Apparently we had too good of a time in Thailand. Because the Vacation Gods have since seen fit to extract payment for our humble holiday. William and I ended up with sunburns from snorkeling. Mine left me sleepless, immobile and incoherent for two days. Meanwhile, Jenny valiantly returned to work only to be sent back home after a virus had her losing her lunch.
And while I’m on this subject can I add one note about medical care in Hong Kong? It just strikes me that when an ambulance is called up because someone is in too much pain to make it to the clinic, you don’t send them home with Tylenol. Tylenol! Other than that odd outcome, I was well taken care of on my first Lamma clinic visit.
Well perhaps it’s all just retribution for ignoring our friend Jane’s admonition on elephant rides. It’s true that work elephants are sometimes mistreated and stories of such cruelty had us hesitant about signing up for an elephant trek. The camp we chose, Baan Kwan Chang, is reported as the most responsible on Koh Chang, with an emphasis on proper care and support by the Asian Elephant Foundation.
Still, an interesting moral dilemma was presented. My justification for the indulgence generates first in the reputation of the camp and second in the cruel fact that were it not for the revenue of such treks the animals would face a much more dire future. I admit, though, I was curious what Aui Eye, our elephant, was thinking as she carried us along that well worn trail.
Turning from past consequences to future ones, I’ll be in Amsterdam next week for ApacheCon Europe. Just my luck that I booked with British Airlines and have to fly through Heathrow. I think I’ll be carrying my luggage with me.
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