Saturday, April 23, 2011

half the fun is getting there, or, Worst Day

"Half the fun is getting there" in New Zealand when your singing along to tunes in your cute little rental car going over quaint bridges with tumbling waterfalls and picturesque vistas right and left.

The other half of "half the fun is getting there" is in India.

Ok, so Agra to McLeod Ganj trips weren't alllllll bad. (I say trips because, let's see... it was rickshaw, bus, rickshaw, train, taxi). The 5 hour bus was good. Hallalujah we rejoiced, our booking guy was not a fraud overcharging us, he legit got us on the best bus ever.

The train leg was also fine. I slept the whole way. Caryn, who I am ever indebted to, made my bed and tucked me in at 6 pm, my Delhi Belly getting worse, feeling sicker. But I slept soundly and we woke up to our alarm and then our train arrived on time. Then the taxi was fine too! (That is, I felt sick the whole way, but the taxi was a nice taxi and nice taxi man.)

So far, I suppose, this post doesn't sound much like Worst Day, at all. But you know me, it's a bit hard to be negative after the fact, the cry done and all. It was just a rickshaw leg that wasn't that great. The ol' negotiating the price problem. But this time, the rickshaw guys didn't really seem to want to compete for a lower price as usual, but wanted to have a laugh at our expense. Things were actually getting rude! Like all of our "bad experiences" in India, we didn't feel unsafe, but, I guess you could say, they hurt our feelings. Like, grade six style. It felt awful. Cried in the victors rickshaw. Cried at the train station too, after worst-bathroom-ever, sitting on the dirty floor. I'm having a hard time talking about negative stuff, but just trust me, it was a bad day.

I think I spotted God though. There I was, crying with my head between my knees, just feeling awful-sick-gross-tired after a bad bathroom experience which was after the bad supper experience which was after the bad rickshaw experience, and there the little guy was! A kid, just dancing and dancing for us. Smiling and laughing, getting our attention, running around. Just at the age that he'd probably just learned to dance (sometimes he'd dance himself right flat on his face -SLAP!- his hands would catch him just in time). He was beautiful and it made me smile.

4 comments:

  1. I HATE BLOGGER. I WROTE THIS BEAUTIFUL PAT-LENGTH COMMENT AND IT DELETED IT. NOO.

    So I will write it again.

    I am sorry you had a bad, bad day. But by now I hope you are having a fun, albeit quiet time at your buddha camp. We just got home from Wynyard where I engaged Ralph in a game of Religious Figure Charades as suggested by the latest edition of the Watchtower. He guessed buddha when really I was being Jesus. I suppose he didn't realize we were playing Easter-themed charades.

    We went on a drive to find the geese and saw THOUSANDS, and four muskrats - cute!

    What else.. The bunny visited twice and brought supreme treats. Did he find you in India. Kath said grace and we prayed for you two - did you feel our collective vibes?

    That's all. Hope you bellies are feeling wellsies!

    R.

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  2. I am picturing you at the monastery eating very plain gruel for breakfast and equally plain mush for lunch and supper. I hope this is happening and curing your stomach woes!

    Rach forgot to say we played 5 games of Scrabble. You weren't there to tell us "NO." Well Em put up a bit of resistance, but once she left to go study, there was nothing stopping us. We made ourselves sick on Scrabble and chocolate: glorious.

    Love to you all!

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  3. Well, sweeties. I am very sorry about your tummies. And the unhelpful people. And tears. Oh, dear: Tears! As R and K said, I hope the retreat is curing all that ails you.

    It was lovely to see everyone, and Saskatchewan has spring (!), and it is lovely, though very WET! In some places, the roads are covered in water, and we had to drive with great determination. Missed you two, too. And today, I'm missing everyone! That's the trouble with having such a lovely time. Love you both at Easter, Pat

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  4. Oh no Ali, reading how sick you felt I just wanted to scurry through a time warp, scoop you up, make you soup broth and crackers, give you a very sanitary bathroom, and lots of time to sleep and get better!!!! So sorry you had a bad time! Little Elijah had a very sick tummy at Easter as well. Must be going around (the world)! So happy the little dancing boy cheered you, God is good, isn't He?

    Happy Easter (very belated), hugs to all!

    Beth

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