 |
| Bonus of flying out from the city centre |
Sometimes, a story doesn't have the happiest ending. But that shouldn't ruin all of the good things that happened in the previous chapters, nor leave the reader with a bitter taste - it's just another way to finish the story. As happy as this story's chapters have been, it does not have a happy ending. And that's okay - it happens - but it will not taint the rest of the wonderful story in my head, nor in my memories of my time on this grand adventure, this great road trip. It will only become the part I remember the least about all of this.
One day after returning from the US, I went back to work to restart all of the prep for the restaurant. Mario stayed home to deal with the disastrous state the city left our yard and gardens in after having finished the summer-long paving project on our street. Of course they did the work requiring the most detail while we were away, and of course they botched the job. When I saw the work they did upon our return, I cried.
|
|
One day after return from our trip, most of the laundry was done, groceries bought for the week, and I lost my brand new expensive sunglasses. I was very upset and called around everywhere until I found out they had stayed in the car when my parents had given us a lift home from the airport. However, the panic I experienced while frantically searching, coupled with the destroyed gardens, and the fatigue I was feeling after only 3 hours of work, was seriously making me wonder if all this travelling was worth it if we just came back to more stress and frustration.
 |
| Flying over the Valley of Fire - we drove that road! |
Three days after touching down, work was HARD. I was hot, I was tired, I was slow and I had a serious cold, which had begun in the plane ride home. I often get colds at the end of the trip, so I thought nothing of it, but MAN, was it ever hard to get through that evening shift without sitting in a ball on the floor and shutting out the world. Mario came in with me and made sure I sat down and cooled off as much as possible.
 |
| Amazing views from the plane |
Four days after our road trip, I was cooking a pot of butternut curry, and realized that I could not smell the sauteeing onions, or garlic, or bowl full of aromatic spices. Four days after getting off a plane and going about my normal routine, I tested positive for Covid-19 and suddenly everything came tumbling down and made sense all at the same time.
And so there you have it - as wonderful as comping in the middle of nowhere is, as liberating as it is hiking on trails with no one else around, there is still the threat of big nasties lying in wait. I don't know if maybe all those crowds walking along the Strip in Las Vegas is where I caught it, or crossing paths with others at the hotel, waiting to check in, or maybe just getting crammed like sardines into the elevators on the tours of Hoover Dam, but when travelling in a place where life has returned to "normal" I guess it was to be expected.
 |
| Circular fields seen from above |
In the end, we gambled with our personal safety and health, and lost this time around. Will it scare me off from doing another trip in the future? NEVER. The tickets are already bought for the next adventure. Will it make me a little more aware, even a little more cautious? Definitely. We followed everyone else and essentially gave up on masking, distancing and disinfecting, and I think that was maybe too much. There needs to be a balance struck where we can be relaxed about travelling, but still feel safe, and I believe we need to find that balance again. Until then, lots staying home, rest and way too much tea. And keeping my fingers crossed that my scent will come back soon, because a chef that can't smell what she is cooking is a lost soul indeed.
How I love being able to read, learn and understand you, dear greetings, Rineke
ReplyDelete