Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Dear Algae,

Wow, you really know how to ruin the party.

I was so excited for the annual staff retreat at Neemrana this year.  Visions of years past flooded my memory as I drove the two hours to arrive to the 700 year old fort palace.  As I whizzed the Opel Corsa past cows, donkeys, auto rickshaws, giant trucks, tiny motorbikes and other cars hellbent on getting out of Delhi, I was reminded of the trip undertaken in years past.  Such a gauntlet was necessary, perhaps, to enhance the peacefulness of the Neemrana property.

I knew that upon my arrival, I would be greeted with the white glove treatment-hot towels, cool drinks and all of the accoutrements of five-star service.  Then it would be off to the pool for drinks, card games and socializing with friends old and new!

Oh the pool! What a treat on those hot, hot Rajasthani days.

But you algae, you had other plans for us, didn't you?  You were so desirous in your pursuit of photosynthesis that you didn't account for the 60 or 70 of us that were interested in cool, clean, blue water.  "Blue water be damned," you screamed from the murky depths of what had previously been the Neemrana Fort Palace pool!  Algae, you had different ideas.  Perhaps your  green sheen should have reminded me of stories of envy and humility.  Perhaps I could have accepted Neemrana's inability to keep a pool clean.  Instead I was reminded of the dark green hue of the Incredible Hulk, indicative of the rage that was growing inside of me, ruining my weekend.  Had you been yellow instead of green, you may have inspired me to make lemonade, but instead algae, I was left with pea soup.

At least I have a story.



Hulked out,
jason