Fifth Journey Day 118: Unfinished Tea

Date: September 3, 2025
Location: Tartus, Syria

In Tartus on the Mediterranean coast of Syria, the harbor sets an easy rhythm: fishing boats, gulls, and cafés where tea cools slowly in the salt breeze. The day carried a gentle, maritime hush that invited slower breathing and simple marks on paper.

Sea Air and Harbor Light

I spent the afternoon at a small café near the harbor. The tables were simple, the kind where wood is polished more by use than design. From where I was sitting, I could see boats moving gently on the water. Their reflections broke into pieces with each wave. The breeze carried the smell of salt and fish, but also the faint sweetness of tea steeping nearby. It was the kind of air that felt like it was stuck to your skin, leaving a little bit of the sea's smell even when you weren't moving.

Quiet Conversation at the Café

The conversation around me was soft, with words exchanged more for the sound of it than for their actual meaning. A boy walked past carrying a rope. An older man sat with his back to the water, smoking a cigarette.

Sketches of Movement

I opened my sketchbook, but instead of drawing boats or figures, I found myself making marks that showed movement—like the rise and fall of water against the pier or the looping shapes of seagulls flying across the sky.

Listening to the Water

What I noticed most was the sound: waves going into the harbor wall, calm and waiting. After days of hot weather inland, the sea felt like a refreshing change. It wasn't overwhelming or dramatic; it was simply there, allowing me to breathe more slowly and deeply. I thought about how each place I have visited has a different kind of evidence of history: stone, dust, wheels, bread. Here, water repeats without force, drawing everything to a quieter rhythm.

Leaving the Tea Unfinished

I left the café without finishing my tea. It had grown cool, but I couldn't stop thinking about the image of the boats moving and the seagulls flying around. Today felt like a gentle arrival. It wasn't so much about exploring new things as it was about letting the sea remind me that sometimes, being still can also be moving.

Travel Notes

• Weather: Warm at 30°C; pale blue sky veiled with haze; a steady coastal breeze carrying salt, moisture, and the cry of gulls.
• Scents: Sea salt and fish at the docks, the faint sweetness of tea steeping, and a thread of cigarette smoke.
• Sounds: Waves folding into the harbor wall, soft conversations, ropes thudding and rasping on wood, gulls looping overhead.
• Reflection: A gentle arrival on the Syrian coast—drawing movement rather than objects, letting the water’s repetition set a quieter rhythm.

Continue the Journey

You may also enjoy lingering with yesterday’s inland warmth in Fifth Journey Day 115: Bread-Scented Breeze (Aleppo), or wander another Syrian moment in Fifth Journey Day 114: Breath of the Courtyard (Damascus).