Backpacking
Round the World
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Day 93: 4th May Sickboy |
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Vientiane, Laos
I had become pretty jealous of Noesha's collection of illnesses, and so decided to develop one for myself today.
I woke up feeling as though I'd been hit by a bus. I was hot, nauseous, weak, and had severe heartburn, the trots and a splitting headache. I had the distinct impression something was invading my body. I tried not to think of the long discourse Ian from Chiang Mai had shared with us over a beer about the various parasitic infections that can befall you as a traveller in a tropical country.
Anyway, Hooray for the British Commonwealth! (for once) - my British Passport allowed me to access the Australian Embassy's Medical Clinic, apparently the best medical facility in Laos. So us cripples stumbled our way along there and we got into the Embassy with the minimum of fuss, with no need for me to cry "DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY" in a South African accent.
A blood test showed I had contracted an unidentified bacterial infection, probably e-coli or something similar, and was prescribed a dose of antibiotics to treat it. As a Dutch
national, Noesha was not strictly allowed to be treated, but they kindly informed me MY WIFE (wink) could be treated under my passport as MY WIFE'S (wink wink) eye needed seeing to. We were both very grateful, and left a couple of hundred dollars lighter but at least with an impressive pile of drugs.
And, apparently, married.
