15
Oct
My last day in Phoenix was easily one of the healthiest and most relaxing of my entire Eat, Walk, Jet! month. (I know because I’m finished and writing this in retrospect.) Steve and I hiked North Mountain, then we drove across town to Aly’s cousin’s house and lounged in the pool. I have a great photo of me chilling in a floatie with a Tecate in the little drink holder, the sun all over me, and my smiling face looking over the New York Times Magazine. There was a fifteen or twenty minute span when my head was back on the floatie and I was drifting around the pool in and out of the sun, where there wasn’t a thing in my mind. Nothing. For some people it takes sitting and concentrating on their breath; for me it takes chlorinated water, a blow-up toy, a cheap Mexican beer and a dry breeze. I’m easy.
That evening we were looking for a place to eat and almost by chance stopped at this South Indian place. I forget the name, but it had “100% VEGETARIAN BUFFET” painted in four-foot-high letters across the windows in the front of the place, which faced one of the millions of six-lane roads in Phoenix. It’s a great technique, because it’s so much bigger than a sign, but you would usually associate that kind of promotion with a car sale (“O% FINANCING UNTIL JUNE ‘10!”) or a going-out-of-business sale (“EVERYTHING MUST GO!”).
Aly spent some time in South India a while back, and she helped us order. I can’t say what we had, other than it was all absolutley fantastic—and so much healthier than most of what I’ve been eating.
I have to say that between the morning smoothies and juices and vegetarian pizza, I ate well—and healthy—in Phoenix. Thanks to the hippies. (No, really, we even went to a drum circle. In Phoenix. I’m serious. Mind-blower.)
