The verdict
Saturday, January 13th, 2007OK, it was worth it. (Did you expect a different answer?) : )
It was cool to wake up to the bi-tone amplified Muslim “call to worship,” even if that was at 5am. I went on the early “animal-spotting” boat trip through Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Well, aside from something cow-like, something pig-like, and calls of “Tiger!” linked to the silhouette of a buffalo, not too many animals on the lake this morning. Except shivering humans. More specifically, a boat full of Hindu swamis and gurus (in town for a conference??) and …me. We entertained each other I guess, including sharing tunes—theirs from their techy phone/player/camera/computer—and taking many photos of each other.
Then, I went to the home of my “bus friend” Thulasy and met her little adopted baby and sweet-smiled husband. She treated me like a queen—fed me treats and a huge lunch, showed me pictures, let me play with her baby for a couple hours. And I left feeling like meeting them alone made the bus ride worth it. Serendipity it is.
The rest of the day? Spice hikes, a show of “ancient martial arts” with taut muscles and flying weapons, dinner with a fantastic Australian woman, chewy chocolate bar, and now this lovely conversation with you. 😉 And yes, I did actually hire a taxi to take me to my next destination tomorrow. I said that the bus ride was worth it, not that I’d want to repeat it! 😀
By the way, in case you’re curious, the history of the word “serendipity”:
It came from an English author, Horace Walpole, who formed the word from an old name for Sri Lanka, “Serendip.” This name was part of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of….”
Fitting. : )
bimpy_ak