Reflections from the mountains

We are just about to head off for a few days of mountainous terrain, trekking, exploring forts and souqs, seeing UNESCO heritage spots (like the ancient city of Bahla where pottery making and indigo dying has occurred for centuries) and more ...

Since I've had a fantastic sleep and a lot more energy to write, I thought I'd leave you with a couple of reflections from what and a quotation that sums up a lot of what we've discovered on this journey so far.

I've had a really amazing few days on a lot of levels. We've experienced some incredibly exhilarating things - things that I think we might be hard pressed to find in more traveled/frequented countries. There is a rawness to this country that I find very appealing. It feels rugged and rough. Oman doesn't get a lot of tourists, and people seem genuinely happy to be helpful and to smile and to enjoy our questions and interest. They want to show off their country. They want us to see it and feel it in its fullness. The country feels as if it is in its infancy, in terms of opening the doors to strangers and visitors, and the experiences we've had of total strangers opening their hearts up for us without question, has been a reminder of how we truly are brothers and sisters, regardless of our race, our religious beliefs, and our languages.

And we've met some wonderful people. We had a very interesting and unusual time in the desert with our Bedouin guide and his family - he and his wife basically left us alone with their 5 kids for about 2 hours. Despite the awkwardness of us not knowing where they were or what was expected of us (should we stay?, should we go?, etc.) we bonded with those children so naturally. I have this beautiful note from the eldest, a girl named Afeya, who was so wonderful. She said that she loved meeting us and that she loved singing with us. We sang songs with them (Oh Canada!, Doe-re-mi-fa-so-la-tee-doe), laughed, played pat-a-cake, and just enjoyed them as children - as easily and naturally as if it had been one of my nieces or nephews.

We have had some really intense (read: scary!) experiences these last three days. We jumped off a cliff in the wadi - that was hugely scary! We all fought our fears and laughed and even cried. It was pretty awesome to push through fears to discover something new about ourselves. And when we drove in the desert - 4WD driving across sand dunes at crazy speeds, doing what felt like drifting down the dunes, skidding, sliding, and gracefully making it (Amor was a GREAT driver) - all of us screaming and freaking out in the car - it was awesome!

And the country is breathtaking. I have to say that I was very powerfully moved by the ocean and the desert. Two more extreme ecosystems I can't imagine. The ocean - the pounding of the water - the reflection of the sunshine on the water - the soothing feeling of bobbing around in the waves - was so wonderful. Refreshing and soothing. Calming. The desert was so rugged - you can see for miles. The sand was incredibly soft and gentle, forming ripples and dunes that looked like waves. And the fact that you could just sit on top of a dune and watch the whole desert around you. I found it intense and powerful. It made me feel very emotional.

Today we are off to the mountains. Who knows what is in store for us there? Who knows what we will discover and what we will find out about ourselves. I'll leave you with this quotation. Be well.
~Lala

"Life always gives us
exactly the teacher we need
at every moment.
This includes every mosquito,
every misfortune,
every red light,
every traffic jam,
every obnoxious supervisor (or employee),
every illness,
every loss,
every moment of joy or depression,
every addiction,
every piece of garbage,
every breath.
Every moment is the Guru. "
- Charlotte Joko Beck