The Best Laid Plans...
*[Read to the end if you want to hear how my plans for the next few days have been placed on indefinite hold…]
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India
On our way out of India, Jeremiah and I set aside a couple of days for sightseeing in Delhi.
Not the world’s most relaxing destination, but he had never seen the Taj Mahal, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to do so while “in the neighborhood.”
I don’t recommend Delhi to casual travelers, especially at this, the hottest time of year. Temperatures in the capital hovered around 105F at midday; 111F or higher in Agra, home of the Taj.
Even in the cooler seasons, Delhi is challenging and chaotic. But in limited quantities — three or four days at a time — I love it. I find the chaos of the streets intoxicating: cows, carts, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, hawkers, laborers. Smells, sounds, sensations; an A.D.D extrovert’s dream, at least for a while.
Jeremiah is a great traveling companion. Despite having traveled widely, he has maintained a child-like sense of wonder, and is able to laugh at even the most vexing inconveniences — a four hour ride in a mosquito-infested taxi with inadequate a/c, for instance.
We wrapped up our Delhi excursion with a street food tour in the Muslim quarter, scouring Chandni Chowk and the bustling boulevard leading to the Jama Masjid (India’s largest mosque, built 500 years ago by Emperor Shah Jahan) for skewers of mutton, flaky samosas, steaming plates of tandoori naan and succulent fried chicken.
Senses overloaded and stomachs hyperextended, Jeremiah and I said goodbye to India and to each other. He returned home to his family (bringing, as I understand it, some nasty bacterial souvenirs home in his intestines), and I continued on to Thailand, where I was joined by this week’s traveling companion, my longtime colleague and friend, Daniel.
Arriving in Chiang Mai, I felt great. No tummy troubles at all. And the relative cool (95F) of northern Thailand seemed a respite from Delhi’s blast furnace heat.
My first two days here were filled with laughter, games and a whole lot of delicious Thai food. I enjoyed dinners at two of our Doi Saket homes and an amazing staff lunch in Wiang Pa Pao, a couple of hours north of Doi Saket. I played hour upon hour of volleyball, badminton and takraw.
And then I woke up yesterday morning feeling like I’d been trampled by a water buffalo. Head throbbing, throat raw, sinuses packed — and zero energy. I took the entire day off, ate almost nothing and spent 90% of my time in bed.
I had hoped that a full night’s sleep would provide the dramatic recovery I’d need to resume my busy schedule: a day of pool parties with Asia’s Hope kids, followed by dinner at one of our homes.
No such luck.
I woke up this morning feeling, well, pretty much the same as the day before. I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to try to gut it out and enjoy some of the activities as planned, or if I’m just going to take some medicine and go back to bed.
I’m scheduled to teach tomorrow; not sure if that’s going to happen either.
But, whatcha gonna do?
As always, I plan to roll with the punches and do my best. One of the beautiful things about having a long-term relationship with these staff and kids is that I know I’ll be back. If not tomorrow, the next day. If not then, on my next trip to Thailand — as long as finances and health permit.
I’m in it for the long haul.
I’m reminded of that every time I see one of our graduates return to join our staff, or just to visit their childhood home. And as I tell our newest arrivals, “I know you don’t know me yet, and that’s okay. But I promise you that one day we will be friends.”
*Just took a covid test and, yeah, I’m positive. So it looks like my next few days are going to be boring and uncomfortable. Not what I was hoping for, but I’ve downloaded a couple of books onto my iPad, and I’ll get by.