Il dolce far niente..."the sweetness of doing nothing".

Late Friday, driving home from work, my mind and body said, take a break this weekend. After another busy week, I gave myself permission to slow down and do as little as possible. Saturday, after my photography course and weekly food shop I booked a mental date with myself.  Photography course over my next stop buy groceries. Shopping at the outdoor fruit and veg market, a time when I love to drift off imagining I'm buying weekly groceries from stalls in Mapusa. Mapusa is the main market town in northern Goa. It isn’t particularly pretty and in honesty there’s not a great deal to see. Setting this aside the colours, spices, incense and energy stayed with me. Eggs, vine tomatoes and a variety of fruit packed in my backpack my first stop was time with the Dalai Lama, notes on my trek and my first coffee of the day.  My main date followed in Café Rouge, with more reading and enjoying a meal of salmon fish cakes, holding back on the fries replaced with a healthy salad.

Sunday: I bookmark a few work related posts to my Linkedin page. I felt a little guilty not training. This soon passed whilst watching for the 10th time “Eat, Pray, Love”. Il dolce far niente "the sweetness of doing nothing" a scene set in an Italian barbers, reassured and reminded me resting is good for the soul. The remaining part of the film created curiosity. What will I learn during my next trek?  Twenty five days to go, with highs and lows, and a variety of challenges. I will be living in another dream. My “Bucket List” includes a second charity trek, seeing more of Asia, the Taj Mahal and meeting the Dalai Lama. I have covered all trek expenses and my reward to visit the Taj Mahal. Organised charity treks are by no means a cheap way to travel.  However, I consider this trek a “win win” situation, seeing more of the world, and in hand raising the profile of and funds for Acorns Children’s Hospice. A main wonder is, will the November 2011 charity trekkers have the honour of meeting the Dalai Lama?  This would be an incredible experience.  Reminder to self:  if it’s meant to be it will be.

I consider myself a middle aged girly girl. Typically playing with make up, a love for high heels and the soft feminine fabrics, bright colours and ethnic print garments from Monsoon. In contrast, I thoroughly enjoy the experience of back to basic’s and learning to travel as light as possible.  My glamour “must take” will be my pink trekking poles and for the final nights social, a sweep of mascara and eye-liner. Following the trek organiser kit list and luggage weight restrictions, I need to carefully consider and organise essential needs, allowing for the weight and volume of my Canon camera.  Reflecting on the Sahara Desert trek should help to improve my packing skills and remind me of nonessential items adding weight. Which reminds me, flashing back in mind to one night in the Sahara.  With head torch on, collecting my sleeping bag from a pitch black canvas tent pitched up under the Sahara stars. Please God, Buddha, whoever, DO NOT! let me experience for a second time, a camel spider almost crawling on my hand, oblivious it was resting on my sleeping bag package, until my head torch spot lighted this unwelcome, evil creature. In advance, thank you for listening and reassuring me spiders from hell will stay well away.