Back on the road again

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I was pretty blase about eating the food in Vietnam. Strange really as anyone who knows me will know i'm constantly thinking about how my stomach is affected by whatever i eat. And in india i managed to get ill about once every week. But Asia has been a different story. Eating in cheap roadside cafes and sandwhiches from street vendors. All was well, until Dalat. Then shiiiiiiiit. Pretty much all over the place. Lovely I know, but i feel i must share. Oh, but wait, there was the 10 hour bus journey of doom. and then arriving and Dalat (sleepy honeymoon city) at midnight when all the hotels were shut. Then we were pounced upon (not literally!) by a drunk Easy Rider (tour company) driver, who wanted us to be his friends and not worry about finding lodgings for the evening. Well bugger that, i thought, and went off to find someone who would help (and not ask us to hang around for his brother to practice his English) - this made me appear like i didnt respect him apparently! - and happened upon a rival biker tour group who proved exceedingly helpful. They helped me find a place to stay, despite the other dude wanting us to kip on the benches of the cafe, and then he said they were not to be trusted, they weren't the real tour guides and when that didnt dissuade us, he threatened to kill them. They dragged him outside and beat him unconscious before driving us to our hotel. All in a day's work apparently.
The next morning i became ill, and then had a full day of being ill, wandering round Dalat and feeling sorry for myself. The following day (still ill) we got the bus to Nha Trang and i starved myself for 24 hours trying to beat the bug. It didn't work. The following morning i admitted myself to hospital and was told i had serious gastroenteritis (food poisoning). Joy. Finished my book within the first 6 hours, but still had 4 full days of fun ahead of me. They moved me to the 'fun' room. Tv with cable and i think over the 5 days i was there i watched over 12 movies (Hulk twice!) and a load of wimbledon. I also listened to a lot of Harry Potter. Getting myself prepared for the impending movie. I dunno why, whenever i read a book before the movie release...i criticise it for not having all the contents of the book. But i guess i just love to complain! The hospital staff were great. Many of them had very little English, but the doctor was good at explaining things providing the right questions were asked, and the nurses always smiling.
I left there monday evening, and managed to catch my bus to Hoi An. And that's where I am now. Still Kev-less (but that should be remedied on friday) but the place is so nice, and the buildings are all worth photographing. I did buy suits. I don't really wanna think about the money situation. :S
Tomorrow I go for my fittings and then i'm off to Hanoi the following day.
That's all for now folks....

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Comments

[Anna]

Oh, poor Chuff, that sounds totally rotten! Hope you're ok now and not too traumatised by the experience. DId you have travel buddies with you? I guess it's a nearly inevitable aspect of travelling... Can you do skype? If so, let's talk soon! Lots of love xxx

[Kate Bell]

:)
Hi Bro, It's good to hear you're feeling better and back on the move. The whole 'beating someone until they're unconscious' bit does worry me slightly though. I can't believe all the stuff you've experienced so far but still seem like the same person I waved goodbye to at the airport all those months ago (soz, feeling a bit emotional this evenin, lol). I hope you meet back up with Kev ok (it's good to know you're with a friend) and keep having loadsa fun. Miss ya K xxx

[Claire]

Hi Chuff! Just caught up on the last four or five posts - the pics are amazing - can you get me one of those Cambodian hats?! You look so good in yours that I want one too! Sorry to hear that you've been so ill. I had gastroenteritis when I was in Israel and I can still remember the stomach cramps now - it hurt a lot, so I feel your pain! Glad to hear you were taken care of though, and I hope you're back having fun now! Thanks for all the updates - they are pretty amusing as usual! The last week of school starts on Monday, so obviously I'll be a lot happier once my summer has started! 6 weeks of freedom! Isn't much in comparison to the six months you've been having... but then I've never had to work in a Library... I'm clearly rambling, so I will go, but I love you lots, and wish you weren't so far away!! xxxxxxxxxxx