Back in Thailand

What a relief to arrive safely in Thailand. Of all my trips to this part of the planet, this was by far the roughest. I had an up close, and personal view of the volatile climate as we flew around, over, and through a typhoon bearing down on Japan, and thunderstorms all across Southeast Asia. We spent a good deal of time belted in, and the sights outside the window were impressive and intimidating. All of this added up to about two extra hours of flying time, and a very grateful heart on arrival! I sat next to an elderly couple from Tokyo on the first half of the trip...one of the best things about this journey is having the opportunity to chat with folk from all over the world. All those hours of forced confinement in close quarters can lead to some interesting exchanges---particularly with a language barrier. I speak no Japanese, and this couple spoke no English, but we managed to have a good laugh about the husband's extraordinary ability to sleep through all the excitement of the trip (a skill I have to admit to envying), and the way the tray table in front of me kept slamming down at various unannounced moments throughout the journey. It was very easy also to understand the way their eyes shone with pride as they pointed out various sights around our approach to Narita Airport when we could finally see the ground through the heavy fog and enjoy the view of their beautiful country.

It was much easier to chat with my seat companion on the way to Bangkok, although my rusty language skills must have sounded very much like his three-year-old daughter! He had been in Wisconsin for business, and was happy to report that he loved the cheese!! Much the same with the young businesswoman from Bangkok who I met on the trip to Chiang Mai yesterday, and who, as we bumped and swayed our way through the storms around the city, grabbed my hand and exclaimed "Pii (roughly translated as older sister/one), I do not like this!" I could relate. In the gracious and kind way of the Thai people, she gave me her card as we got off the plane, and insisted that I must come to stay with her family when I am next in Bangkok.

I arrived in time to join the September meeting of the book group I have belonged to here since 2000, and we had a great time discussing Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father, with the conversation ranging across a variety of subjects! They surprised me with a happy birthday Pavlova---a heavenly desert that originated in Australia---and is a miracle of meringue, tart passion fruit and strawberries that is an amazing feat to pull off in such a humid climate. It is a favorite of mine and was a wonderful surprise!

Today it is rest, church, and hopefully a normal night's sleep as I look forward to my first day at Agape Home tomorrow and catching up with all of the kids. It is good to be back!