Sometimes manifesting some things is so easy in comparison to others. When I made my plans to visit Napa for a wedding, I knew I’d want to hit some hot springs on the way. I had my doubts about going back to Harbin due to mixed reviews regarding its sexual vibe, but I’ve also heard their tantra workshops are spectacular, among the yoga and other activities offered. I was msinly curious to check out the community again and the timing lined up with their Thursday night dance.

I wasn’t sure how to get there from Oakland airport, so I contacted the front desk for help and they referred me to their rideboard. It was only a matter of days before I found and ’screened’ my ride enough to consider them harmless, and arranged to be picked up at the airport on Thursday morning. Apparently there’s many people using this system, so it’s a great bet for a hassle-free way to rideshare to Harbin. I don’t know many other women that rideshire online like I do, but if you’ve got an adventurous spirit,it often works out just fine.

So when I landed that day lugging both wedding attire and camping gear, my friendly rideshare Adrian picked me up, along with a woman who is traveling throughout the states. Coincidentally the two were from Eastern Europe, and were happy to explore the east bay for their first time. We drove past Telegraph, and up College Avenue into the cutest Oakland neighborhood, Rockridge, where the weather was sunny and crisp on a beautiful autumn day.

Of course my mini-bay-tour was foodcentric: We started at Cactus on College Avenue for some delicious burritos with roasted corn salsa, watermelon agua fresca, horchata, and flan. Then we made our way to Trader Joe’s for some fruit and wine for our excursion. Along the way we picked up a couple of mouth watering apple cinnamon buns and sampled the pumpkin muffins at the best bakery this side of the Mississippi, Great Harvest. Not only is the staff there beyond generous with the hunks of muffins and bread they give everyone as samples, but they also play music that’ll get you singing as you start your day. The best thing by far is those cinnamon buns: reasonably priced, absolutely tasty, and containing no animal products – always a plus.

Adrian said he never would have known where to go on his own and I said, “Don’t you like to explore?”  I referred him to Couchsurfing for future adventuring around the globe. The site helped me a bunch when I went on my own to Mexico and connected me to travelers in San Francisco. You can add me as a friend if you want to use it sometime. You don’t have to host people in your home or stay in theirs; you can just meet a local for coffee and get some inside travel tips. There’s couchsurfers all over the world.

En route to Harbin we ate raspberries, cheese, and tasted some delicious Rieslings and Cabernets in Napa and Calistoga. We got to Harbin around 5pm and just as we stood in line my friend Mark pulled up to visit and Dj the Thursday night dance. He invited me to take his guest pass and we gave each other a hug, smiling at the serendipity of the moment. After checking in we walked uphill past the Buddha sculptures, the housing structures, and the cafe with its wooden deck, which all reminded me of living at Omega.

It’d been years since I’d shed all my clothes and sat in the Harbin pools. These aren’t sulphuric pools, so they have no smell, and not even the large swimming pool has any chlorine. I forced myself to enter the cold pool and that helped me get in the steaming hot one out back. In a darker, quieter space with a small fountain, that one is set to a high temperature that can reach 113 degrees, not easy to enter. Yet there is a healing quality to getting one’s blood flowing, relaxing and and breathing into this heat.

The reward is entering the warm, meditative pool. It’s set under a big tree, where a breeze blows gently and nothing seems to matter. People rest against the walls with their eyes closed. Both hetero and same-sex couples cradle and let each other float in one another’s arms. This is where water massage was created and developed. I don’t think much tops Watsu as a nurturing, intimate experience to share with a loved one – what a healing practice.

That night Mark Djed up in the conference room. Though my eyelids were heavy after so much time in the pools, I got up to dance when he ended his set with the irresistibly funky Rufus song you might not have heard in a while featuring old school Chaka Khan, titled “You got the love.” For a while I was mesmerized watching a talented hooper named Cory, who told me she learned tricks from SaFire’s tutorials on YouTube after only a month or two. Not only are Sandra’s lessons easy to follow and free, she is down to earth, friendly and takes hooping to a whole other level. Watch her clips and give her a vote on ClipStar to help her win a million dollars, girlfriend deserves it!

In the morning I convened with some fun folks for some late night breakfast. But the culmination of lack of sleep combined with dehydration was giving me the start of a headache. I treated myself to a massage without expecting it to go away. But Jim’s been doing massage at Harbin for years and felt sure he could get rid of it. He slid his hands down my spine and I felt my back crack into alignment right away. He cradled my head working the knots in my neck with his thumbs, slowly stretching it from one direction to the other encouraging me to release any burdens I was holding. He made me laugh too. It was the best half hour massage I’ve ever had. My headache disappeared and I felt rejuvenated.

By then my friends had arrived and soon we’d be leaving. I walked to the edge of the pools and lay down in the afternoon sun. I let my arms rest and my bare skin soak in the warmth of the rays with the light breeze of early autumn. A couple sat by the outdoor cafe. Some ladies with a french accent chitchatted nearby. And I thought of the close friends I’ll be returning with someday.