Short vacation

 After two years of whining about the travel restrictions, I was finally able to travel to Riyadh for a short vacation this week.

We went for early morning walks at the Prince Salman park over the weekend, and I tried riding an electric scooter. The first couple of times, I found it hard to keep balance, but eventually I was able to zoom up and down the park while occasionally hissing at some cats that stared at me. The park is literally a cat oasis. You can see them curled up under the date palms, fast asleep or playing around. 

It felt so good to be back, and my parents and I revisited my favourite spots again. A lot of things had changed in the time I was gone, so it was really exciting to be able to explore.

I met my friends Ayesha and Chandana. Chandana and I went to a cafe called The Secret Garden that had its walls covered in an explosion of flowers. It was a really pretty sight to see. Even the pastries were beautifully arranged.

Technically I didn't have vacation, but I did get a week off because my classmates had gone on their industrial visit. The "industry" part was over even before they set foot out of the state, so meandering through Goa and Karnataka was the "visit". I did plan on going at first, but a light bulb went off in my head when I realised I could just reroute. 

Last November, I had flown to Dubai for a week after we found out I would have to quarantine for five days if I went to Riyadh. But I only had 8 days to spare before my classes started again, so I met my parents at Dubai instead. It was a splendid time, and Dad and I went swimming at the beach most days. The first morning, I refused to leave the shallower parts, but eventually I was floating on my back, trying not to think about the possibility of a whale swimming under me.