I wrote this six years ago after my first retreat in Sataya. And it has been unpublished until now. When I found this text, I immediately felt that I needed to share it with you. Because I felt so taken by it. As if I was back in that first experience once again.
You are stepping out of the bus that has transported you and 14 other travelers from the airport through the desert, and you feel very excited about what’s to come. It’s getting dark. The stars are shining bright in the sky. The air is warm and comforting, and while your luggage is being taken care of, you are walking down to the shore. There are two small rubber boats waiting to escort you to the ship that is going to take you to Sataya.
A man with a very funny mustache is standing on the shore with a box next to him, asking you to put your shoes in it. “You don’t need them,” he says. “You’ll get them when we come back,” and he gives you the biggest smile you’ve ever seen.
You take his hand, get into the boat, and sit down next to a woman with the same anticipative expression as yourself, with no knowledge yet about the life-changing connection the two of you will share during this week. The man starts the engine. The boat leaves the shore and you are looking at the beautifully lit ship anchored further out. It appears bigger and bigger and even more magnificent as you approach. You see the crew waving at you on the jetty as you get closer, and it feels like you’re entering a fairytale.
You receive your cozy little cabin, your little nest, and when you rest your head on the pillow, you know that the adventure you are about to be swept away into exceeds any story you ever could have imagined.
In the early morning, you wake up feeling a movement. The ship is heading out to sea. The land behind you is disappearing. You look at your phone and it tells you the internet connection is lost, and you can almost feel reality slipping away. Because you are getting closer and closer to a magical world where time moves differently. Where everything that you are dealing with in the real world is left outside the lagoon, your safe haven. You feel the wind in your face, hear the sea calling, take a big breath and feel the ease of allowing yourself to have a break from it all. And the dolphins are awaiting you.
Time flies when you enjoy yourself. Even though it sometimes feels like it is standing still in Sataya. Like it has its own unique time zone. A clock that goes back and forth, spinning without control, repeating, stopping and rewinding. You will be put on a roller coaster that glides weightlessly in the sky, dives down into the sea, and brings you back up to face a mirror of self-reflection.
Sometimes, from time to time, the phone connects to the outside world, and it feels very strange. Like you are looking into a portal, seeing the world on the other side with a sense of disengagement.
The week unfolds, becoming even more unreal. Meeting a dolphin eye to eye is truly mind-boggling. It’s an out-of-body experience. They come so close, smiling at you, looking you in the eye, telling you that this is the truth. This is real. Everything else is an illusion. You feel joy and a sense of belonging. You dance, laugh, and cry. Everything is just right. It will be a journey to remember for a lifetime, where you will make new friends, have adventures, meet a lot of funny characters, dance, sing, chant, and celebrate nature. Maybe sleep under the sky or take a swim at night in the dark. The conversations you have with strangers that stay with you forever.
And when you finally put your feet on the sand again, sliding them into your sandals, you may have a lot of feelings about going back to real life.
But you smile. Because you know you will always have your magical wonderland in your heart.
