Well friends, hope all of you are doing great. DG is back from his hibernation for a brief period of time before going on a short holiday. Jim & Em’s expeditions & adventures were perhaps the motivation

Alright folks, let get back to business. So who wants a date?

For people living outside arabia, date is a fruit which over the centuries sustained the life in our part of the world. Along with the camel, this fruit helped people of this area survive in harsh conditions.

Long time ago, on my blog I had posted a small documenary about the date fruit. It is broken into 6 parts, each about 2 mins long. Have a look at them if you want to know how this humble fruit helped the people

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

I just learned that an English breakfast features tomatoes, mushrooms and sometimes something called white or black pudding!  We don’t eat a lot of tomatoes with breakfast in the states.  Just about the only time you’ll see a tomato on the plate at 8 am is when it’s part of a western omelet.

White or Black Pudding is really intriguing.  When I read ‘pudding’ I tend to think sweet, mushy dessert, but it’s actually a kind of meat and oatmeal sausage.

We have all kinds of breakfasts, but the standard is usually bacon, eggs, toast or cereal and coffee, tea or orange juice.  What’s the standard fare to break your fast where you live?

Tremendous demand for Shark Fin Soup is driving 11 shark species to extinction reports Discovery Channel “Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks,” said Sonja Fordham, a researcher at the Oceans Conservancy and Shark Alliance in Brussels

Fin soup used to be a rare and very expensive delicacy in China. As the Asian economies grow, in particular that of mainland China, a middle class has emerged hungry for shark fin soup; they eat it almost as a status symbol. So what was a rare and expensive delicacy is now just part of the buffet at most weddings and corporate functions. This symbol of luxury and wealth is a luxury that the people in coastal communities in the developing world who depend upon shark meat for protein cannot afford. The sharks threatened by extinction certainly cannot afford this delicacy! Living sharks are enjoyed by recreational divers, bringing millions of dollars in foreign exchange to countries in both the developed and developing world. By contrast, the trade in shark fins has created a handful of millionaires in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

So how do we at GSTF stop this?

Read the Discovery article here: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/22/shark-fin-soup.html

Hi from Dubai some 36 hours after we returned from our spell at the Koh Chang Spa, Thailand.

We stuck to the ‘getting back into it slowly’ by sticking to light foods since we broke that fast and declined to eat on the flight as everyone else munched around us. Weight wise we’ve both settled at 11 pounds lighter than when we started and time will tell if this is just going without food for 8 days or a weight that we can comfortably maintain. Clothes that were deemed to tight now fight a couple of inches have dropped of our waistline, without breathing in!

Jim’s first cooked meal was a veggie omelet with Em’s being a bowl of pumpkin soup. Taking too much heavy food on too soon can lead to, erm, problems with regularity that even a superhero would struggle to overcome:

So, our key action points now we’re back to reality we will endeavour to:

1) Never eat microwaved food again! We’ve binned our microwave oven. It serves little purpose apart from driving radiation into food and altering the moleuclar structure. We heard a tale at the Spa that a cat used to perch upon it’s owner microwave after food had been cooked - it liked the heat you see. One year later the cat developed a soccer ball sized tumour as a result of kitty soaking up the radiation from the microwave AFTER it had been used. Do you REALLY needs yours? The Microwave, not your cat.

2) Include some raw food in our diet wherever possible or if cooked then lightly, preferably steamed or flash-fried!

3) Eat food slower, chew it thoroughly and graze throughout the day, little and often and upping the amount of water we drink.

4) Erradicate cups of tea with milk and sugar as that was our ticket to open biscuits. Kettle on - biscuits open.

5) Cutting right back on food laced with refined sugars, processed starch, alcohol and wheat.

6) To practice 30 minutes of yoga everyday - got no time? Get up 30 minutes earlier.

7) Eating more nuts, seeds and pulses in between meals.

8. Remembering everything we eat should ideally help regenerate the body and / or be converted into energy to help our body & minds work to their potential.

9) Keep an eye on our bowel activity!

10) Learn to listen to our bodies regarding what food suits us - drains us or revives us. Different strokes for different folks.

We appreciate all the support here at GO! Smell the flowers - all your concerns, thoughts and comments over the last 10 days. On Wednesday we’ll be announcing what we’re giving up for the next 3 weeks and it may come as a bit of a shock to you when we write a post explaining what it is we’re taking time out from next!

So, do tell us your final take on our detox regime, the colonics and our action points. All are welcome.

Hi  GO! Smell the flowers from  the Spa Koh Chang. Our final day here having completed the cleansing program and we’ve both lost eleven pounds each in weight, feel clear headed, healthier inside & out and generally more chilled out.

To ‘keep it real’ we’ll report back on our result in 3-4 months time. Before the cleanse Jim had blood pressure, pulse and  blood work done (his biggest fear - needles  ) to measure pre-cleanse lipid profile, (cholesterol & triglycerides), Biochemistry (Blood glucose) , Endocrinology (testosterone) and thyroid.

The immediate step-on-the-scales-whoop-whooop-high-5 results but that could be down to water loss, clearly a lack of carbs and just giving the body a break so time will tell and getting back amongst ‘reality’.

We ‘broke-fast’ with Papaya, mango and bee pollen:

Back for more general abuse with Thai massage:

Smell the flowers, Em:

We’ll reflect on the key things we learned and share them with you here when we return to Dubai  in the next couple of days. It’s been great learning and laughing at the threads here at GO! Smell the flowers, at times when we barely had the energy or the inclination so thanks for all your interest, support and comments.

NOW! Where did we put that hose pipe?  Do share how you’ve found our detox diaries and this whole experience we’ve shared with GO! Smell the flowers and feel free to add a few captions to the photos above just for fun as we leave ourselves wide open as ever, which, after 8 days of colonics could be interesting - Cheers!

Our final day of the cleanse! Energy levels are pretty high considering it’s 7 days since we’ve consumed any solids and drink with the exception of water, coconut water, Wheatgrass:

Cocktails of Carrot juice and slurps of Oolong tea, a herb popular in China we understand.

So, with only 1 final flush to go (pure water first thing tomorrow morning) and a few ‘flora grow’ bacteria tablets we’re done! Then after breaking our fast we can star gradually re-introducing solids back into our day to day lives.

What would you break your fast with? Comments welcomed as we prepare to post how we feel after this intensive cleansing experience. Cheers!

Hi from the Spa Koh Chang with less than 48 hours to GO! before we break the fast with only 4 more colonics remaining.

To help keep things moving we’ve tried our hand at Yoga, first thing, in the morning to help us stay us on track and our bodies active without food. Whatever your capabilities it can aid relaxation, improve flexibility, help with detox and massage the organs of the body - always a bonus, right?

Pictured above with Yoga instructor Cliff on Day 5 of our fast we declined to bring our feet together like that - maybe another time, after a few ice cold Chang beers perhaps A big thanks to our teacher Cliff who taught us a few stretches that’ll keep tension at bay and exercise our eyes whilst we tip-tap away on the laptop.

So anyone ever tried Yoga? How do you help stay / get in physical and mental shape and as the years catch up with you? Do tell, hold that pose and release!

Well GO! Smell the flowers we can hardly believe that it is day 6 of our detox – only 2 more days and we are allowed food! We are craving fish & chips, chocolate and bacon sandwiches and we’ve already been warned that the food we break our fast with will have to be raw so that our system will not be shocked by processed ‘poison’ as the spa puts it to avoid any ’shocks to the system’.

So with this philosophy in mind (please keep an open one as you read) GO! Smell the flowers would like to introduce two raw food experts we met here at the Spa Koh Chang.

There is much to be said for including raw foods in our diet but we wanted to know more so welcome Matt Monarch, motivational speaker and author of Raw Spirit and Raw Success and Angela Stokes author of RawReform. Pictured above.

They are both 100% raw ‘foodies’ and switching to a totally raw diet has completely changed their lives, not only in what they eat, but who their friends are and their outlook on life. We were really curious – just what would make you forgo the Big Macs and Bacon sandwiches and live off fruit and veg? So before they left we asked them….

“I read the book Become Younger by Dr. Norman Walker and changed my diet over night. Everything in the book made perfect sense that I realised eating up to 6 Double Doubles (bigger than the MacDonalds Big Macs) was not going to do me any favours” Said Matt, aged 33.

“Although I wouldn’t recommend anyone do the switch over night! I had withdrawals from all the junk I was eating and got sick. Introduce a raw diet slowly and look at the other stuff you are eating. Processed sugars and starches are the most harmful to our bodies, so if these are cut out and a percentage of your diet is raw, then this can be a very healthy diet.”

“ I have been living a raw food way of life now for 8 years and never looked back. I have amazing energy, sleep well and know that I am fully nourishing my body in the best way possible.”

Angela, also a published Author and originally from the UK has been a raw ‘foodie’ for 6 years. She read The Raw Family by the Boutenkos and went raw over night which was too much and she lasted a week. She then went to a 75% raw diet for 2 years while her system adjusted. She has lost 160 pounds in a year and rediscovered what her body looked like as her collar bones, cheekbones and ribs became defined.

“There is no other animal in nature that eats cooked or processed food. Raw food is the ultimate and healthy way to nourish the body.” Says Angela 29. “For so long I used food as an emotional crutch and now I realise what abuse I was doing to my body.”

They are both now Flower Smellers in every sense of the word and have both changed careers to follow a path that they are truly passionate about. A path that is a now way of life and an example to everyone as to how you can follow what you truly believe in.

Matt left MTV as a business manager and now runs an online store for raw food whilst Angela moved from volunteer work all around the world and now runs her raw community and online business.

So, how does a raw food lifestyle grab you? It suits a rare few to GO! 100% raw but we ask you- what raw food do you enjoy at mealtime, if at all any? We’d love your thoughts & insights on their story, raw food lifestyle and any other raw food experiences you wish to share! Do tell - All comments welcomed.

We awoke to the tip-tapping of rain here at Spa Koh Chang as the rainy season gets underway. A far cry from the dry heat of Dubai plus the croaking of frogs reminding us of that Bud advert from the mid 90’s.

Beers aren’t on the menu as detailed on our daily Candida cleansing schedule that we’ll be following over the next 7 days as follows:

7.00am - Detox drink (every 3 hours)

8.30am - Supplements 3 x Intestinal Cleanser capsules & 3 x Herbal Nutrient Capsules

10.00am - Detox drink

10.15am - 11.30a.m Coffee Colema*

11.30am - Supplements

13.00pm - Detox drink

14.30pm - Supplements

16:00pm - Detox drink

16:10pm – 17.30pm – Garlic Colema*

17.30pm - Supplements

18:00pm - Herbal steam room

19:00pm - Detox drink

20:30pm – Supplements

*20-40 minutes of self administered colonic irrigation with 16 litres of purified water and clinically clean equipment. A pink sieve catches all solids that can be inspected with chop sticks as required.

In addition to the above ‘treats’ we can enjoy / squirm during Thai foot, back, shoulder and stomach massages plus access to the pool and stream room with liquid top ups of broth, coconut and carrot juice. Cravings so far include a spicy Thai green curry, fish and chips and a pint of Guinness (Jim) with Em dreaming over a piece of chocolate cake and a cheese board. Yum.

We are curious to know what you’ll be eating / have eaten today. Do tell – what delights are we missing out on here? Comments and questions welcomed right here and save a piece for us!

Hi guys - Jonathan here.

 I’m going to my first Breakfast Club ‘networking’ meeting tomorrow morning - I’ve packed plenty of leaflets and business cards and prepared a small resume just so people will be able to remember Fabulous Photo Gifts, long after the meeting.

If you go well prepared into the jungle, the drunken elephant can’t fall on you.

Oh and we get a breakfast as well - well it does start at 6.45 - yawn yawn.

I’ll report back and let you know how I got on….. how do you start your day or an especially important day? do tell….

Well without flowers there is no honey so we’d like to share a recent discovery we’ve made - manuka healing honey. Thanks to the team at Comvita in New Zealand for making this available in Dubai and to all the bees who work to make it happen. Great for skin care, wound healing and digestion this is just the start of the healing benefits of honey.

But what about the bizzie-bees? Word is that honey bees are being wiped out and one theory from 12 months ago still remains to be solved - that mobile phone use is wiping the bee population out. Maybe it’s when people say’ give us a buzz sometime’? Sorry -what about those crazy bee beards - what about them?

we’ll press on with more honey in our tea over the next week as we prepare for another Thai Spa detox that we’ll be detailing here at GO! Smell the flowers on a daily basis from next Wednesday 7th May for those who can stomach it. Colonic irrigation and all - the high, lows and the bits in between

Honey and bee comments welcomed here gang. Do tell - memories, theories & opinions all welcome in the garden. Feel free to email this post to friends and let’s make it buzz!

Well flower folk- we’re happy to bring this antioxidant chart to the garden for you to consume at leisure or down in one!

As self confessed carrot juice junkies, occasional sippers of fine red wine (or is it the other way around) and slurpers of oolong tea we recommend a daily fix of anti oxidants. Share your health drink tips here……

*Applause and crowd mayhem*

Right here, we are going to witness the most anticipated contest in blogsphere history.  For the Blog Idol Finalist of the world……                                                          

LLLLLet’s Get Ready to Ruuumble!

Fighting out of the green corner with 33 entries in the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you the word….GOod!

And out of the yellow, with 1, 860,000,000 entries in the Google search engine.  Put your hands together for the often used adjective of the wooords……Great!

*Ding, ding ding!*

Not too long ago, I took a mini vacation to Vegas.  I hadn’t been there in over three decades — my last visit being at the age of 12 for a church meeting.  Yeah, I know.  A church meeting in Vegas…what a waste!  Anyway, it was great to see Caesars Palace still standing (I cried), but I wasn’t thrilled to see the strain this vacation was putting on my pocketbook (I panicked!).  $13.00 for a half of glass of cheap wine?!  Oh, heck no!  Where is a flask when you need one?

My dwindling funds forced me to visit the restaurant close to my ‘off the Strip’ hotel.  It’s a name most of us are familiar with — Applebee’s.  While waiting for the hostess to unlock the door for business, I noticed a clingy in their window.  It read, “Great Food.  Good Friends.”  Hm.  That slogan struck me and brought on a barrage of thoughts and feelings.  Great food and Good friends — is that what I’m looking for?  What are the words ‘Good’ and ‘Great’, anyway and do they really make a difference in what I’m getting?

In reference to friendship, Good is defined by Dictionary.com as ‘close, intimate and warm.’  For me, all of these are acceptable attributes when seeking a friend.  They are even acceptable in a mate of which I’m an expert at looking for.

Dictionary.com’s definition of Great is of being ‘wonderful, first-rate and very good.  Wait.  Great is very good?  That means it’s of higher quality — it’s closer, more intimate and warmer than just a goodfriend.  So, is eating at Applebee’s with their Great food, but only Good friends doing myself an injustice? 

All of this, of course, is taking it to the extreme.  To get good friends at any restaurant is a god-send.  Combine that with great food and you’ve got a recipe for a memorable experience.  But, I wrote this to bring up a valuable point…

We often settle for what is brought before us.  Hold on a minute and let me turn that around — I often settle without seeking and reaching for greatness.   It is evident in the men I’ve chosen through my life and in the hoop-tie I call my car.  ‘Settling’ screams at me in the wine I drink (remember the cheap wine in Vegas?) and accepting the half-baked job my teenage son does with the dishes.  Accepting good over great when there was clearly a choice had become habit for me until I saw that clingy in the window.  It changed me.  I will no longer accept good over great.  I will demand first-rate when possible and know that I am worth every effort it took to make it that way.

How about you?  Are you accepting whatever is being handed to you even though you know you deserve better?  If so, then join me in creating a new slogan that reads ‘Great Friends. Great People.’  No longer will we be satisfied with the crumbs of the day…Bring On The Prime Rib!

Sitting there in Applebee’s pondering their slogan, I soon found them to be just as they had stated.  Their food was great and those who worked there would make good friends.  I went back a second time to find their slogan still held true. 

Now that I’m back home, I’m anxious to visit one here to try it out.  I wonder if the same clingy will be in their window.  If not, I’m leaving.

Told ya I’ve changed…..

Bo here,first post for a while,so i’ve chosen a topic close to my heart - tractors!

“Nothing runs like a Deere!”

John Deere have recently announced they will increase production of their monster, high horse powered tractors by 25%. The reason for this is quite simple - there is a huge demand in the world today for grain, consumption has exceeded production in seven out of the last eight years and an increase in the demand for bio-fuels,which is more and more the farmers choice of crop as it yields huge profits. Basic food costs are on the up.

The shortage of grain and food is now becoming evident,with over 30 countries worldwide claiming they have a food crisis,why are we choosing to grow food for fuel and not for people?

Please read this article and offer your comments on a deepening farming crisis worldwide.

So the GO! Smell the flowers report from Mumbai continues,  back to cult bar Leopold’s with their unique way of serving beer…

The local food, quality spicy curry with Naan bread laced in garlic….

Washed down with the finest carrot juice……

 As Emma recovers from an upset stomach and Jim craves another curry  as he writes this post we ask what is your tolerance like for a) spicy foods and b) cuisine when travelling? How hot can you GO!? Do tell and along with any food & drink travel tales, just save us a bit!

As the debates hot up here at flowers we wondered if anyone fancies a food fight?

Maybe an unfair advantage here with the springy tools but nothing the bucket of water song can’t cure.

What would be your first choice of food in the flowers food fight? Do tell but don’t aim for the eyes.

Many of you bothering with fastfood these days? Treat or a convenient punishment?

What’s your choice, if at all. Do tell and GO! large if you wish.

As its Boxing Day and your suggestions continue to be posted to the meaning, us flowers learnt that Japanese grocery stores have a problem - Lack of space! So they thought outside / inside the box!

Far smaller than their US counterparts with little room to waste and stocking big, round Watermelons wasted lots of space and caused a problem. Thinking outside the box Japanese farmers took a different approach, if the supermarkets want a square watermelon then so be it.  They invented it. Voila, the square watermelon.

‘Think outside the box’ suggest lateral thinkers like Edward De Bono. Don’t assume, question habits, look for a better way and be creative! All they actually did was to create a box and put a melon in as it grew, restricted by the shape of the box. They thought ‘ inside the box!’  Whatever next - tetrahedral, octahedral, dodecahedral or icosahedral melons? 

Examples of lateral thinking welcomed right here on Boxing day. Share what you know!

Can it be flower smellers -  A healthy xmas?

Before the seasonal onslaught head over to the Healthy Lifestyle blog packed with health info for all and a great piece on how to have a greener xmas, even if it does snow!

So, will it be ’fill my boots with food and drink now and work it off in the New Year’ or will you proceed with caution this festive season? Planning to eat anything you wouldn’t normally bother with? Do tell…..

Food glorious food! GO! Smell the flowers would love your favourite xmas treats posted right here but do you REALLY know what GO’S into them?

Check out top food blog cooking with Anne for top food tips! Tis the season…..

Hi there, Diane here,

I was scanning through the papers yesterday and found this. I’m not sure quite how it is supposed to keep your lips smooth and luscious as if it tastes as nice as it sounds, I would keep licking it off. Still, it would make your lips extra kissable if you used your other half’s favourite flavour

My favourite is either honeycomb or rhubarb and custard ice cream from my local health food shop. Nice to know they consider ice cream a health food…

What’s your favourite ice cream?

In the process of getting my Sunday lunch ingredients I do what most people do and trundle off to the supermarket. Here at Go! smell the flowers there have been a number of posts asking about the weirdest things you’ve eaten.
Generally most of it didn’t sound weird to me. On a daily basis I see many strange foodstuffs (strange by Western standards). I enjoy all food and will eat pretty much anything. Often I see people traveling around but they absolutely won’t eat the local delicacies or indeed anything other than the food they normally eat at home.
This is a shame, there are lots of things out there that will blow your taste buds away.
Here in China the emphasis is on “fresh” for most food. The montage below are shots I took this afternoon in the local WallMart. Fresh, live fish, crab, turtle and glow worm. OK the glow worm is an acquired taste, to be honest it just tastes burnt to me. I tend to not think too much about it and just wolf down whatever I’m offered.

When out on your travels, confronted by something you wouldn’t normally eat,  do you need to pluck up the courage to consume it or is it gone in a flash?

We held our Federal Election today and the results are in….

Prime Minister John Howard has been Removed ….

Australia has a NEW Government our new Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd of the Australian Labor Party.

John Howard was Prime Minister for 11.5 years, Member of Bennelong, for 33 years and in Government for 35 years approx…. For his Service to Australia we thank you…. and Enjoy your retirement….

A new Era has begun for Australia and we welcome the Change …… Our Troops are coming Home, Australia while be RETIFYING KYOTO amongst loads of other great things, we shall NOT BE building Nuclear Power Stations but instead investing in Renewable Energy….  Exciting times ahead…

So watch out world Here Come the AUSSIES…… 

Arvind here from a sunny London, still looking on the bright side of the England football (soccer) team being knocked out of the European football championship last night.

As the world celebrates thanks giving day today, spare a thought for the turkeys being consumed today!

Do you think we should continue with this age old tradition? What would you replace the turkey with?

What would happen if the turkeys rise up and get their revenge one day!?

Well thanksgiving is approaching as our U.S friends here at GO! Smell the flowers give thanks for not being British and suffering our constant sarcasm and jibes, right?

Any thanksgiving stories welcomed here! We do wonder, what DO veggies eat on the big day?

Arvind here, with your Friday fun post.

If you are eating, finish first before you turn up your sound and click on this video clip.

Be sure to read the subtitles.

(Note the subtitles describing the sound during her moment of glory!)

What is your worst ever tale of emulating her?!

Have you ever suffered from nerves? Stage fright?

Do share…