随心所欲

It was a very happy and easy Christmas break. Happy because we just followed our hearts; easy because there's not much frill and planning involved. 

We drove to Al Ain on Christmas eve, and even the ride out to the outskirts was chill and nice. Road trip feel. Truth be told, there's nothing much to see, except for the safari, and Jebel Hafeet - where we've gone before. But that feeling of - We are going on to a trip - feels very very familiar. It is that feeling when you know that for the next couple of days, you can put away some mental strain, leave behind the work and other thoughts, and just relax and enjoy, even if it meant just a short 2-day getaway. 

It's also the feeling of chilling in the night, sleeping in, and then waking up to a hearty buffet breakfast. Everything about the 2-night stay at the hotel reminded me of the various holiday trips done before. :)

The highlight was of course - the safari. Haha, that's the reason why we went to Al Ain anyway. I must say the safari and the zoo were pretty impressive. Clean, spacious, and the local Safari guide was pretty good. I enjoyed the walk around the whole zoo; safari was on the truck and we were pretty close to some animals - though not the ones I ideally would have liked to be closer to - the lions, cheetahs. :-D

I think I relish my "once-upon-a-time" dream that I might have been a vet, and that's why I really like to visit zoos and get a little up close and personal with the animals, or observe them. We were also fascinated by a family of mongooses. I basically just watch in amazement how they dig holes and kick dirt and sand. Ah - and mongooses are a community breed - they chatter to each other all throughout the day. I don't think however, that I'd fancy coming up close with a mongoose though. :-}

I think another great highlight was finding a really unassuming tucked-away Korean restaurant (Sonaji) at a corner of the Al Ain mall. It is newly opened by a Korean couple prob in their 60s? And... the food was really good. According to the Korean ajuma, she told us that everything is home-made - and TripAdvisor, Google, FB - all had raving reviews. So good that we did both our dinners there, and I wrote them reviews, and hope that they also open one restaurant in the heart of Abu Dhabi. The Soontofu, Kalguksu and Korean Fried chicken - really very tasty and yummy, and the soontofu had that crabby seafood freshness too. Maybe cos the weather is also considerably colder in Al Ain - the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, and that's why the steaming hot tofu stew was extremely comforting and nice. 

Our trip was really 随心所欲。 We had a walk at the oasis too - and this is a Unesco cultural site. While this place is a desert, amazingly, the people who lived in the land were able to draw water from deep below ground, irrigate the land, and there is agriculture in the palm and date trees. We went to this whole oasis area and marveled. It was a nice walk - midday sun warms the skin, and with a cool breeze. And - there are quite a few mosques even within the oasis itself. 

And so - the short staycay passed us by this 24 - 26 Dec 2020.

I am thankful for this Christmas season break. The joys and hopes and beauty of this season - where we start to plan and look forward to 2021, will mark the next chapter and year of our lives. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!