Jasmine - the India of my childhood

Dead of the night - my favorite time of the night (or day). One of the reasons I love running in the dark is two-fold. Its the only time that is not blazing hot here in South-east Asia. The second reason is more close to my heart. As silly as it sounds, the smell of Jasmine is what lures me onto the streets every morning.

How many cities boast any sort of smell nowadays?! Not many! The smell of Jasmine, to me, is one of the most unadulterated smells in memory. Smell is something that takes you right back - to your first kiss, first crush, first love...among many many other firsts. A whiff of a familiar perfume, worn by a lost-love, is enough to transport one back many years.

For me, the smell of Jasmine takes me back to the India of my childhood. Jasmine is the smell of the neighbourhood temple in the morning, the smell of the north after a heavy rain, the smell in a 'havan', a 'jagrata', and not to be too morbid, it is strewn over funeral pyres.

Every morning (or night), running through these strange streets, I look for the familiar - my home - and something as simple as a smell, takes me back to the India of my childhood.

Just 3.25 miles this Saturday am. Its a habit to get up and run - but I just was not in it this morning. I might do some miles this pm - but I really should just rest up for an 18-miler tomorrow. Yes, just run tomorrow, just run tomorrow, just tomorrow :-))

Hmmm - I couldn't resist - did 3 miles at 6pm. The splits were as follows
1 mile @ 6min
1mile @ 6:32min
1mile @ 9min
Low humidity, high temperatures. Oh well, I am not going to complain!