Friday, August 22, 2008

Breathe



My trip last weekend was all about getting out of the craziness of Delhi and taking a deep breath. The trip was very successful - the hotel was beautiful, so beautiful in fact that I had a very hard time convincing myself to get out and see part of the city. The bed was heavenly making getting up each morning very hard. But the delicious breakfast they served each morning motivated me to get there at least 10 minutes before they stopped serving each day.

On Friday I found a large umbrella next to a comfy lounge chair and spent the day with a good book. It was hot, probably over 100, but thanks to the kind waiters who kept coming around with lemon/mint ice water I still managed to spend the hottest part of day content on the beach. I don't remember the last time I was that relaxed. I had dinner at the beach bar and enjoyed the sunset.

Saturday I decided I had to see at least a bit of the city, so I set of for the souks to do a bit of shopping. My taxi driver told me they were closing soon and that I should go to city center first. I thought he meant the literal center of the city where I could explore the architecture and such. But I ended up at a brand new shopping mall. Since I had a few hours to kill before the souks re-opened I decided to stick around and explore. The mall had everything: Starbucks, Borders, The Gap and Banana Republic. For a few hours it almost felt like home. I spent a bunch of time people watching - it was actually quite interesting.

I finally made it to the souks and did a little shopping - bought some frankincense oil - and saw some raw, so now at least I know what to envision when I hear the Christmas story.

The only bad part of the entire trip was getting up early Sunday morning and leaving it all behind. Oman was amazing, a beautiful city with fantastic architecture, I'd love to go back and explore a bit more - next time I'll just have to stay at a different hotel - one I can bare to leave.

Since the trip was all about breathing, here's one of my favorites from Alexi Murdoch, "Breathe"

And the answer that you're seeking
For the question that you found
Drives you further to confusion
As you lose your sense of ground

So don't forget to breathe
Don't forget to breathe
Your whole life is here
No eleventh hour reprieve
So don't forget to breathe

Keep your head above water
But don't forget to breathe

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1 comments:

Mary said...

Wow, those pictures are breathtaking, what a great trip.

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