me from reading my blog, which is nice. Looks like we'll have a great group. And this training is apparently the biggest one ever!

A few other things worthy of mention:

It's very cold at night and in the mornings here, while it heats up pretty good during the day. (Sort of reminds me of San Francisco.) Unfortunately I didn't pack for the cooler temperatures, so it looks like I'll have an excuse to go shopping at Fashion Valley -- the best mall in San Diego and only a two-minute walk from the hotel.

Meals aren't included as part of our tuition, but we do get a discount at all restaurants on the hotel property. One of the restaurants will feature a Bikram night every Sunday, where they will offer light, healthy specials.There is also a Ralphs within walking distance. (Major grocery chain in California; I'm already part of their Loyalty program!)

I've been in San Diego for less than 24 hours, but I'm already feeling very much at home. Stay tuned to find out how the next nine weeks unfold!