Back in Pai

I'm not sure what's more dangerous, being sick in Asia or driving in a car in Asia. OK, well I do think it's being sick, but by a hair.

Actually what takes the cake is an ambulance ride over the hills at night in Asia. Yes that is definitely the most dangerous.

Alright my friends, I am back in Pai (!), the quaint, touristy, laid back, picturesque town in Northern Thailand where 5 days ago I succumbed to some sort of bug.

I'm glad to be back here. I'm still on the mend, and despite the town's considerable distance from a hospital where the doctors wear shoes, I look forward to recuperating some more here. To sleeping in a bamboo bungalow and waking to the sounds of birds and the rising sun rather than to sterile rooms with AC and TV. Though admittedly I will miss my Aljazeera!

It's also a mental victory to return here. It feels important to come back to where I got sick and see it is OK and finish my time here and say goodbye.

I'm not sure how long I'll be here, but I'm guessing 3 days. Then back to Chaing Mai I think, to the wonderful Sunday market, where my tentative plan is to load up on trinkets, mail them back to the US, and then give them to all of you at some point.

After Chaing Mai, I think I will head North East to Chaing Rai, a city just south of the Lao border. And then, the Mekong river and Laos are calling.

Who knows what will happen, but that's what I'm feeling for the moment. Anything could change that, from my health to some other opportunity or idea.

That's a big part of this trip for me as you know: planning little and staying open and going with what feels right. So as much as I want to be in Northern India for the Dalai Lama's annual teachings and Uprising Day, Laos and the Mekong are calling more loudly right now.

But darn that's a tough choice! And if such choices should be my main problem then I will be a lucky man.

I'll keep you posted on my health. Further blood test results in a few days. I hope to continue to gain my strength (I ate my first vegetable today! and lots more rice) so I can enjoy more of this incredible part of the world.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers and emails and phone calls. They've made a huge difference!

Love Roni