Dream:
At the edge of a cliff, three of us suit up and piece together our harnesses and buckles for a hang gliding adventure. The rocks and smooth pebbles crunch under our feet as we prepare for a massive jump into the crystal blue lagoon below.
Are we ready? Yes! We nod at each other, fasten our belts and give it a running start. Like children diving into a pool, we push off the edge of the cliff with all of our energy. Our bodies, supported by our man-made wings, lift into the air and soar above the cove weightless and free! The rush is so incredible as we drift high over the earth and circle back to the water, readying ourselves for a perfect landing.
I let out a short laugh, swallow a huge breath and plunge feet-first into the abyss. My gear causes no trouble as I quickly unhook myself and shed my wings. One after the other, my friends drop into the water and we race back to land like dolphins. In reality, I’m not a great swimmer, but there are no limitations here as I push forward with a perfect stroke and reach the shore.
The three of us agree that this is the coolest experience ever when suddenly we hear music and laughing. Once out of the water, we follow the sounds and are greeted by a gorgeous Indian woman wearing a yellow sari with a bright pink scarf. Her eyes are captivating and match perfectly with her scarlet lips and flowing black hair.
“Can you believe this? It’s simply wonderful – I can’t wait to find out what’s on the third floor,” she says. I don’t catch her name, though her bubbling personality screams that she most definitely is an extrovert and already knows us without needing to ask. The woman gestures for us to follow her toward a stone building as the sound of Tablas and Sitars grows louder, luring and inviting us to visit the Indian festival inside. At the entrance, she charismatically begins speaking with perfect strangers and wanders off to ask a gentleman for information about the third floor. There must be something pretty fantastic up there.
Moving forward past a seasoned crowd of shoppers, we cram into the building through a small open door and push our way to the front of a showroom where a cooking demonstration is taking place. A young Korean woman begins her class on how to make Honey Mustard Sticky Rice. Wow! This sounds good…
One cup of honey
One cup of mustard
A large bowl of rice (possibly 8 servings)
The girl casually sings a mysterious song as she mixes the ingredients together in a clear Pyrex bowl. She scoops the rice into individual servings and tops each bowl with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. I seriously can’t wait to make this when I wake up!