Exhaustion

The first time I traveled to the Philippines, we were going and going and going the first week and my body finally said, “Nah uh. You’re done.” And I was laid up for 24 hours just resting.

The same thing is happening here. We’ve been going and going and going, and my body told me today, you have to stop and rest. I have a fever, and I feel like shit.

I’ve been grumpy on the phone when I call Tina, and she’s been really patient. I should have listened to my body sooner and stayed away from too much working in exchange for rest. The thing is, my dad and Jimmy both go to bed earlier than I’m used to, and I think I can stay up. But then they get up early, and in the mornings I feel hungover and crappy.

We’re on our way back to Bangkok two days early. I welcome it. The hotel in Chiangmai was becoming claustrophobic.

We’re going to check into another missionary guest house that’s closer to the detention center in Bangkok. Jimmy and Pieter want to go back there tomorrow morning. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow morning. If not, I’m going to go with them to experience it, and then I’m going to go back to bed tomorrow afternoon.

I haven’t even brought up anything anti-religious while I’ve been here. I don’t think so anyway. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of opportunity. Dad and Jimmy bicker over theological matters, and I end up rolling my eyes and letting them gab. Admittedly, my dad will say that if you put four theologians in a room, they won’t agree and leave with four different interpretations.

The closest I got to saying anything was today when my dad was commenting on how everyone seems to do a bow and namaste when they greet you or leave. The Thai are really a beautiful people. They are calm, and those who speak English are very soothing to hear in my native tongue. When I hear women speak in Thai, when you walk up and they greet you, it’s quite possibly some of the nicest moments I’ve had in Thailand.

I keep forgetting to write that they drive on the other side of the road here, and it’s a little disconcerting. Today we were driving back from seeing some elephants and then seeing some of those women who stretch their necks with gold circles (forgive me I’m tired), and the driver we hired was driving through what appeared to be red lights. He seemed unphased by it. It was like flying in a plane and hitting turbulence. The best way for me to calm down is to look up at a flight attendant. If they aren’t phased, I calm down too.

My computer battery is dying. I didn’t get a chance to charge it in our little-ass room in Chiangmai. Our flight leaves soon. I’ll try not to update too much and get some rest.

Oh, here’s some video I took this morning while I was looking for something to ease my upset stomach: