The Odd Day

I decided to go on a orchid farm/cave monastery/hilltribe tour today because I kind of wanted to get out of Chiang Mai. (I've been hanging around a lot, and I needed a change of pace.) It was all really cool, and I'm glad I went. The orchid farm was beautiful, and I liked the caves. Part of the hilltribe visit included the Karen (Long Neck) tribe. I didn't like it as much as the other hilltribe visitations, because it seemed too much like a sideshow display. There was something a little 'off' about the atmosphere.

Last night I tried to extend my stay at my hostel (I was due to check out this morning). They told me to come back in an hour because there was not an English speaker on staff. So I did, and they told me to come back at seven in the morning. So I planned to get up, shower, eat breakfast, extend my hostel stay, and leave for the tour by 7:30.

Unfortunately, I slept in and didn't get my shower or breakfast. Unfortunately, there was still not an English speaker on staff; therefore, I could not renew my stay. After some consideration, I decided to wrap money up in a note and leave it on the front desk. (I spent the next twelve hours concerned that they did not get the note or had already checked the room out to somebody else. I was just hoping my stuff wouldn't be chucked out into the hallway.)

Lucky for me, it all worked out. They received the note, and the money was still intact. My stuff was not tossed out. Things were good.


The weirdest thing happened to me today. I was walking down the street, wearing my sunglasses on top of my head. Suddenly, I felt a pressure on my temple as the lens in my sunglasses (randomly) popped out and sailed through the air. As I watched in surprise, the lens twisted before it neatly slid down a half-inch slit in the sidewalk that led to the sewer. The scene playing out before me was so bewildering, my leg stopped working in mid-stride. My foot froze in the air for a nanosecond, while my body lurched forward. In slow-motion, I felt myself tumble to the ground with the all grace and poise of a 300 pound linebacker. I laid there, sprawled out on the ground for a bit. Mostly I was in a daze over the loss of my poor sunglasses. I suppose I'll just have to go shopping and buy another.

In short, I'll sum up the day by saying, "All's well that ends well."