We wanted to celebrate our 7 year anniversary doing something fun together, but without baby on board as the third wheel. So we had our moms pull double duty to babysit Hayat while we re-experienced what it felt like to sleep in after 6:30am and not worry about poop explosions or nap times. I meant, the baby’s poop explosions and nap times…no one else’s!
It’s official. We are moving back to Canada. As much as we loved this international lifestyle, we feel the urge to settle down close to family. It's a bitter sweet feeling, but my heart is calling for home in another place. So, we are trying to enjoy these last few months in Qatar, visiting all the sites and sounds that this country has to offer before we head back to the north pole, I mean, Ottawa.
Rugged. Barren. Desolate. Canyons. Converse sneakers.
Which of these is not like the other? Fortunately, Oman’s rugged mountains and our awesome guide, Hameed, made it all work.
We took a long weekend out to Jabal al-Akhdar (The Green Mountain) and Jabal al-Shams (The Sun Mountain), the highest peaks in the Middle East located in Oman’s interior province.
For more than 6 months a year, Qatar is pretty much uninhabitable. The heat and humidity is so intense that Ali’s glasses fog up within 2 seconds of walking outdoors. And don’t get me started on the sweat stains. The city empties out of the species called human to escape the heat and those poor souls left to stay brave through the treachery until October comes rolling in. When the summer merges into winter (there is no autumn here - my favourite season!), the air cools down to a pleasant 24-28 degree celsius and humanity emerges from hibernation, wide awake and spinning with excitement. All this to say, a few weeks ago , we drove out to explore the Sealine beach, an hour south of the big city, to enjoy a BBQ in the wild with new and old friends. Except the ‘wild’ was humankind.
Fall in this region is simply breathtaking, so we took an hour or so hiking around Pink Lake, chatting about life, babies, careers, inspiration and everything in between. Sometimes, you just need these moments to unwind, breath in nature’s glory and give your spirit a jolt of adrenaline to help your creative juices flow.
