I heard a hissing sound behind me as my right foot struggled to wriggle out of the wet mud that it had gotten stuck in. “Victor! Wait for me!” I yelled. I know Victor was just a little distance in front of me, ( focusing on not breaking the flow for some kick-ass Insta360 footage :P) but the grass was so tall I couldn’t see him. I managed to get my boot out of the mucky mud and for a second admired the majestic reeds that were all around me. The hissing sound continued and seemed to be getting louder by the second. “Victor where the hell are you?”, I thought. Don’t leave me here to be snake food. Just then I saw some swift movement on the ground beside me, and then it came to a halt right in-front of me- a slimy brown rope like form. Oops!!! Should I run? Should I let it pass? Should I stamp it with my feet? Should I scream? There were a hundred thoughts running through my head in that split second. But before I could even come up with a decision the timid snake frightfully crawled away. Hahahaha. What a relief!
“Senneil are you okay? Come fast.. everything is so beautiful!” Victor yelled as he appeared in sight through the tall grass around 25 metres in front of me. “Coming”, I yelled. No way was I going to tell the boy that a harmless non-poisonous field snake had scared the living daylights out of me. (Don’t let him see this :P)
I trudged towards Victor and held his hand to see what lay in front of us. A beautiful stream passed by with a log across it. A few gorgeous white flowers dotted the plants on either side. It was an hour from sunset and the sky had started to display its artistic abilities with beautiful purples, yellows, oranges and reds intermingling with the blue. What lay in front of us was definitely something out of a picture book. And the thrill of being on a real adventure out in the middle of an island in Goa way away from everyone else was incredibly exciting. We ambled through the long blades of grass along the remaining path admiring the beauty of God’s creations and finally reached the most sublime water body – Eco Dream Lake. On the left was a serene fresh water lake that was home to myriad local fishes and on the right was the mesmerizing mud lake where I would be indulging in a therapeutic mud bath in the wild.
You must be wondering what a mud bath is. Well like it’s name suggests, it is a bath in fresh wet mud to utilize the detoxification and therapeutic properties of mud. The healing properties of mud were discovered during the Roman Empire back in the days around 120 BC. The ancient Romans incorporated this treatment into their culture using it not only for preventive and curative therapeutic measures but also as a socializing tool, where members of the entire community—male and female, young and old, ill and healthy—would gather, share lively conversations and immerse themselves in the mud.
Nowadays, quite a few high end spas offer mud baths as a treatment offer that costs around 100 dollars and is something only the elite coddle in. I always wanted to experience a mud bath but the cost involved always kept me from indulging in one. But this one here in the wild at Eco Dream Lake on Divar Island was free and I was exhilarated to try it out.
I shed my clothing and footwear and got into the mucky lake. The best part about entering a mud lake is that you don’t have to swim or even know how to swim. Just let loose and relax as your body suspends in the water. I spent the next one hour feeling like Cleopatra going about her daily beauty ritual in a silica mud bath. As my body floated on the mud-water mixture I stared into the sky and cherished the sight of birds passing by. A weightless sensation settled over my body as my muscles leisurely relaxed. After an hour of miraculous calm, I finally got out and washed the mud off myself feeling completely rejuvenated.
I know the process of getting into a mud bath seems so tempting, bud you are wondering what the therapeutic benefits of a mud bath really are. Here’s a list of the top benefits that a mud bath has to offer:
1) Gives you softer and fresher skin
Well, I think the biggest therapy that a mud bath can offer is to detoxify the skin of any impurities (especially those caused due to pollution) leaving you with smooth, soft and fresh skin. Also the mud acts as a mild scrub which is another component to you having smoother skin after a mud bath.
2) Reduces chronic inflammatory conditions
Mud is known to promote the release of cortisone which has anti-inflammatory properties. This feature can be really beneficial in relieving joint pain in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, gout and osteoarthritis.
3) Relieves stress
Mud stimulates the production of endorphins, and in addition to the pain relief effect that the treatment has, mud therapy has a considerable anti-stress effect. Also, don’t you think that floating in a mid lake and admiring the beauty around in itself will alleviate stress levels?
AYUSH and naturopathy physicians swear by the numerous benefits that mud baths offer.
However, even if you don’t believe in the therapeutic benefits of mud don’t you want to just feel like a Cleopatra or a Roman emperor and have fun being pampered in this ancient treatment? I recommend that you have a mud bath at least once in your life.
You can either choose one at a high end spa or indulge in one in the wild like I did at Eco Dream Lake. Consider staying at the beautiful AirBnb ‘Moradia Dos Quadros’ { http://moradiadosquadros.com/} to get an immersive experience of Divar island and exclusive private access to a mud bath lake. Also spend the morning fishing and indulge in an amazing Feni tasting session offered by the home’s bubbly and passionate owner, Neves Quadros. Trust me when I tell you that a few hours with Neves and you will never forget him.
The best way to explore the beautiful Divar island is by joining the ‘Island exploration at Divar’ adventure with Soul Travelling {www.soultravelling.in} To see our experience on this adventure check out our YouTube video {link YouTube video on the same when it releases}. We also visited a ‘Menwati’ (local candle) factory and witnessed the process of how candles are made.
Hope this blog inspired you to explore Divar Island and get a therapeutic mud bath at Eco Dream Lake as well.
See you soon!