Sedona
Part 4: Change of Plans
I was expecting my period at some point during the trip. What I hadn’t anticipated was, putting it gently, getting food poisoning. At first, I thought it was just Aunt Flow activating my bowel movements as it tends to do. But a couple of trips to the toilet before breakfast proved otherwise.
It was our third day on the road and our first full day in Sedona. Jackie and I had thoroughly researched and planned on hiking two trails that day, Soldier’s Pass and Devil’s Bridge, but my body apparently had a different idea. I couldn’t believe it. Jackie and I had eaten almost identical meals the night before and she was perfectly fine. I felt so guilty. She had requested three days off from work, waited weeks to receive notification of its approval, and then asked colleagues to cover for her in order to meet the job demands. And now here I was ruining it all, albeit not on purpose.
I honestly thought the malaise would pass by lunchtime. We headed to the breakfast station where I was very specific about what I grabbed so as to not further disturb my insides: a banana-nut muffin, a banana, some dry Cheerios, and a scoop of oatmeal. I also prepared peppermint tea. Back in the room, Jackie asked how I felt. Guilty, responsible, culpable for halting the plans of our first vacation in two years. As horrible as it felt, I asked her if we could stay in a while to wait and see how the food settled. She found expired Alka-Seltzer in her purse which I took because, really, it could only help.
I laid down and tried to nap. But the people upstairs sounded like they were hammering nails onto the floor with their feet. Determined not to let the day go entirely to waste, I suggested we hit the Uptown area in search of souvenirs. We changed out of out hiking clothes and into our city outfits and drove away. First we stopped at Tlaquepaque where I initially felt ok. The shops were mostly home decor and fine art, neither of which we were interested in. I started growing thirsty while the smell of food and chai tea started making me queasy. We found a cute shop on the second floor that sold Peruvian artisanal crafts which was perfect because Jackie had been looking for anklets and earrings.
At some point the heat, my dehydration, and the restaurant aromas made me so nauseous I ended up in the restroom. Eventually we found a snack stand where I grabbed a cherry Gatorade hoping the electrolytes would make me feel better. But the sugar triggered the symptoms even more. Although I wanted nothing more than to go back to the room, I tried sticking it out for Jackie — she deserved this vacation more than me, with her long workweek hours and working weekends. So instead of driving to our hotel, I continued north towards Uptown. I took short steps and deep breaths. We were paying for a couple of magnets in a little shop when I felt like passing out. Even though I had my wallet out, I needed to sit before I fainted. I left Jackie alone and took a seat on a bench in the windowfront. I let the nausea wave pass before we crossed the street in search of more restrooms. I was beyond thirsty by that point. I craved something ice cold. To our shock, there was a La Michoacana in the plaza, a popular Mexican ice cream and snack bar. I wanted a slushy but they didn’t have any so I ordered a bottle of water. We sat inside where I took the biggest sip since drinking a margarita the night before. As I attempted to recuperate, Jackie searched incessantly for restaurants that served rice or potatoes to help aliviate whatever was causing me to feel like shit. She found a food truck called Momo’s that sold Korean food and ginger tea which she had been trying to get me to drink since the morning. While she picked up the food, I used the public restroom one more time, then drove straight to CVS before we headed home.
As soon as we got back to the room, I took a dose of the bismuth subsalicylate and locked myself in the bathroom. By the time I came out, Jackie had almost finished her food. She encouraged me to eat but the thought of food made me gag. Instead, I munched on a few saltine crackers I had also bought and poor Jackie was so bored, she fell asleep long before I did.
I took a second dose when I was more or less alert again. I let the medicine take effect before I took some bites of the five-star Korean food Jackie had purchased. The sticky white rice seemed to agree with me, along with the carrot shavings and sliced zucchini. As sick as I felt, I was also consumed with guilt. We only had one more day in Sedona and I could not let her down again. I was trying so hard to do everything right in order to be well. In an attempt to make up part of the lost day, I suggested we hike the trail behind the hotel property. Reluctantly, Jackie changed back into her hiking clothes, unsure if my body would be up for the challenge.
As soon as we stepped outside the room, literally, as soon as I took a breath of fresh air outside the four walls we had been confined to all afternoon, my body was shocked with the energy of Sedona. Jackie and I had chased a vortex the day before but I had found it on the hotel premises. I knew right then and there that I would be ok.
The hike up to the sunset peak was about 100 feet. I was surprised to see so many people hanging out, most with a glass of wine at hand. The sun had already disappeared but the travelers remained. The part that I didn’t understand, though, were the chairs and crowd facing the opposite direction.
“The point is to watch the way the remaining sunlight hits the mountains,” Jackie explained.
Feeling unsatisfied with my attempt at a hike, I followed another path that was supposed to lead to a longer trail the concierge had mentioned when we checked in. Step by step, we traveled along a red path where we came across an older man with a walking stick, lots of cactus, and more gorgeous views.
We didn’t complete the hike called Marg’s Draw because we weren’t prepared, nor chose to, walk in the dark. But the night wasn’t over yet. When we reached the property, we heard live music. I remembered the hotel had scheduled activities each day and on that Friday evening, the entertainment happened to be two musicians playing in the courtyard. Surrounding them were folks wrapped in blankets under string lights sitting at round tables sipping drinks from the bartender nearby. As we passed the jovial scene, the pool lights caught our attention and we decided to relax in the jacuzzi. Although we changed quickly, a couple had beat us and we couldn’t blame them because the weather was perfect. But they didn’t last long. Jackie sipped on sour beer, I munched on more saltines, and we chilled under the dark sky speckled with stars while the musicians played something jazzy.
I tried making light of the day’s situation by explaining to Jackie that life always handed us what we needed despite having our own plans. And what we had apparently needed that day was repose in the form of TV, naps, and a jacuzzi under the stars. I wondered outloud if fate had protected us from an accident or a heat stroke and Jackie said her friend had mentioned something similar to her.
A family of four and a different couple joined us. The jacuzzi felt crowded so we retrieved ourselves. I showered and prepped for the do-over day that followed.
