Day 190 - Rotorua

I started my yoga wwoof yesterday. The setup basically revolves around a guy, called Paul, who runs a studio in town and has a big organic garden back at his house outside of town. The plan is that you do gardening in return for accomodation, and pay a bit if you want to attend the yoga lessons in town (I've attended so far - justifying the cost by the fact the food is included and the cost for a weeks lessons is what I'd normally spend on a weeks food).

I went to a lesson yesterday. Charming old man turned into yoga dictator. "Lift your front thigh muscle, calf goes to the left, tense left stomach right stomach front stomach back stomach, TENSE YOUR ARMS KATIE" aaargh. I've never had a more hard core yoga lesson in my life - or one in which I had to think so hard! Who knew there were so many muscles all having apparently to tense in opposite directions for even the most simple moves (e.g. standing upright). After theknackering lesson I followed Linda, another person staying, to Paul's house. The house is only 15min drive from Rotorua, but is out in the bush so to get to it you have to drive down the longest, bumpiest road ever imaginable. Just when I thought I'd been lead on a wild goose chase, we turned a bend and were there.

The house is built by Paul, and made of wood (they like their self builds here). I have a big room all to myself as I am the only wwoofer at the mo (more coming tomorrow). The house has a big garden, a cat about 15 chickens. The cat is a sweetheart, but got off on the wrong foot when it decided to leave rabbit guts on the floor of my room (niice). The chickens are stupid, but they eat all the weeds I pull up when I'm gardening - and produce nice eggsin exchange.

Looking forward to meeting other wwoofers tomorrow. Not really looking forward to 3 hours of muscle-flexing, sweat-inducing yoga later *sigh*. Still, I'm sure I'll feel very virtuous afterward, and after a while of letting Rodders do all the hard work, I probably need the exercise!