My own hospital experience + the rest of Hanoi!


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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi
December 1st 2006
Published: December 1st 2006
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Pineapple on a stick anyone?Pineapple on a stick anyone?Pineapple on a stick anyone?

Ali and Claire enjoying pinapple, the new way!
Well, I'm back again, after a fairly long break from the blogs...and from the streets of Hanoi....What do you mean(?) you ask....well, aside from a few trips here and there around Hanoi, I have spent 5 out of the last 7 days lying horizontal in bed. When did it start? I warn you now, this is a rather lengthy story - but you do have the option to skip ahead if I manage to bore you (unlike when you just have to smile and nod when I babble on face to face!).
When we were in Sapa we met two lovely ladies/girls...Diana - an awesome hip 67 year old lady, and Anna, a 30 year old travelling Asia alone. Diana, having spent much time in Hanoi, invited us to have dinner with her at a well known Hanoi restaurant, called Cha Ca, which has served the same amazing dish for 3 generations - so good that the street was named after it! Whilst the dinner was fantastic, something didnt quite agree with my stomach, and I had two days feeling very average and lying in bed. By the Thursday evening I was on the mend, and back on the street with
The first of the two temples in Ninh BinhThe first of the two temples in Ninh BinhThe first of the two temples in Ninh Binh

This man has a story and a half behind him, but Id take as long as our tour guide to tell you, and trust me, you dont have the time!
the gang, and we travelled to Ninh Binh, a small town about 100km south of Hanoi, which used to be the capital of the Province. The start of the day tour was less than exciting - with an over enthusiastic tour guide insisting she tell us all, and I mean ALL of her life stories at every given opportunity! To be fair, I did learn that the difference between a Temple and Pagoda is in the dragon and moon design on the roof (a Pagoda has only a moon) -something that had been bugging me as they all seem to look the same!
Lunch threw in a little bit of something new for us all - the goat and sesame seed was interesting....but one piece was more than enough! After lunch, we all splurged on $1 conical hats, and boarded little row boats which were rowed by the local people, along a river with large rock formations sticking out - it was really beautiful (see picture for detail!). One thing the Vietnamese have discovered though, is that once tourists are on a boat in the middle of a river, there is no where to go - and that means prime
On the Tam Coc RiverOn the Tam Coc RiverOn the Tam Coc River

Ali ahead in her conical hat....
opportunity to pounce with every good they have to sell! Claire and I learnt the hard way, spending the whole 20000d ($2) we had on a drink for each of our rowers, only to have 60c remaining at the end when they insisted we give a tip - whoops!
The trip home was uneventful, minus the one missed photo opportunity of about 20 live ducks attached to the back of a motorbike....!
Unfortunately, my big downfall occurred on returning to Hanoi that fateful Saturday night, whilst Purbs and Rosie were in full party mode at home in Australia - I was at the sickest I've ever been in my whole life.....It was not unlike any other night - a very safe pasta meal and a Hanoi beer, and thoughts of maybe one cocktail on the way home - but my tummy told me otherwise, and by 8.30 I was in bed, running to and from the bathroom bringing up the contents of my stomach for the next 4 hours. By 1am when Ali Claire and Ange returned home, after a few drinks at the Marios 'nightclub' across the road, I was well and truely out of it - and poor Cath had no idea how she could help me.
To cut the rest of the night short (I actually recall very little of it) - I ended up at the International medical clinic, with a rehydration drip and anti-nausea medication running into my arm until 5am in the morning! To cap it all off, all I can say is thank god for travel insurance, for my visit and subsequent second visit on Tuesday for antibiotics set me back a lovely sum of $700 Australian - not a bad effort for my first ever visit to hospital.
And so needless to say, my last 4 days have been fairly uneventful, and have left me feeling a little weak to say the least - but am now back on track and hope to god that the rest of my trip keeps me well away from the hospital system!

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5th December 2006

from fiji to vietnam
Hey!! I'm so sorry that you have had such an average 6 days, i feel really bad for you. There is nothing worse than being that sick so far away from home. Hopefully things get better from here. Suva is a massive adventure, the hospital placement is good but the political situation is very insecure. Not sure what will happen.. Will keep you posted. Thea xx
6th December 2006

Hello there!
Hey matey! Great to hear from you - I must admit, given all we've heard about the events in Fiji Im suprised to hear that you made it! I am much better now - we've finished placement and are on the move down south - had an awesome weekend in Halong Bay and will gradually travel down the coast. Off to explore Hoi An, and possibly get some clothes tailored.....! Take care and would love to hear how you go over the next couple of weeks xoxo

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