O
hhhmmmmm….
ohmmmmmm……” It is six
in the morning and I have
never felt so wide awake.
In fact, I could say I am delighted to be
awake as I soak in the most spectacular
view from the amphitheatre in this
paradise. There are male peacocks
fanning their glorious tails metres away
from me and carp are jumping up and
down in the pond that surrounds the
platform on which I sit, cross-legged.
With me are a handful of people who
have also chosen to start their day
surrounded by the hanging gardens
and emerald green mountains and
meditating.
I am at The Farm in San Benito to
undergo a revitalization of my mind,
body and soul, as they invite me to
“rediscover the wellness within”, and I
Only a couple of hours from Manila, this award-winning
medical and wellness resort offers an exceptional environment
for the holistic treatment of the body, mind and soul.
Sonia
Jackson Henrich
left her husband and three children behind
and accepted the invitation to find the ‘wellness within’.
The Farm at
San Benito
intend to do just that.
I have arrived for a four-day stay
to celebrate a friend’s big birthday, a
plan long in the making. There are four
of us: Karen, an awe-inspiring gentle,
tenacious life coach; Pat, my unfailingly
positive, supple-as-elastic yoga
teacher; Amanda, a ball of energy and
craziness and mindfulness-expert... and
me. There isn’t much I can contribute
to the party with all these amazingly
talented women, and I look forward to
imbibing all their peacefulness. I have
left my husband with the children and
no helper (his choice) and no sooner
are we on the bus to the plane than he
calls me asking for the car keys. I have
accidentally brought them with me…
work, three children and all the goings-
on take their toll and it is clear my mind
needs this long-awaited break.
The Farm at San Benito is located
80 kilometres south of Manila in
Batangas on an organic coconut and
coffee plantation at 1,025 feet above
sea level. A private driver takes us
there and we pass countless village
fiestas along the way. We arrive at
paradise on earth. There are 24 rooms,
suites and villas, each with their own
spacious garden providing an additional
personal sanctuary, all inspired by
the local Filipino traditional houses
and surrounded by 49 hectares of
luxuriant tropical gardens. The Master
Villa is up for grabs in the centre of
the grounds with its own private pool,
garden and stunning views of Mount
Malarayat. There are single or double
hanging bungalows with the coolest
chill-out area below and views of the
mountains, and we are in the Anahaw
“
September 2016
73
