No photos as today was a sick day.
It happened. I got food poisoning from KFC.
I woke up this morning feeling like hell after numerous trips to the bathroom overnight in addition to extreme stomach pain. Last night, before I went to bed, I noticed my hands were yellow.
Josh and Tom came by this morning, and asked if I wanted to go to a clinic. I initially said no, and took some medicine Tom had, but an hour later, it hadn’t helped. I then remembered the yellowing. I showed them, and it had gotten darker over night- at that point, I agreed to go to the hospital.
We got a cab there and we were directed to the VIP area- an area for government officials and foreigners. I was immediately- no wait whatsoever- shown to a doctor. A sweet, beautiful young nurse then took me around to get my blood tested, pay the fees, speak to the doctor again, and get medicine. I was given two types of medication. I am not sure how much it cost, but I think it cost well under $100 US. I was in an out in less than an hour.
I went back to my hotel room to rest and sleep. Josh and Tom went out on their own, and arrived back just before 6 PM. We tried to hail a cab for over 30 minutes, at which point a porter got a friend of his to come pick us up, for a much higher fee than typical- but he DID get us to the train on time.
We rushed to the train, and climbed into the car. The décor is beautiful- private compartments that sleep 4 people to each, with little vases and fakes roses; mirrors on the backs of the doors that seal off each compartment; controls for the lights and music, as well as reading lights; soft padding by the bottom bunks for sitting, and thick mattress pads; and a choice between a sit down or squatting toilet, WITH TOILET PAPER, a total luxury in this country.
And now I’m sitting on this luxurious train, which moves at over 100 miles an hour, typing this and getting ready to sleep. I’ll post more from Beijing, but even though I feel much better, it’s been a long day, so I’m calling it!
Yuck, sorry to hear you got sick....
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear to hospital visit was nice and smooth and you're back on your way.
Dude, that sucks. But man, if I go to China, sounds like that's the place to get sick. I can't even get in to my regular Dr. in that amount of time, or for such a low price!
ReplyDelete(BTW, please eat some tripe for me while you are in Asia - KTHX!!)