Cris Ramis - The Baron's Blog

Atlanta Trip – Day 5, Part 2...

I freely admit that discovering a candida overgrowth, a parasite and heavy metal toxicity was initially a bit of a blow to me. I’d spent time and money and effort clearing myself of H Pylori from my gut and healing the damage it had done back in 2007/08, and really didn’t feel like doing all of that again.

Once I’d got over the initial shock and disappointment, I chose to view these new discoveries as a total blessing. I had noticed a few things going on health-wise and had now found the root cause of them. I could now address and get rid of these issues, and take my health to an even higher level.

Catherine and I discussed the way forward; following the anti-fungal diet as laid out by Dr Doug Kaufmann in his book ‘The Fungus Link’ coupled with supplements to eliminate the parasites and candida, and gently leach the lead from my body.

I’m following this for around 10 weeks (currently just over 4 weeks in) and will follow up with pro-biotics to re-colonise the gut with healthy bacteria and bring it back into balance.

Catherine ordered the relevant supplements for me and told me she’d forward them to me when they arrived.

She doesn’t like extremely restrictive diets (her latest newsletter confirms this), preferring those that are strict enough to get the job done. She told me my diet was fine as it was and that no major changes were needed other than to avoid all the items I’d tested as sensitive too.

She advised me that once I’d purged the candida, parasite and lead from my system I could re-introduce the foods I’m sensitive to.

I decided that I’d follow the anti-fungal diet as strictly as I had before, with the exception that I’d allow myself rice once a week if it was part of the Sunday lunch recipe that my Mum usually cooks for my brother and I.

I also decided I’d start the detox as soon as possible, and that means I’ve gone through Christmas without the usual chocolate and gluten-free treats.

Instead I had a mix of raw organic pecans, macadamia nuts, cacao nibs and blueberries to pick at when Christmas Day and Boxing Day rolled around, and very nice it was too. I’ll remember that for when I’m allowed ice-cream again.

It’s been a little challenging, though I’ve kept my mind firmly set on the prize of better health. The treats can come back in at a later date.

Catherine and I finished up our session and clarified everything that I needed to do when I got home.

We had a snack and then she drove me to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (M.A.R.T.A. for short), which is like Atlanta’s version of the London Underground.

We talked all the way and Catherine told me that Sue intended to hold Level 5 of her internship in Atlanta in January, and that Sue thought it would be quite ok for me to attend even though I’ve yet to do Levels 1 to 4. I took that as a compliment and told Catherine I’d see how things panned out before committing. I’d taken in so much from my 4 days here that I really wanted to let it all sink in.

We said our goodbyes and I thanked Catherine for a wonderful trip and all her help and healing.

My flight was due to leave at 5.15pm and I wanted to be there with plenty of time. I caught the MARTA at around 3pm and was at the airport by 3.30.

I checked in using the automated checking system (after a few false starts with it) and made my way through airport security. I went through a Full Body Scanner which was interesting, though apparently very unhealthy for you if you go by Dr Mercola’s (and other natural MDs) advice. Oh well, I was wearing my Q Link and about to spend 8 to 9 hours in a plane which isn’t meant to be great for you either, so c’est la vie.

I was cleared through and ready to go by 4.30 and bought myself a couple of litres of water for the trip home. I had snacks I’d bought from Whole Foods ready for the journey home.

We actually boarded early and were ready to fly by 5pm. ‘Fantastic!’ I thought, ‘With the tail-winds as they are, I’ll be home earlier than expected’.

We taxied for take-off, stopped and then taxied some more. By now it was 5.45 and we’d not taken off.

The pilot then announced they had a technical problem that they couldn’t resolve without returning to the airport terminal. Once they’d rectified it and re-fuelled, we’d be on our way.

 

So much for getting home early. Still, I was quite happy for the airport ground crew to take their time, sort the problem out and re-fuel us properly. That way I’d have the best chance of actually making it home in one piece.

Well they’d kept the in-flight entertainment systems working so I amused myself by brushing up on my geography using the GPS map system, and then flicked through the films on offer.

On the flight out to Atlanta I’d chosen to sleep or read as much as possible. On the flight home I was ’buzzing’ a bit, and decided to watch some movies instead. I picked ‘Kick Ass’ with Nicholas Cage to begin with, and was well into it by the time we took off around 7.15pm (midnight UK time).

Having dispatched ‘Kick Ass’ and enjoyed it, I picked ‘The Other Guys’ with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Another good choice which I also enjoyed.

With around of couple of hours left until landing at Gatwick, I went for ‘Predators’ starring Adrien Brody and just ran out of time to see the end of it.

I could’ve picked ‘Avatar’ and ‘Inception’ to watch, though saved these to watch on a bigger screen. According to my friends, I need to see both of these films either on HD TV or on a cinema screen to fully appreciate them.

I touched down around 8am UK time, and at under 8 hours the flight had been quicker than I’d expected.

Having left rain in Atlanta, I was greeted by sunshine in the UK. The opposite of what occurred when I flew out the previous Thursday.

After negotiating customs etc, I made my way back to dear old Southend-on-Sea by train; a journey which took approximately 2 hours or so.

I’d had a great trip, it was good to be back and I was looking forward to taking action on everything I’d learnt.

I also look forward to going back to Atlanta in the future. For now, I’m focused on the present and making the most of it. It's my intention to put into practice all I learned on my trip and make 2011 even more successful for myself on all fronts than 2010.

Stay well and happy, and best wishes for the New Year.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip – Day 5, Part 1...

On my last morning in Atlanta, I awoke early and ready for the day.

I’d packed the night before and was on time to get to Catherine’s for our early (8am) start.

It was raining again, and it was torrential! Monsoon weather as we might say. My colleagues on the course had joked that I’d brought the rain with me – I plead not guilty. I’d enjoyed (thoroughly) the sunshine and 60-70 degree weather so far, and this was quite a surprise.

As it was my last day, after my usual breakfast I treated myself to some strawberries (see below):

 

They may not have been organic, though they were massive! I thanked the staff for their service, checked out (thanking the staff again for my great stay) and took a cab to Catherine’s.

I recognised the driver from a day or two before, and we talked during the 20 minute drive.

Over the course of the conversation he told me he had been in the air-force prior to being discharged in the mid-80s.

I asked where he was stationed, thinking he may have been in Europe or the UK, and he said ‘The Philippines’. I’d wondered why he had been discharged though didn’t ask him.

We had a nice chat and were soon at Catherine’s. As I paid him, I noticed my driver’s fingers; they were swollen and misshaped – like they had been burned or perhaps melted in a fire. Was this why he was discharged from the air-force? Once again I thought better of asking him, and just gently reminded myself to be happy and grateful for my life and everything in it. 

Catherine let me in and told me she was just about to take Belle for her morning walk. She said it would just be long enough for Belle to go to the bathroom and then we’d start.

Belle looked so cute in her raincoat that I decided to take a picture. Though the lighting and flash make her look a little possessed, I can assure you she is anything but.

 

I caught up with Ken whilst Catherine walked Belle.

Catherine was back within a few minutes (it wasn't the kind of weather to have a pleasant stroll in) and we got down to work.

The morning session focused on ‘willingness’, something Catherine believes is a hugely important aspect to address with clients, and I agree.

We addressed my willingness to change and to implement the actions we decided that were needed and were in my ‘highest, best interest’ (a.k.a. HBI) on both a personal and professional level.

Once again we used kinesiology, flower essences and other techniques to do this.

We took a break for a snack and then started working again around late morning.

This next session was a big one and we covered many areas including:

Business – finding my true calling, my willingness to act upon what we found to be in my HBI and to allow the necessary changes to take place, my attitude to myself in terms of my work and my ability to succeed.

I was allocated a flower essence to use for 3 months to continue the healing process on this area.

Personal – my current and future living arrangements and familial role, my attitude to success in all areas of my personal life.

Personal – my intimate relationships and how to make them more successful.

I was recommend a book called ‘The 5 Love Languages’ by Gary Chapman to help with this area

We broke for lunch (with Ken at a local Chinese noodle bar) and then headed back for one more session.

The afternoon session looked at my health and we tested for food sensitivities. We found the following:

Banana – slightly surprising though not completely unexpected; I notice I get a runny nose after eating them.

Brewer’s Yeast – upon further testing we found that I’m not sensitive to gluten or wheat. I am in fact sensitive to the Brewer’s Yeast used in many of the products that contain gluten a dn wheat.

Beer – no problem here as I’m teetotal, though it must be down to Brewer’s Yeast again. When I started drinking beer in my mid-to-late teens, I'd notice that my stomach would bloat very quickly.  When I switched from beer to Guinness or cider I had no bloating, and then hangover was different too (though still present).

Chocolate – Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Upon further testing we found that milk or white chocolate were the culprit as they are made from Cow’s milk (see below). I’m ok with dark chocolate – yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!

Coffee – Another common food sensitivity and another one irrelevant to me as I don’t drink it.

Fish – many fish are contaminated with toxins i.e. mercury, though Catherine advised me I was ok with wild caught salmon which is the only fish I eat on a weekly basis.

Cow’s milk – no problem for me as I only consume raw goat’s cheese on a weekly basis, though it did mean curtailing eating organic ice-cream along with some forms of chocolate (see above).

Shellfish – aside from being a common food allergy, the majority of shellfish are also contaminated with toxins like mercury.

Soy – although touted as a healthy food, soy is something I avoid and recommend everyone else does. Both www.mercola.comand the Price-Pottenger website (http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/index.htm) have more information about soy and why it’s to be avoided.

After checking for food sensitivities, Catherine tested me for candida and parasites and also for heavy metal toxicity.

It transpires I have a candida overgrowth, a parasite in my small and large intestine and lead in lungs and gallbladder.

Yay.

Stay well, happy and focused on the positive.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip – Day 4....

Once again I slept well and awoke refreshed and on time.

My daily trip to the breakfast bar ended up with my being asked for (and giving) nutrition and health advice to the chef and head waiter. They both wanted to lose weight and, in the 5 minutes I had with them I gave them what I could.

I shot back upstairs to clean my teeth and grab my bag for the day, then waited for my lift with Sue in the hotel lobby.

After about 5 minutes she arrived and we headed off to Catherine’s for Day 2 of the Money Course.

We had a quick recap before we started day 2. During this recap, Belle got very excited and agitated by squirrels in Catherine’s Zen garden. It was lovely to watch them run around the place. I have foxes frequent my garden back home, so this was something new. Eventually, the whole group took a few minutes to watch them scurry and play, then we got down to work. No squirrel pics as they were too quick!

Day 2 saw us cover two things extensively; willingness and fear.

Willingness is something Catherine feels is hugely important with regards to successfully training clients, and I’ve felt the same for some time.

Let’s face it, it’s important for all of us and plays a key role in whether we achieve any goal we set our sights on!

We can all talk a good game and tell people about what we want to achieve in life, though if we don’t have the willingness to actually do what we need to in order to reach the goal, then not much is going to happen.

So, bearing that in mind, we worked on our willingness to change our mindsets, beliefs, behaviours and actions in relation to money and abundance.

In doing so, we addressed any issues and fears that may have been blocking us from doing what we needed to do to attract and manifest more money and abundance in our lives.

I had 4 fears to release: fear of not being fed, fear of death, fear of debt and fear of cash.

I count myself lucky that these were the only sub-conscious fears I had to release. There were a whole host of others I could’ve had, and that other course attendees have had to deal with.

We broke for lunch and another trip to Whole Foods.

The afternoon session basically saw us go through lots of positive affirmations about money and abundance. We checked that they resonated with us, or that we were in agreement with them on a sub-conscious level.

If they weren’t, we’d carry out a procedure to bring ourselves into alignment with the positive affirmation and remove the relevant negative belief.

This process took up the majority of the afternoon session, though once we’d completed it I had a mini one-to-one session with Sue. This was something each attendee had received during the 2-day course, and was something I’m very grateful for.

Once again it was a very personal experience that I will not share in detail here. She identified the primary way in which I communicated with other people, and gave me guidance as to how I can to improve this.

After this, the group had a summing up session where Sue clarified what we needed to do to get the most from the Money course, and we each shared our experiences of the weekend.

Then the group headed off for a relaxing and pleasant meal at a branch of the California Pizza Kitchen (no pizza for me; I had chicken salad) in Lenox Square, which was near my hotel. Whilst we sat around chatting after the meal, rain began to gently fall. It was the first rain I’d seen during my stay.

One of my fellow attendees kindly gave me a lift back to my hotel and an impromptu night-time tour of Atlanta when she got slightly lost. It was fun as we got time to chat and I saw some of Atlanta in a totally different light.

I also saw something that amused me greatly whilst driving past a lap-dancing club; ‘Lunchtime Special – Dinner and Dance for $12’ – now that’s a bargain! I had to smile at the thought of the lap-dancing club’s management putting that special offer together as a means of raising revenue. As a business owner myself I empathised with them.

Before heading up to my room to pack for my trip home the next evening, I got talking to Tony on the front-desk. He said if I ever came back I should try and make it to Mary Mac’s Tea Room; a highly regarded local restaurant he had just started working at. I’ve checked out the website (http://marymacs.com/) and it looks good. I may well visit when I return to Atlanta, as I surely will.

I headed to my room and packed for the next day, whilst watching the American Football. Catherine had suggested I get over to her house for around 8am so that we could spend as much time working together, so I wanted an early night if possible.

When I decided to take this trip, I set the intention of squeezing every drop of growth from it. So far, I’d done just that, and I was determined to make the most of the time I had left here.

Stay well, happy and willing.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip – Day 3....

I slept well, though woke earlier than I’d anticipated. 

I think this down to me being keen to be on time and not keep anyone waiting.

After carrying out my morning ablutions and filling myself with my usual breakfast (the staff knew my order by now), I got myself together and grabbed a cab ride to Catherine’s.

I was excited at the thought of meeting Sue and working through any issues I had relating to money and abundance.

I’d given myself plenty of time and that made it easy to relax on the way to Catherine’s. I got there so early I was in fact the first of the attendees to make it. Pat on the back for El Baron and his punctuality.

Catherine introduced me to Sue and we all passed the time whilst we waited for the others attendees.

In all there were 7 of us (including Catherine) taking the course. Catherine had taken it before though wanted to take it again as she got so much from it previously.

After we introduced ourselves to each other and told a little about our backgrounds, the course began in earnest.

We began by covering basic kinesiology and how we can use to test ourselves and each other for pretty much anything we want to.

It’s really too much to go into now, though perhaps I’ll find some good videos on YouTube about it.

There was a small amount of overlap between the basic kinesiology techniques we covered and the EFT techniques I’d learnt in the past.

I’ve gone over these techniques since my return and enjoyed using them on myself at a basic level. With a little more practice I’ll have these basics mastered and will take things from there.

I’m in discussions with a local kinesiologist about a possible exchange of training for training. Watch this space.

After that we went through sections of the manual that helped us to, firstly, identify how we picture prosperity in our lives, areas of challenge and conflict for us in the past, limiting beliefs about money, how we measure success and any other limiting beliefs or blocks we had to having money and abundance in our lives.

Secondly, we set about clearing ourselves of these limitations and blocks and replacing them, where necessary, with positive programmes, beliefs and affirmations.

If, at a conscious and cognitive level, you want to attract money and abundance into your life, then you need to look at what’s going on in your sub-conscious and unconscious.

The conscious is the tip of the iceberg – the smaller part of you and your mind, whilst the sub and unconscious is the rest of the iceberg – the huge portion that lies hidden, and that’s where the real work is done, and where most of us had to focus our efforts on.

We broke for lunch and visited Whole Foods again as a group which was nice.

The afternoon session was spent partly finishing off what we started in the morning, and also on us putting together a vision-board for money and abundance.

I started mine, though decided I would finish it at home in the UK as I’d already got one on the go and wanted to revamp it using what I’d learned on the course.

Catherine showed us what different sections of the vision-board were designated for i.e. top left is money and top right is relationships.

I told Sue about the ‘Calling In The One’ course I’d completed in the Summer and she suggested I out together a vision-board solely based on the qualities and characteristic I’m looking for in my perfect mate.

She basically said you can do a general vision-board or a different one for each area of your life; it’s your choice.

We got through a fair bit on day 1, separated by lunch at Whole Foods again, and I was glad when Sue called a halt to it. Personally, I was buzzing, though I also was ready to stop, rest and let the positive changes I’d already put in place start to sink in.

Catherine had told me before I travelled to bring a smart suit as she and ken would be taking Sue out to dinner that night, and I was invited too.

Prior to getting ready for dinner, Catherine and I walked Belle and I took some pictures of Catherine’s neighbourhood, which you can see below:

 

 

We returned home, freshened up and Ken drove us to Seasons 52 in Buckhead (www.seasons52.com) fresh grill, a very nice restaurant that was relaxed and classy at the same time.

Once again I was going to take pictures of the meal I had, though appetite got the better of me, at least until it came time for dessert.

They offered a range of what they called ‘Mini Indulgences’ (see http://www.seasons52.com/menu/mini_indulgences.asp for more info), and I had to take a photo of them as they were mini works of dessert art. I went for pecan pie on the far right hand side – yum – though could have demolished the lot if my budget had been larger. Next time.

 

After Ken and Catherine dropped myself and Sue off at our respective hotels, I got as much prepared for the next day’s study as possible and then went to bed for as early a night as I could manage.

Sue was picking me up on the way through the next day and I wanted to be punctual again.

Whilst I was preparing for bed I caught ‘Are You Being Served’ and ‘As Time Goes By’ on one the US TV channels. Classic! They love a good British sit-com over there apparently.

I hold Catherine and Sue in high regard, though have stopped way short of placing on a pedestal as that’s something I no longer do for anyone of anything.

Having spent both professional and personal time in their company, I was reminded that we all have our challenges to face in life, at least until we reach a certain level of consciousness and enlightenment. At that point I think you see and interact with life in a very different way; one that’s a lot more loving, easy, simple and blissful than the majority of us currently enjoy.

Day 1 had highlighted a lot for me and I wondered what day 2 would bring.

Stay well, happy and away from too many mini-indulgences over the festive season.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip - Day 2, part 3...

After arriving back at Catherine’s, Ken once again became my chauffeur. He drove me back to my hotel to pick up some jeans as he and Catherine had decided to take me out for meal that night to a Moroccan restaurant called ‘The Imperial Fez’ (with real, live belly-dancers!).

I had travelled with the bare minimum of clothes and ‘going out’ clothes didn’t feature heavily in my suitcase. I checked with Ken that jeans and a smart t-shirt would cut it at ‘The Fez’, and he said it would be fine.

On the way back we had time on our hands, so Ken drove me around the Buckhead area again and told me about the history of the place. Just wonderful. Like a personal history tour with some beautiful views in the Georgia sun.

Back at Catherine’s, Ken and I sat on the sun-deck area, taking in the afternoon sunshine whilst chatting. Ken was great company.

After completing her session, Catherine joined us and re-charged herself.

Suitably refreshed, she and I had our second healing session.

This one focused on my business; how I ran it, my attitude and beliefs surrounding it and how best for me to take it forward and make it more successful.

Once again, we addressed many issues on many levels and she gave me practical advice as well as healing.

Once again, she used flower essences, affirmations and other techniques to address these issues, and kinesiology to check they had been resolved on all levels.

I came away with many things to implement into my business practices, all of which will happen from the 1^st January 2011. All my clients are aware of the changes that will be taking place and know they can discuss them with me if needed.

I’m convinced that the changes I’ve implemented will make 2011 a significantly more successful year in business for me.

After working for over an hour we broke for the day, re-fuelled and rested so we’d be fresh for the evening.

After a well-needed nap, I was charged with taking Catherine’s dog (Belle) for a walk around the neighbourhood whilst Catherine got herself ready.

We didn’t go far as Belle was a little wary of me, though she carried out her required toilet duty which was the main aim of the walk.

After returning from this short constitutional we left belle in her bed and headed off to ‘The Imperial Fez’ for dinner.

I have eaten Moroccan cuisine or similar before, though The Fez provided me with a dining experience I’d not had before.

Firstly we left out shoes and coats at the door/cloakroom area.

The restaurant proper was decked out as if it was one large tent with tables surrounded by pillows and cushions we were expected to sit on, or at least arrange ourselves on as best we could. Not a problem for the three of us, and we all proved to be supple enough to manage it (all that yoga and flexibility work paid off).

There was a 5 course set meal available that night and we went for that option. I wanted to take pictures to show you, though instead chose to get stuck into the food instead, and very good food it was too.

Throughout the course of the evening, belly-dancers moved amongst the crowd to show their skills and claim some dollar bills from the crowd.  

I have no idea how authentic or not the whole evening was in terms of Moroccan dining. All I do know was that I enjoyed the evening very much.

Ken and Catherine dropped me back to my hotel and I ensured I got off to sleep as soon as possible.

Tomorrow was Day 1 of the ‘Money’ course, one of the two main reasons for my making the trip, and would bring my first meeting with Sue Maes – Catherine’s coach and mentor.

Stay well, happy and warm if it’s snowing where you are.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip - Day 2, part 2...

After dropping me at Catherine's, Ken took off to take care of some business.

Whilst waiting for Catherine to finish with her first client of the day, I decided to do some standing Qi Gong to prepare myself as best as possible for our healing session.

I also took some pictures of the view from Catherine deck/porch area:
Firstly to the east....

 
...then towards the south....

 

....and lastly to the north....
 

...and to finish here's a shot of her Zen garden where she meditates, does yoga and takes sessions when it's appropriate:
 

After around 15 minutes Catherine came out to greet me and took me downstairs to her studio, which was filled with an assortment of gym equipment, books, remedies, potions, essences and supplements.

One thing that sticks in my mind about Catherine's place was the number of books she had, the overwhelming majority of which were related to some aspect of healing, training, health or spirituality. She certainly has an impressive library.

We began my healing session by checking the health of my circadian rhythms (a.k.a. body clock) using kinesiology, and re-balancing it following my plane trip across the time zones.

Catherine uses kinesiology a lot, and seeing it in action both on myself and others across the weekend has made me decide to study it, both for myself and my clients.

The session began in earnest then, and it focused on aspects of my personality and life including relationships in my personal and business life.

As some of the things we worked on are intensely personal to me, I won't share the details here.

During the session Catherine had me use flower essences, affirmations and other techniques to address and heal where necessary.

One of the flower essences had a very powerful effect upon me that, in terms of it's intensity, was second only to the shamanic journeying experience I had earlier this year.

She then used kinesiology to confirm the correction had taken place.

We worked for almost 2 hours and then took a break for lunch; we both needed it.

Catherine drove us to 'Whole Foods' in the mid-town area of Atlanta.

Now, the best way I can describe this place is to ask you to imagine a big supermarket filled with healthy food or, at the least far healthier than you'll find in the majority of supermarkets anywhere in the modernised world.

It stocked anything and everything organic in terms of meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables and desserts.

I could've spent half a day in there checking out all the items they had. Just huge.

The Whole Foods chain has it's critics who say it had just turned organic produce into a money-making exercise and squeezes out the smaller local producers. I choose not to comment about this as i don;t yet know enough about the topic.

Personally, it's good to see a big chain of supermarkets that are at least healthier than the norm, and if there was one near me in dear old Southend-on-Sea, I'd visit it (the are 5 in London currently, so maybe I'll check one of them out when the weather improves).

For now I'm happy to get my fruit, veg and eggs from a local organic box scheme (www.homelarder.co.uk) and getting organic meat and wild caught fish from local supermarkets.

When funds become more plentiful (soon!) I can consider getting meat and fish from the box scheme too. 

Having bought lunch (my treat as Catherine had driven me around so much) we ate some, 'doggy bagged' the rest and headed back to Catherine's so she could be ready for her afternoon client.

The plan was for me to have another session with Catherine once she'd finished with her afternoon client.

I certainly felt energised following the session with Catherine, and basically ecstatic that I'd made the choice to make the visit to Atlanta. I was having a great time!

Stay well, happy and tuned for more.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip - Day 2, part 1...

Day 2 of my trip began around 5.45am. I woke up to visit the bathroom and then couldn't get back to sleep.

After the running around and general excitement of the day before, I really thought I'd sleep like a log.

Not the case.

I forced myself to lay there and sleep on. I managed to drift off again (being on the 10th floor of the hotel away from traffic helped, as did the eye mask and ear-plugs I wear) and woke again around 8.30.

Catherine had asked me to visit her around 10am so I hit the shower and was getting dressed for breakfast when the hotel room phone rang, surprisingly.

Ken, Catherine's partner, called and kindly offered me a lift to Catherine's which I accepted gratefully.

I got a move on, pausing only to take pictures of my room and the view from it, which I've added below. 

 

 
The queen size bed was very comfy!

 

I swiftly headed down to the breakfast bar which, as is usual for the breakfast bars in US hotels in my experience, massive.

I last visited the US in 2003. My nutrition back then was rather different to what its like now. Back then I would've happily gorged myself on the porridge, meat and pastries and crow-barred in as much food as I could take.

This time round I chose grapefruit for breakfast to help my digestion and then went for a 6 egg omelette to which I added some cranberries, raisins and pineapple. Aside from these taking care of any sweetness requirements I had, the pineapple also contains bromelain - an enzyme that helps to break down protein for digestion. Pics below are of my standard breakfast for the duration of my stay:

 

 
Trust me, there are some eggs under the cranberries, raisins and pineapple!

The staff, as I found throughout my stay, were friendly and helpful. Cynics might say it was due to them wanting a nice tip from me, the more optimistic amongst us may choose to think it's because you get what you give in life.

I fall into the latter camp.

Ken arrived around 9.30 and drove us to Catherine's.

As we had some time to play with, he drove us around the area surrounding her home.

The sun was shining and it was 60-70 degrees. The place looked spectacular. I had more time to take it in as I wasn't rushing to a yoga class.

Just some stunning views, settings and properties. Slightly out of my budget in terms of house-buying, though stunning all the same.

When we drove past the Governor of Atlanta's house, I knew I was in an up-market area (as if there had been any doubt!) and the surrealism factor hit the roof again. Almost had to pinch myself.

If Ken and Cath ever make it over to Southend-on-Sea, it'll seem tiny. Still, it's my home and I'm grateful for it. Everywhere has pros and cons, challenges and benefits.

After the brief sight-seeing, we headed to Catherine's and I had my first session of one-to-one healing from her.

Stay well, happy and grateful for where you are, as the grass may not be greener.

Cris (El Baron)

 

Atlanta Trip Day 1, part 2...

Having secured a cab from Hartfield-Jackson, I sat back and tried to take in as much of Atlanta as possible before arriving at Catherine's.

I don't yet regularly use or travel on UK motorways. I have no need to as 100% of my business takes place locally, along with 99% of my social life.

Even if I did use them regularly, I'm sure it still wouldn't have prepared me for the scale of the highways in Atlanta.

It's been 7 years since I saw anything like them, and the scale of them was impressive to say the least.

As we made our way along Interstate 75, which seemed to have 8 lanes going in each direction, I found myself viewing everything with a kind of child-like enthusiasm. I was transported back to the 1970s and 80s when, as a child and teenager, I'd watch TV and see all those US based shows that so influenced my idea of what the USA was like. Hardly an accurate picture of US life admittedly, though no more inaccurate than what the average American would think life in Britain is like if they watched our TV shows.

Every huge road or building or stadium I saw reminded me all the cop shows I watched as a youth. Anyone for Starsky & Hutch, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco or CHiPs? How about The Rockford Files, The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider or The Equalizer? The list is extensive and I'll leave it here.

I did indeed have square eyes as a kid, though grew out of the habit I'm pleased to say.

After 20 minutes or so we made it Catherine's and left my day-dreaming behind as my trip well and truly began.

After quickly saying hello to her, her partner Ken and her lovely dog Belle I stashed my suitcase and jumped into Catherine's car as we made our way to her first yoga class of the day.

By now it was 4pm and, whilst I'd normally be feeling hungry, the whole adrenalin and excitement of being in a new country and on a mini-adventure took my mind off food.

The 10 minute drive through Catherine's neighbourhood gave me a chance to take in a more residential area of Atlanta. Simply beautiful. The area of Atlanta she lives in was built in a forest, so the views were fantastic in places as were many of the homes, the majority of which still had decorations up from Halloween (US culture memories surfaced again. Incredible how much of it I absorbed as a child). Beautiful homes in a beautiful surrounding. 

The yoga class was held in a high school that (like everything else in Atlanta that I'd seen so far) was huge, and consisted of a group of female teachers from the school. It lasted around 60-75 minutes and certainly helped my body regain it's equilibrium after my flight. I certainly wasn't out of my depth in the class (Catherine knew I could handle it) and enjoyed it. Just as well I'd taught myself sun salutes prior to going on my trip. They came in handy.

We headed back to Catherine's for some dinner and I re-fuelled on organic beef steak and buttered asparagus with strawberries to follow. Fantastic! 

No time to rest as Catherine, Ken and I headed off to her second and final yoga class of the day at a local church (The Holy Spirit Catholic Church - once again, huge).

More demanding than the first class I'd attended, with more challenging poses. Once again I coped pretty well. I put this down to the fact I focus on maintaining and developing flexibility to balance my weight-training, and have done so for almost 10 years now. Also, it helps to have long arms when attempting some of the more advanced yoga poses, and I'm blessed with those too!

After that, Catherine and Ken drove me to my hotel: the Courtyard by Marriot in Buckhead. Once again I took in the views of Atlanta by night.

They dropped me off and I checked in. By this time I was ready to sleep. I wasn't overcome with fatigue, I just felt naturally ready for bed.

The local NFL team (that's American Football to the uninitiated), the Atlanta Falcons, were entertaining the Baltimore Ravens that evening and the game was televised (unsurprisingly). I'd seen lots of the Baltimore fans at the airport as they travelled into the game. Atlanta won 27 to 21. I've been a fan of American Football since it was first televised in the UK in 1982 on Channel 4, and wanted to watch the end of the game, though sleep was my priority.

The check-in staff were friendly and my room was pleasant enough. I un-packed, meditated briefly and settled down to sleep.

Tomorrow I was going spend the day with Catherine to have one-to-one sessions with her, and I wanted to be as fresh as possible. I'd enjoyed my first day so much that it made me even more determined to squeeze every drop of benefit and pleasure from the trip.

Stay well, happy and tuned.

Cris (El Baron)

Atlanta Trip - Day 1, part 1...

Ok. It's been a while since I've posted anything.

I've been processing a lot of things I experienced from my trip to Atlanta.

I was taking the trip to attend the 'Money' course given my Sue Maes (www.suemaes.com), which was all about our attitudes, beliefs and mental programs (hidden and other) to money, though in the process of addressing all this we certainly covered other areas too.

I travelled on the morning of the 13th November. I rose at 3am (yay!) and a very kind friend of mine picked me up and dropped me at Gatwick (thanks Stew!).

Having arrived at Gatwick around 5.50am, i was checked in by 6.15am. A word of praise for the Delta check-in staff. It's been 7 years since i travelled abroad, and this was my first time going abroad by myself. They were very helpful and patient with me. Really put my at ease for the rest of the trip.

Having decided to skip another meal before flying, and instead chose to rehydrate with plenty of water. I'd bought healthy snacks for my trip as I didn't want to eat any of the food they serve on the plane.

I picked a spot with a view of the runway and sipped my water whilst watching planes come and go. 

As taking this trip, especially solo, was (for me anyway) pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, I decided to push things further and engage a fellow traveller in conversation.

Turns out he was an ex-pat on the same flight as I, and going to Atlanta to catch a connecting flight to his home in Kansas. We had a very pleasant chat, were seated very close to each other and have since corresponded by email. He was also able to give me the heads up re US customs & Immigration and what to expect (thanks Glenn!).

The effort to stretch my boundaries was proving well worth it.

In spite of the numerous films on offer (Avatar and Inception etc), I spent most of the trip to Atlanta catching up on sleep. I was fortunate to have space around me on the plane so I could spread out a bit.

I got chatting to my nearest neighbour (Dan), and it turns out his girlfriend has just passed her personal training course and begun working for one of the big chains of health clubs. Once again, emails were swapped and advice given.

I avoided the plane food as planned and worked my way through my snacks (raw, organic mulberries from www.detoxyourworld.com - fantastic!) and raw, organic cacao nibs from my local health food store Greens in Leigh-on-Sea(http://www.greenshealthfoods.com/). 

The wind was with us as we touched down in Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson airport a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule; 1.15pm local time (6.15pm UK time).

I'd left the UK in chilly rain and arrived in Atlanta to find sunshine and 60-70 degrees with very little humidity. I could've got away with shorts!

This extra 30 minutes was crucial as it gave me time to clear customs, pick up my baggage (with help from a friendly airport employee called Paul who asked me for advice on losing weight - once again i duly obliged) and find a cab to take me to the home of Catherine Carrigan in time to do her first yoga class of the day.

And that's enough for now.

Stay well, happy and tuned for Part 2....

Cris (El Baron)