Well, we made it home. We boarded in Kuala Lumpur, flew to Taipei, got off the plane, got back on, and endured the 11 hour flight to LA. As I said, we landed in LA Sunday afternoon about 3 hours before we took off from Taipei.
Don’t ask me how this works. I’m not sure I even know my own name today, Wednesday, the 19th of March, 200 - something.
We had an overnight in LA before continuing on home on Monday the 17th. On U.S. soil again, we decided to eat steak at a Sizzler’s down the street from the hotel. It might have been the best steak I ever ate - if I could have tasted it.
Somewhere between Kuala and Taipei I began to develop what I thought were hives on the right side of my neck. They didn’t itch much - just seemed to rise up and exist. Then, after Taipei I noticed them on the left side of my neck - more of them there than on the right side. And, whether it was coincidence or not, I noticed that the peanuts the Malaysian attendants were passing out were devoid of taste. In fact, I couldn’t even smell them when I opened the bag. No sense of taste and no sense of smell.
This was not necessarily a bad thing. Asian food, with its accompanying aroma, had ceased to be attractive to me long before I boarded for home. Now I could eat it for nourishment without a care.
But when I bit into that flatiron steak near Mariposa Street in El Segundo CA I wanted to savor it. And, I couldn’t. It had great texture. It was fork-tender. And, the potato with sour cream felt like it should. But, for all I knew, I could have been eating grilled coyote and baked taro.
It was a most disappointing meal. And, only this morning did my ability to enjoy my food return.
The bumps on my neck are still there, by the way. Probably caused by some sort of despicable Far Eastern parasite that inhabits Malaysian airplane pillows and afflicts bald-headed Westerners. I hope I survive this.
Anyway, we’re home and trying to straighten out our messed up internal clocks. Luana went back to work the very next day, like the trooper she is. I did too, but then I’d been able sleep most of the night. She, on the other hand, awoke at 4 a.m. and was unable to drift back into dreamland.
But, she slept last night while it was my turn to become wide awake at 4 a.m.
Oh well. It’s a small price to pay for the great experiences we had together in Jesus’ work south of China and east of Thailand. We’re home, and ready to resume His work here.
Posted in PF's Trip
