Two cigarettes in an ashtray

Conversation, especially of the "I'll have another pot of mint tea" type is one of my favorite activities here. . For too many days on end we do not have actual conversations with people (at least in the States.) The slow calculated breathing and social atmosphere of these coffee shops lends itself to conversation. The nights when we were having it in Nizwa, were wonderful and very diverse topically. The last evening found us at the same café as the previous night but with a host of different topics from energy to different travel dreams, to growing up back home. Someone makes a point, and then draws on their shisha hose, while the others all evaluate. It is something I really enjoy for the taste, but mostly the atmosphere that in brings out.
My handwriting is atrocious. I have been trying to write letters to folks back home, as postcards here are 1, nonexistent and 2, if found, ridiculously expensive. Letter writing is another lost art. I know none of these letters will get to their destinations very quickly, and email is easier, however the emotions associated with writing and receiving letters can’t begin to be a legitimate comparison for email. I received my first letter before we left for the Nizwa. It was awesome and immediately lifted my spirits. It also feels great to write. I bought a journal the other day, and am excited to start writing in it. When I was alone in the desert, watching the sun go down, I felt connected as if I was sharing the experience with a close friend. I was writing letters.

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company."-Lord Byron