I like walking. I like the slowed down pace; the funny signs, interesting people and spontaneous moments that you wouldn't notice or appreciate were you using a faster mode of transport. I like the head clearing that happens, the perspective that returns, the smiles.
Last Friday night I took a walk along Sisowath Quay aka The Riverside. It's a feast for the senses. Aromas wafting out of the countless and varied restaurants, tuk-tuk drivers calling out, amateur and professional photo shoots, boats lazily gliding up and down the river, young guys playing a version of hacky-sack with a shuttlecock and large groups of people doing aerobics and/or synchronised dance moves.
By Sunday evening I'd had an unexpectedly full weekend and was anticipating a quiet night in to recupe, but I was swayed, very easily I might add, to join friends for a drink at the riverside. The traffic was obscene so we parked our moto's and walked, an altogether more pleasant affair than battling car fumes and other harried drivers while inching forward painfully slowly. We went to a rooftop bar at a hotel named The Quay and the view is exquisite, as is the mercifully cool breeze so high up. After great conversation and a delicious, although unwise cocktail (Espresso at 7 o'clock meant I couldn't sleep until after midnight) we meandered back up the promenade and had a delightful ride home on much quieter roads. I felt buoyed by the walks I'd taken over the weekend, like a sharp wind had blown away the cobwebs and bought perspective to my mind and peace to my heart.
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