When I woke up, my heart rate was high and I felt feverish. It seems I've caught a cold. My body is heavy and I'm not feeling well. But strangely, I don't have a runny nose and my throat doesn't hurt. Wondering what on earth it could be, I ordered khao man gai for delivery for now. The only thing I really have is a huge appetite.
I handled the 9 a.m. meeting from bed. I was so tired I could hardly concentrate.
An afternoon of nothing but sleep
After the meeting I ate khao man gai and slept a lot. I took paracetamol, so my fever came down a bit and I felt somewhat better. Feeling a little more energized, I went outside intending to get dinner at a nearby food stall.
But it started raining on the way, so I took shelter. The area also had an atmosphere that wasn't very clean, so I decided to leave without doing anything. Since there's a large shopping mall called Central World nearby, I headed there.
A torrential downpour at a red light, and the man who shared his umbrella with me
While waiting at a red light in the pouring rain, an older man asked, "Want in?" and let me share his umbrella.
This was a first for me. It had never happened in Japan or anywhere else in the world. He was the first.
Somewhat taken aback by his kindness, I got under the umbrella. Since the downpour wouldn't stop, we decided not to cross and waited under a food stall's roof for a while. He seemed to live in Bangkok and told me, "It's the rainy season now, so rain like this can come suddenly."
He asked where I wanted to go, and when I said the shopping mall, he kindly guided me, saying, "It's closer from here." I was filled with gratitude, thinking there are such genuinely kind people. When I said, "Thank you, I appreciate you," he was very modest, but truly warm.
Dinner at Central World
Because the pedestrian bridge had a roof, I was able to reach Central World without getting wet. Along the way I saw a European family on a sightseeing trip: a dad, a mom, and a daughter of about 16. The daughter looked incredibly grumpy, and I couldn't help but chuckle, thinking she was probably at that awkward age when family trips feel like a chore.
My back got soaking wet, but there's nothing to be done. I had planned to go to Sushiro on the 7th floor for dinner, but there were way too many people waiting, so I gave up and went to Coco Ichibanya. I'm really surprised and grateful that Bangkok has so many Japanese restaurants. At CoCo Ichi I had an omelet and a pork cutlet.
After eating, I looked for a pharmacy and bought the medicine my friend had recommended. Then I walked back to the hotel.
Thoughts on a night of feeling unwell
I just don't feel well at all. I'm truly exhausted and I need to get proper sleep. Ah, this is so hard. I was actually supposed to go on a date tomorrow, and the thought that I can't go makes me very sad.
But I feel like there must be a reason for this. I have that feeling.
