Lying awake in the still of the night, my presence in Space and Time disconnected. How strange the feeling, to be spatially present in one country, temporally present in another. My body is weary, exhausted from a day of exploring. But my mind is alert, racing with thoughts and ideas as if the day is still young. My mind wills my body not to give up, as if falling sleep would be an admission of defeat. And my mind is winning.
Sleeplessness in a foreign place is different from the kind experienced in one’s own bed. The voyager’s sleeplessness feels expected, inevitable. We accept it grudgingly, knowingly, waiting as our body clock adjusts. The insomniac’s sleeplessness feels unnatural, unwanted. We resent it. It makes us anxious and frustrated, our sleeplessness compounded by our anxiety.
2am. The people next door are still awake. They must be voyagers, too. 2.30am. Only the low hum of the air conditioner. 3am. I should write that down, I'll forget by the morning. 4am. A car drives away. Maybe an early flight. Or a delivery truck. 4.30am. Was that a bird? I can feel the weight of my eyelids. CTRL+S. Try to sleep. 5am. Not working. Sunrise. 5.30am. A solitary yawn. More ideas. 6am. My stomach growls. If I eat I might get sleep. 10am. Sir, your checkout time is 10am.