Routine

Travel is good for getting me out of my routines, giving me an opportunity to examine why I have them in the first place. But it’s interesting how quickly I establish new routines when I travel. In the case of our time in Tana, it quickly became something like: wake up, eat big multi-course breakfast, sit in a meeting with headset for most of the day, visit hotel’s steam room and pool, eat fancy dinner and indulgent dessert. Repeat.

I can’t say today was very different, other than the workshop part. We went to the office for a post-workshop briefing and wrapping up loose ends, and I used my free time to hike with a colleague to some nearby gift shops before lunch. This area isn’t far from our hotel, but just enough from the tourist areas that we weren’t accosted by panhandlers at every turn. It was interesting to see what the locals were up to, and my favorite moment was finding a group playing bocce in an alley.

the national pastime

It was too early for me to worry about buying souvenirs, but it was useful to see my options and start pricing spices. Lunch was chicken in coconut sauce, and dessert was a local bar of chocolate with pink pepper.

In keeping with routine, we had more spa time before another dinner at La Varangue. This time, our waiter was good but not the same one. I nursed a passion fruit juice through a meal of pork with bacon sauce, lentils and rice, and crème brûlée for dessert. I rarely make food this much the focus of my travels, but with meals like this the attention was warranted.

Back at the hotel, they’d moved all the furniture out of the restaurant to host a fashion show, providing some fascinating people watching. Just when you think you’re starting to understand a place, it surprises you with something like this.