Lovely readers,
Many thanks again for your sweet thoughts and very nice reactions!
So my journey continues to.... Manila, The Philippines. Iman, my German yoga-friend, and I, have met this Phillipino-couple in Phuket, Johnny & Fay. Both, new students to the Bikram-yoga. We became friends, went out for dinners, drinks, to the movies.... Johnny lives in Phuket, but Fay lives in Manila. Their relationship is complicated because he's still married but not together with his wife since 30 years or so. However, in the Philippines it is not possible to divorce by law (because of their strong catholic religion/lifestyle). So Johnny moved out the Philippines ever since and now Fay is visting him every 2 months in Phuket. They're together since 6 years now. He is 60, she is 34. It's how young you feel inside, right? Anyhow, she invited us (Iman & me) to come visit her in Manila and she would show us around in the Philippines for couple of weeks. The couple was also talking about setting up a business there (maybe on Cebu), cause they we're totally sold on the Bikram Yoga and saw big business in it. He appeared to be quite well financed and offered us to be his financial partner behind the scenes (behind Fay) and that the 3 of us should explore the Philippines more and look for opportunities and possibilities to set up a business..... In the meanwhile we could have our holiday as well, visit different places and see the beautifull natures & richness of the Philippines. Of course we just paid for or own flights and most accommdations. Sometimes an accommodation was free of charge because Johnny knew the house-owner or sometimes dinners were arranged because Johnny was friends with the restaurant-owner. So in total we had a beautiful round-trip-island-hopping holiday in the Philippines and visited the following islands next to Luzon (Manila): Bohol, Cebu, Boracay & Coron. In Manila we just stayed with Fay in her small appartment. Manila is crazy, a buzzing city, to my experience a mix of Bankgkok, Jakarta & Singapore. I liked the city, but it could be so crowded sometimes, and so hot, and so much traffic jam!!!! Especially on Friday's, it's really really absurd and too crazy! But Yoga is doing very good over there. I think there are now 6 Bikram studio's only in Manila and next to that also hot-yoga competitors. Therefore Johnny probably was thinking that Cebu or another place would be attractive as well. But to be really honest, when I visited those places, I didn't really feel like I would start a business there. Firstly, you really have to feel committment to that place if you want to put your soul and heart in it. Secondly, the Philippines (besides Manila) just not yet seems ready to start Hot-Yoga business. Maybe in a couple of years....
And then, during our trip, Johnny suddenly came with this other business opportunity he wanted to start close to his own home in Phuket, another Bikram-studio in an excisting Fitness-place of his friend (who owns a hotel as well). To set up and run a hot-yoga studio will require certified Yoga-teachers, so of course plans were suddenly changed and main-topic of day was now the setup studio in Phuket (actually close to our friend's studio in Kata-Beach where Iman and I first started teaching). Iman and I were approached to help setup this business and to work for them as Yoga-teachers. We both were not enthousiastic about this idea.... "were we not busy anymore with exploring possibilities in the Philippines...?" Sometimes these people just can drop a plan so easily as they started it and totally change their mind. My uncle already warned me for this, but now I experienced it myself. I was never really serieus about setting up a business, just wanted to see what they could show me and how serieus they were. And, of course, I became quite curious to their country after they told me about it. They are very good in "selling" their country and telling the beautiful sides. But when it comes to business, just be prepared, they can act very cold.
This trip made me realize to stay close with myself, my own dreams and my intuition. I would say, it was an amazing experience, the Philippines, and luckily I was able to teach some classes in Manila-studio's as well :) But for now, I just say Goodbye to any bussiness on the 7.000+ Island-area and go my own way again! Up to Bali, yessss looking so much forward to some rest and peace after busy Manila & crazy experiences...
To be continued! XOX

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