Day of Fasting for Charity

Each Ramadan, work holds a fundraising campaign for non-muslims to raise money for various charities. Non-muslims fundraise by committing to fasting for one day and are sponsored by fellow Muslim employees.

Janelle and I decided to give it a shot and see what fasting was like, keeping in mind we were doing it for one day only compared to 30. The groundrules are quite simple, you cannot eat or drink from 4am until Iftar which was at 6:52pm. We approached the fast like we were getting ready for a triathlon, carb loading the night before with rice and chicken and drinking as much water as possible to try and stay hydrated all day. With the fundraising done, the alarm was set for an early breakfast at 3:30am. Janelle decided to sleep right through but I knew I would not make it the entire day without eatting or drinking coffee so my breakfast was just that, cereal, toast and coffee at 3:40am. You must be done eatting by 4am as that's when first prayers start, so there was time to go back to bed!  One of the harder things for me was the disruption of sleep, we were continually told that you get used to it...but I'm not so sure.

3:41am Breakfast

The first few hours of the morning weren't so bad, the key being busy meant the less you notice the hunger or needing a coffee. By lunch I was really getting hungry but again it came in waves and soon enough it would subside for a bit. During Ramadan anyone who is fasting is allowed to go home at 1pm to essentially sleep. Janelle and I were also able to leave early this day and headed home at 2:30pm for a nap. We slept alright but we were both really feeling the effects of not eating or drinking by 5pm. It was interesting how we didn't have the energy for anything. I can't imagine feeling that way for an entire month. That night the charitable organization hosted Iftar (break the fast). By exactly 6:52pm with the call to prayer, everyone began eating dates and drinking water. There are usually some sweets and samosas as well, just an appetizer before the main meal. After the fast is broken for the day, all Muslims must go pray before eating the main meal. Dinner was very enjoyable and much needed, I've never tasted such good dates before! I was still unable to shake my coffee headache and Janelle and I both went home and essentially straight to sleep at 8:30pm feeling satisfied and exhausted.
 One of the main reasons for fasting during the holy month is to identify with people who cannot afford food. It is also a time of giving, social gatherings and extra prayers.  Fasting was a good experience to briefly see what Muslims go through, but not one that I would want to do for a month. Ramadan ended on August 19th which marked the beginning of Eid (the Muslim equivalent to Christmas Day). Eid lasts 3 days and also is the start of restaurants and coffee shops being open during the day and very importantly for us bars begin serving alcohol again. Eid also marks a well needed week long public holiday and the beginning of the expat families returning back to Muscat from their extended vacations home. With the weather starting to improve and people returning we're excited for things to begin picking up again after a very quiet summer.

First Ramadan

Ramadan was officially declared by the Moon Observer Committee to start July 20. This will be our first Ramadan experience - the holy month for Islamic people.
We didn't know much about Ramadan prior to being immersed into middle eastern culture. Mostly because we don't know any muslims back home and because the religion is a minority, so there's no real change in our society. I would compare it to a mix of Christmas and 40 days of Lent.

Weeks leading up to Ramadan, it was becoming clear that there was a buzz in the air as people were getting ready for this special occasion. It lasts for 4 weeks, starting with the sighting of the new moon and ending on a full moon followed by Eid Al-Fitr (celebration ending ramadan). During the month, people are required to fast - not only food, but also water, smoking, and even gum (my vice ;). This makes for some interesting dynamics in the office! Thank goodness the work hours are reduced to 7am-1pm or 9am to 2pm for muslims. Non muslims carry on as normal, even though 90% of the people are at home resting or preparing for Iftar (break the fast at sunset). So the office gets eerily quiet in the afternoons. You can still get a coffee in the morning thankfully, but you have to congregate to the 'sin' room to do so!
Muslims are also suppose to do more praying, good deeds and give back to charity. There are a bunch of sale specials on for the month at the grocery stores, car dealers, clothing stores, etc. Ramadan kareem ;)

All the restaurants are closed during the day and reopen in the evenings around Iftar, luckily the grocery stores are open all day. Alcohol is not sold anywhere during the month so we had fun stocking up on booze at the club store - everyone had their carts loaded to the max. If you dare go out in the evening, you'll face traffic jams and really really crazy drivers as they are likely hungry, dehydrated and trying to get to where they're going for Iftar. We have been told that each break the fast is typically a feast with family and friends that lasts until early hours of the morning. I give it until next week before people really start coming late to work. But then again it's culturally acceptable, which is odd to us. We did get a chance to tie on one before ramadan started, some friends hosted pre-Ramadan parties in light of what was coming!

There is supposed to be a day during Ramadan where non muslims fast for charity. I'm looking forward to trying it out to see what they've gone through over the past few weeks. Hopefully we will be excused from work at 1 as well...

And a link to an article that is ridiculous! I still can't believe what I read over here sometimes. Article

What a triathlon in +40C feels like

Don't worry, I'm not about to say we did an Ironman in +40C. Nope, that would just be crazy! A sprint is more than enough...

Last weekend was the grand finale of tris before summer holidays. Again, as with every Friday morning start, we strongly debated sleeping in...or rolling out of the bed to get in some miles before it gets too hot. Luckily the start time was bumped up to 6 AM. Good for minimizing time in the sun, but bad for trying to be alive at 4:30 am.
It was a smaller group, which is expected in the midst of the summer months, maybe 20 people with a mix of individuals and teams. However small, the level of diversity is quite unique - we have a former Oman national team member(who beats everybody by at least 5 min), rusty ironman competitors (if I don't say so myself ), tri newbies that haven't gone further than a sprint, and junior athletes <12 yrs (but are super fast swimmers!).

The best way to describe the race is like a game of 'pickup triathlon'. And it really is a compliment to the race. It's pretty unique that you can run a triathlon with minimal planning and resources. The ocean is very likely to be calm, and give the Friday morning start (on holy day) the roads are quiet so road closures and traffic control isn't needed. Plus the weather never changes, its guaranteed to be hot!

This was our 2nd Azaiba beach triathlon and the rundown goes as such: You show up with your stuff, and there's a quick race briefing (in case there is a newbie) - swim around the buoy, then the boat, making a triangle. It may be 750 or 650m depending on the tides. Then transition is a quick rinse of the salt water from the mouth and eyes... and onto the bike. But be sure not to mount until clear of the 'mount line', the invisible line where the parking lot turns into a road. And then onto the road for a 20 km loop to The Wave roundabout and back. Of course minding traffic and stop lights - proceeding at your own risk. The wind feels like a convection oven, so by the time you hit the run, and you are medium rare to well-done.  The run course is a flat, straight out and back ( Al Humdilillah). I don't think anyone could bear a slight undulation by ~ 7am as it's already close to 40C with the humidity. The water station is at the turnaround, which literally saves people from heat stoke and dehydration. 5km isn't far, but in this heat, it feels unbelievably far! Afterwards we all jump back into the ocean, for a semi-cool down (the ocean is hot too).

What makes it all worth the effort is the trip to Darcy's Kitchen afterwards with the group for breakfast and race recaps.       

Transition: good thing the curb is huge. Makes for a good bike holder.

The P2C and Dual ready go!

Adam was running 0.05 seconds ago...he just crossed the line, didn't you see the tape?

The beach and our time keepers/aid station/officials/moms of the junior athletes ;)

Cycling Geneva - June 13-17

We found out a few days before the weekend that we would get an extra  2 days off for the Prophets Ascension giving us a nice long weekend. It left us little time to plan where to go, so we looked at all possibilities from Thailand, Male, Turkey, etc...and landed on Geneva, Switzerland! It sounds far to go for 4 days, but it was only an hour to Abu Dhabi, then 6 hrs to Geneva. We landed Thu morning at 7 am and just the feeling of crisp, cool 10C mountain air was worth it, nevermind all the wine, cheese and chocolate that we consumed over the weekend!

Flying over Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc - EU's highest mtn

Our plan for the weekend was to spend Thu in Geneva, then cycle around Lake Geneva (Lac Leman dans francis) and spend the night on the north side, around Lausanne. Then make our way back to the city Sat afternoon. Our flight wasn't until 9:30 pm on Sunday which gave us all day to relax before heading home.

We rented bikes from Bike Switzerland as they had brand new BMC street racer road bikes to rent. We stopped by the shop for a bike fit and found out they host a Thu evening social ride. It was a perfect way to test out the bike handling before setting off for 240 km. The social ride was a perfect intro to what we would expect over the next 2 days. There were bike lanes on just about every road, beautiful scenery, rolling hills, and great weather. The social ride was a mix of locals and others setting off for longer cycling trips. One group was cycling through Switzerland and another were making their way to the Mediterranean. After the ride, there was a small farmers market in the square right by the bike shop. We drank wine and got some suggestions of places to stop at on our trip.

The social ride took us past the UN headquarters

 Our pre 'race' meal was very Suisse - beer and Fondue! Yummm


                
 
We decided to ride counterclock wise around the lake, taking the scenic route close to the lake and off main roads. The homes and landscaping were absolutely beautiful. Geneva just had a week of rain and we lucked out getting sunshine all weekend with flowers in full bloom.
We took our time and stopped at a few towns along the way - Hermance & Yvoire(both walled medieval towns), Thnon les Bain (lunch stop), Evian (original town of Evian water), and Montreaux, where we found a hotel for the night.

Roadside fountains can be found in every town. 

 


The town of Yvoire, France.

Lunch stop in Thonon. It was the busiest cafe and the food looked amazing. Everyone had salads on there table, and I could see why! So good, the French know how to make a delicious salad.

We stayed at Hotel Splendid overlooking the lake and the owner gave us a room on the second floor with a terrace. One of the perks of touring before peak tourist season. We decided to do some climbing on Day 2, up through Blonay and Chatel St. Denis. We passed a few farms and ranches and all the cows really did have bells on them! It's not a Suisse myth, you could hear the chingling in the distance.

Even the country roads had bike lanes :)

Climbing up 1000m to Chatel St Denis

On the way down to Lausanne

We stumbled apon the Sun market in old town Lausanne. Lots of fresh produce, breads and charcuterries.

We stopped for a classic lunch in Rolle by a castle overlooking the Lake dining on a half bottle of Suisse wine (still had 40km to go;), a baguette, suisse gruyere, and some fruit. Being Saturday, lots of people were out in the parks enjoying the beautiful summer day. The drivers were all very courteous, slowing down and pulling over. People were also very friendly and patient when we tried to use the little bit of french that we know.

Jet d'eau puts out 500 L/s

 We made it back Sat afternoon and parted with our 2 wheeled compadres. I was tempted to hang onto the bike and stay a week to join the Cycling Switzerland tours that they organize. It was a fantastic trip and a refreshing change from the hot temps in Oman. 

Moonlight Paddle

The RAHRC kayak club organized their second moonlight paddle of the summer season. It was held Saturday after work and was 4 km roundtrip along the shoreline to Shatti Beach.  The moon was just about full, providing good light for a gentle paddle after sun down.  There was about 20 boats, ranging from singles to doubles, and varying skill level.  Being it a social paddle, the organizers are good about setting the pace so we could keep together.  The last thing anyone would want is to be stranded on the water in the dark! But there wasn't just the moonlight, we were each given glow sticks to put on the boat. You'd think being out on the water in the evening would be nice and cool, but summer is here to stay...it was still hot out!

 

Snake Gorge

We were a bit nervous about hiking Snake Gorge, for one, the name makes one a bit eery! And secondly, most people said once you go, there's no turning back, and to bring a rope. I am happy to report that no one in our group came across any snakes, although the water was really murky so who knows if they really exist in the gorge...

Oman is renowned for the wadis (dry riverbed) and Snake Gorge is one of the best. Mostly because this hike has water, jumps, caves, and water slides!  You need a least 2 4x4s for the hike (one for the trailhead and one for the end, although you can walk the additional 4km uphill hike back to the trailhead car afterward). Our partners in crime here (figuratively speaking) Pete and Zan invited us along with their boot camp crew to try out Snake Gorge. 5am came early, but is needed to avoid the high mid-day temps. We met our convoy of 7 SUVs and then drove about 1.5 hr into the interior.  They're building a new paved road for the first half of the drive but it is still best to have a 4x4.

Approximate location of snake gorge

We parked the cars and the group (about 20 strong, a big group for this hike) piled into 4 trucks and headed up the 4km gravel road to the top of the trail.  The start has the biggest jump, about a 6m drop and at this point there is no turning back. Because of no escape routes due to sheer cliff faces, it is critical that the weather forecast is checked before starting. If it rains the wadi turns into a raging torrent with no way out.  Even clouds far off can mean rain flowing into Snake Gorge (apparently there is a local number you can call to get a weather forecast and conditions before heading out). It is also critical to lower someone using a rope into each pool of water before jumping to check the depth and ensure it's safe as water levels do change.

The hike took about 3 hours (~ 4 1/2 for those with a fear of heights). The scenery was spectacular, and the jumps a blast! The rock waterslide was cool, with a curve in it so you can't see the bottom. Then there was the swim-through cave complete with stalactites.

Driving to the trailhead

At the start - everybody in water shoes and rash guards

First drop!

Second big drop - Pete jumping

Janelle jumping

Walking on water...

The water shoes were a good investment for the hike as you're climbing and swimming quite a lot, as well as ensuring you've got a waterproof bag for any valuables. A big pack wasn't needed as the hike is relatively short and was cool with lots of shade (in fact you even get a little cold, Pete claimed he saw me shiver but I denied it as Canadians don't get cold until -20degC at least!). We all made it down safely to have a picnic at the bottom and tell stories about each section of the hike. Snake Gorge easily lived up to its reputation and was something we'll remember for a long time.

The gorge

Making our way through the water channels

A nice photo op with the waterfall!

Looking back into the swim through cave

Heading into the gorge

Top of the very first big drop