Over the past couple weeks I have enjoyed Kenya more and more! I am really getting used to the people and the culture. I am happy to say that I am finding myself able to speak more Kimaasai dialect every day, unfortunately, no Kiswahili. I have gotten to know each of my students a lot better as well. They are very sweet children and I am going to miss them all a lot!
Maasailand is extremely dusty during the dry season! All of my clothes are covered in a layer of dust/dirt and I wash my feet, face and hands EVERY time I come home. I primarily use two forms of transportation; a matatu and a picky-picky. A matatu is a type of truck that drives along several routes and picks people up to sit in the back. It's cheap, but slow. A picky-picky is a motorbike that is used as a taxi. It is fast, but the ride is VERY bumpy and they are known to fall over. Luckily, none of mine have fallen over yet, but I have almost fallen off!
I have quite a big family here. It definitely keeps things interesting, and they are all very good to me. There are 7 people not including me: Coco (my mom), Grace and Jackson (her children), Virginia (her grandaughter), Oloshorua and Samuel (boys hired to help manage the land), and Jon (a boy who lives with us and goes to school nearby). Virginia is 2 and a half, and an adorable, crazy ball of energy! Besides the family, all of our animals are constantly giving birth. In the last week we have had 2 calves, 4 puppies, and 5 kittens!
As for food, we typically eat; rice, potatoes, ugali (a floury and spongey sort of bread) and getheri (mashed beans). Every once in a while we may get chicken, beef, or eggs. The food is pretty basic, but it's filling. My favourite Kenyan treats are Chapati (fried dough) and Mandazi (deep fried dough).
This past weekend, I travelled North in Kenya to the rift valley, where Lake Naivasha, Mt. Longonot and Hell's Gate National Park are all in very close proximity. First, I visited Mt. Longonot, which is a giant crater that used to be an active volcano. It took us (another volunteer and myself) a 45 minute steep climb to reach the rim. From there, we could look down into the crater, as well as look back and see open grasslands and Lake Naivasha in the distance. It was beautiful! Later we took a boat ride of Lake Naivasha, where we saw pelicans, fish eagles, hippos and a number of other birds. At first, our boat got very close to the hippos, but when one started to swim towards us we had to keep our distance since they are very aggressive and powerful enough to tip the boat. Finally, we visited a wildlife sanctuary where we were able to get very close to zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck antelope and giraffes!
The next day, we visited Hell's Gate National Park, which is the location that was the inspiration for the Pride Land in the Lion King. The National Park has a lot of red rock formations, wildlife and a deep gorge. We went down into the gorge and explored waterfalls, hotsprings, and "the devils bedroom" (sort of like a cave). My favourite part of Hell's Gate was seeing warthogs (aka Pumba). They were VERY hard to get close to, but they certainly were as funny-looking as I expected they'd be!
At the end of this week, I leave Maasailand to begin my backpacking tour. I will head south to Tanzania, then Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Should be quite an adventure!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Kenya Massai
I arrived in Kenya on January 8th. Africa is a completely new experience for me and totally different from anywhere I have been thus far! I was very excited and also a little bit unsure of what to expect. Luckily, I have been extremely happy here!
Kenyans are very friendly and most people greet me with a smile. Children are especially excited when they see a Mzungu (foreigner) and they will often call out to me: "Halo" or "Mzungu!" I am staying with a host family in Massailand. The Massai tribe is one of the last tribal societies and inhabits rural areas in Kenya and some of Tanzania. The Massai people are slowly starting to modernize, but they are still also trying to hold on to their culture, traditions and way of life.
My host family is very nice! They speak to me a lot in Kimassai dialect and I am starting to pick more of it up. My Massai name is Namunyak, it means lucky, and they all call me by it. Our house is in Kimuka - a small rural area of grassland and accacia trees. The house is very basic (it is made mostly from sheet metal, has no running water, and limited electricity). The kitchen is separate from the house and is a small hut made of wood and mud/cow dung. Almost all of the food we eat is grown on the land or from the farm animals, and it is cooked over a fire in our kitchen. I am currently quite happy with the lifestyle! It actually feels a lot like camping to me!
I am volunteering at Kimuka Primary School in Massailand. The children are great! They are all very eager to talk to me and to learn. The school is about a 20 minute dusty walk from my homestay. I am teaching a couple different subjects to children from Grade 4-6. I have found it difficult to learn names, because they all wear uniforms and must keep their hair extremely short. They have all been giving me these beaded bracelets that they make and trying to out-do each other with their bracelets. It's quite funny, but troublesome when they catch you without THEIR bracelet on!
I saw about 9 giraffes yesterday on my way home from school! I am excited to see more wildlife, apparently there are frequently baboons and hyenas also in my area. Yikes!!
Kenyans are very friendly and most people greet me with a smile. Children are especially excited when they see a Mzungu (foreigner) and they will often call out to me: "Halo" or "Mzungu!" I am staying with a host family in Massailand. The Massai tribe is one of the last tribal societies and inhabits rural areas in Kenya and some of Tanzania. The Massai people are slowly starting to modernize, but they are still also trying to hold on to their culture, traditions and way of life.
My host family is very nice! They speak to me a lot in Kimassai dialect and I am starting to pick more of it up. My Massai name is Namunyak, it means lucky, and they all call me by it. Our house is in Kimuka - a small rural area of grassland and accacia trees. The house is very basic (it is made mostly from sheet metal, has no running water, and limited electricity). The kitchen is separate from the house and is a small hut made of wood and mud/cow dung. Almost all of the food we eat is grown on the land or from the farm animals, and it is cooked over a fire in our kitchen. I am currently quite happy with the lifestyle! It actually feels a lot like camping to me!
I am volunteering at Kimuka Primary School in Massailand. The children are great! They are all very eager to talk to me and to learn. The school is about a 20 minute dusty walk from my homestay. I am teaching a couple different subjects to children from Grade 4-6. I have found it difficult to learn names, because they all wear uniforms and must keep their hair extremely short. They have all been giving me these beaded bracelets that they make and trying to out-do each other with their bracelets. It's quite funny, but troublesome when they catch you without THEIR bracelet on!
I saw about 9 giraffes yesterday on my way home from school! I am excited to see more wildlife, apparently there are frequently baboons and hyenas also in my area. Yikes!!
A Philippino Christmas!
Celebrating the holidays in the Philippines was a unique and unforgettable experience! I have never been away from home for Christmas, but I decided if I had to be on the other side of the world, the Philippines was the best place for me!
When I first arrived, it didn't really feel like the Christmas season at all. I think the lack of snow/extremely warm weather threw me off. But there were lot's of lights and decorations, and the Christmas music playing everywhere got me in the Christmas spirit. I have decided that there are 3 important components to a Philippino Christmas. First, the firecrackers. Loud firecrackers... everywhere... constantly! The first time (or maybe the first twenty times) I heard one go off, I thought someone had been shot, they are really that loud and can be set off as close as a few feet from you. Second, the Christmas caroling. Philippino's love to sing! Carolers, generally children, will show up outside your door singing as early as December 16th and this continues until New Years. The tradition is that the home will give the carolers money or sweets. Because of this, by December 18th most people try to hide from the carolers. It's quite funny! Third, the food! I thought there was a lot of food at home at Christmas time... not like this. In the days leading up to Christmas and even following, there was food everywhere, at least 2-3 whole pigs being roasted over a fire in my barangay (village) every single day!
Gifts are not really a part of the Christmas tradition here, or at least not to the extent that they are at home. I think this is mostly just because people cannot afford it. Instead the focus is mainly religious and most Philippinos are very catholic. There are morning masses at 4am every day starting on the 16th right up until Christmas. I actually did attend one of these masses, because my nanay (homestay mom) was in charge of organizing it and had asked me to come. The mass is all in local dialect, which makes staying awake during it at 4am quite a difficult task. There is also a "midnight mass" on Christmas Eve at the big St. Nino Church in downtown Tacloban city. I went with a group of friends. The church was PACKED and even outside there were masses of people. The service ends exactly at midnight when everyone begins to excitedly tell each other "Merry Christmas"!!
My Christmas day itself was quite similar to at home. I spent the day with family and friends, eating, drinking and watching "The Grinch". Myself and the 3 other volunteers that were around did a secret Santa. New Years was also similar to home in that there was a lot of partying. I started out celebrating with friends and family on my street and later went to the "gym" (sort of like the village community centre) that had been turned into a big dance party! It was a fantastic night!
When I first arrived, it didn't really feel like the Christmas season at all. I think the lack of snow/extremely warm weather threw me off. But there were lot's of lights and decorations, and the Christmas music playing everywhere got me in the Christmas spirit. I have decided that there are 3 important components to a Philippino Christmas. First, the firecrackers. Loud firecrackers... everywhere... constantly! The first time (or maybe the first twenty times) I heard one go off, I thought someone had been shot, they are really that loud and can be set off as close as a few feet from you. Second, the Christmas caroling. Philippino's love to sing! Carolers, generally children, will show up outside your door singing as early as December 16th and this continues until New Years. The tradition is that the home will give the carolers money or sweets. Because of this, by December 18th most people try to hide from the carolers. It's quite funny! Third, the food! I thought there was a lot of food at home at Christmas time... not like this. In the days leading up to Christmas and even following, there was food everywhere, at least 2-3 whole pigs being roasted over a fire in my barangay (village) every single day!
Gifts are not really a part of the Christmas tradition here, or at least not to the extent that they are at home. I think this is mostly just because people cannot afford it. Instead the focus is mainly religious and most Philippinos are very catholic. There are morning masses at 4am every day starting on the 16th right up until Christmas. I actually did attend one of these masses, because my nanay (homestay mom) was in charge of organizing it and had asked me to come. The mass is all in local dialect, which makes staying awake during it at 4am quite a difficult task. There is also a "midnight mass" on Christmas Eve at the big St. Nino Church in downtown Tacloban city. I went with a group of friends. The church was PACKED and even outside there were masses of people. The service ends exactly at midnight when everyone begins to excitedly tell each other "Merry Christmas"!!
My Christmas day itself was quite similar to at home. I spent the day with family and friends, eating, drinking and watching "The Grinch". Myself and the 3 other volunteers that were around did a secret Santa. New Years was also similar to home in that there was a lot of partying. I started out celebrating with friends and family on my street and later went to the "gym" (sort of like the village community centre) that had been turned into a big dance party! It was a fantastic night!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Return to The Philippines
Arriving back in the Philippines was extremely surreal! I was very happy to be staying in the same village that I had on my previous visit. After travelling for 3 months, it was nice to be somewhere familiar with familiar faces! After several flight delays/problems, I arrived in the town of Bliss on December 14th late in the evening. Walking into the town I was greeted by MANY old friends with smiles and hugs. It was such a wonderful feeling!
In the first couple days, I was involved in a Christmas gift giving program run by the volunteer organization I work with (Volunteer for the Visayans - VFV). We drove to all of the VFV sponsored sites in the area (orphanages, clinics, a woman's rescue home, a centre for abused girls, and under-privileged schools), and gave Christmas gifts to many people who are in need and otherwise would likely not receive anything. It was awesome to watch the faces of both the children and the adults as they unwrapped their gift!
I started my volunteer project, the Community Nutrition Program, the first Monday after I arrived. The Program has identified 30 children between the ages of 3 and 6 in the village of Tanaun that are extremely malnourished. The children (and generally their siblings) are invited to come to the community centre for one meal a day 5 days a week. My job was to facilitate the purchase, preparation, and service of the food to the children. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with the children and get to know them (which was my favourite part). I loved being a part of this program and I was really able to see the difference it made in the lives of the children and their families!
Since my volunteer project took place in the morning, I had plenty of free time to spend on other projects, such as the tutoring program and the sponsor kid's program. I also was able to visit my old friends at the Rural Health Unit in Jaro (where my volunteer placement was on my previous visit), and spend time with the friends and children from Bliss that I had gotten to know on my last visit. I have really enjoyed being able to maintain these relationships and watch the children grow!
The Philippines is still the same happy place I remember it to be. Many things have changed within the area where I live (mostly for the better), but the people and the culture are still as wonderful as I remember!
In the first couple days, I was involved in a Christmas gift giving program run by the volunteer organization I work with (Volunteer for the Visayans - VFV). We drove to all of the VFV sponsored sites in the area (orphanages, clinics, a woman's rescue home, a centre for abused girls, and under-privileged schools), and gave Christmas gifts to many people who are in need and otherwise would likely not receive anything. It was awesome to watch the faces of both the children and the adults as they unwrapped their gift!
I started my volunteer project, the Community Nutrition Program, the first Monday after I arrived. The Program has identified 30 children between the ages of 3 and 6 in the village of Tanaun that are extremely malnourished. The children (and generally their siblings) are invited to come to the community centre for one meal a day 5 days a week. My job was to facilitate the purchase, preparation, and service of the food to the children. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with the children and get to know them (which was my favourite part). I loved being a part of this program and I was really able to see the difference it made in the lives of the children and their families!
Since my volunteer project took place in the morning, I had plenty of free time to spend on other projects, such as the tutoring program and the sponsor kid's program. I also was able to visit my old friends at the Rural Health Unit in Jaro (where my volunteer placement was on my previous visit), and spend time with the friends and children from Bliss that I had gotten to know on my last visit. I have really enjoyed being able to maintain these relationships and watch the children grow!
The Philippines is still the same happy place I remember it to be. Many things have changed within the area where I live (mostly for the better), but the people and the culture are still as wonderful as I remember!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thai(land of temples)
I re-entered Thailand with my GAP adventure tour group on December 10th. We started in the North in the area of Chiang Kong, since we came from Laos/the Mekong River. I was definitely looking forward to having more time in Thailand, since my first stop there was so brief!
In Chiang Kong, we visited the White Temple. As it's name implies, this temple is all white, and has the most intricate architecture. It houses a large Buddha statue. You have to cross a white bridge over a small lake to get to it. From Chiang Kong, we drove to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, but I was able to explore the city and it's markets a little. The markets have EVERYTHING you could imagine, I even got a foot massage in the middle of the market for less than a dollar. It was a nice massage, but not the most relaxing environment!
After Chiang Mai, we took a sleeper train back to Bangkok. In Bangkok, I visited the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the Big Swing (which isn't really a swing at all) and Khao San Road (the touristy area with many shops and restaurants). The Grand Palace was amazing! There are many buildings of gold, marble and gems, including the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. We had to rent clothes that were more "covering" just to get in. We had to cross the river on a ferry to get to Wat Arun, "the temple of the dawn". The stairs of this temple were so steep I felt like I was going to fall backwards, but the view from the top of Wat Arun was completely worth it. I spent my last night in Thailand and my last night with my tour group enjoying the club/bar scene on Khao San Road.
I left Thailand for the Philippines on December 13th, exactly a month from when I arrived. I experienced Thailand as a country of beautiful temples with a very majestic feel. On the other hand, it is developing very quickly into a more modern country with a fun and light vibe. I think it will be a very different place in the near future. My time in Southeast Asia seemed to fly by. I still can't believe how different each of the four countries were from one another and yet they are so close together. I am glad to have gotten a taste of each of the countries, but it does leave more to be explored! In some ways, it was a little more touristy than I had expected it to be, but I have had some pretty unreal experiences because of that. I am very thankful that my GAP tour group was such a great group of people to travel with. I have made some good friends and shared some unreal moments with them! Overall, I am glad I chose to tour Southeast Asia and have certainly made many memories that will last a lifetime!
In Chiang Kong, we visited the White Temple. As it's name implies, this temple is all white, and has the most intricate architecture. It houses a large Buddha statue. You have to cross a white bridge over a small lake to get to it. From Chiang Kong, we drove to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, but I was able to explore the city and it's markets a little. The markets have EVERYTHING you could imagine, I even got a foot massage in the middle of the market for less than a dollar. It was a nice massage, but not the most relaxing environment!
After Chiang Mai, we took a sleeper train back to Bangkok. In Bangkok, I visited the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the Big Swing (which isn't really a swing at all) and Khao San Road (the touristy area with many shops and restaurants). The Grand Palace was amazing! There are many buildings of gold, marble and gems, including the temple housing the Emerald Buddha. We had to rent clothes that were more "covering" just to get in. We had to cross the river on a ferry to get to Wat Arun, "the temple of the dawn". The stairs of this temple were so steep I felt like I was going to fall backwards, but the view from the top of Wat Arun was completely worth it. I spent my last night in Thailand and my last night with my tour group enjoying the club/bar scene on Khao San Road.
I left Thailand for the Philippines on December 13th, exactly a month from when I arrived. I experienced Thailand as a country of beautiful temples with a very majestic feel. On the other hand, it is developing very quickly into a more modern country with a fun and light vibe. I think it will be a very different place in the near future. My time in Southeast Asia seemed to fly by. I still can't believe how different each of the four countries were from one another and yet they are so close together. I am glad to have gotten a taste of each of the countries, but it does leave more to be explored! In some ways, it was a little more touristy than I had expected it to be, but I have had some pretty unreal experiences because of that. I am very thankful that my GAP tour group was such a great group of people to travel with. I have made some good friends and shared some unreal moments with them! Overall, I am glad I chose to tour Southeast Asia and have certainly made many memories that will last a lifetime!
Laos Laos
Before leaving to travel, Laos was the country I knew least about and had the least reason to be excited for. However, it ended up being my favourite Southeast Asian country of the four! Laos is a mixture of open beautiful scenery and small towns/cities full of character. I entered Laos at the beginning of December in the small border town of Lak Xao. I could immediately see and feel the difference between Vietnam and Laos. Compared to the busy feeling of Hanoi, Lak Xao was extremely relaxed and peaceful. The people were friendly and easy going (and didn't seem like they were always trying to sell me something!).
We spent the next few days in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. A couple of friends and I rented push bikes and drove around the city to see the sites. We went to Pha That Luang (the gold stupa and national symbol) and the National Monument/Gate (also called the vertical runway), which is a tower that was built with supplies donated by the French to build a runway. Instead, the Laotian people built the monument as a symbol of their independence. We were able to see a lot of Vientiane from the top of the tower.
From Vientiane, we went to the small town of Vang Vieng along the riverside, known for it's limestone mountains and caves. We only had a day there, but I went kayaking in the river (through rapids) and caving/swimming in one of the caves. It was dark in the cave, so they gave us little candles, which were quite impractical as I kept falling into deep water. Still, it was a lot of fun! In the afternoon, we went tubing down the river. It's a very popular spot for partying backpackers. I couldn't believe how many people there were. There are many bars along the river and they hook you in on your tube. The bars also have giant rope swings, slingshots and slides. I tried the slinghsot, but the wooden slides looked a little too unsafe/painful to me.
Our last stop was Luang Prabang. It is a small town that used to be the capital of Laos. It has many temples and Mount Phousi (mountain of monasteries) in the centre of the town. I got up at 5am to watch the monks procession down the main road near the mountain. All of the monks walk to collect food donations from the local people lined up along the street. While in Luang Prabang, we also visited an elephant centre, where we road the elephants down to the river and got to bath them. I had the most stubborn elephant, who didn't listen to any of the commands of the Mahout (trainer), which made for an even more interesting experience. She did make sure to completely drench me with a consistent blast of spray from her trunk during the bathing! Finally, we visited Kuang Si Waterfalls (a 3-tier waterfall), which we were able to swim in, jump off of, and rope swing into!
Before leaving Laos, we took a 2-day boat trip down the Mekong River to the Thai border. We rode in a traditional junk boat owned by a local family. We saw many people and animals along the riverside. We stopped at Pak Ou - the cave of 4,000 Buddhas and stopped for the night in the small riverside town of Pak Beng.
On December 10th we arrived at the Thai border, where we left our boat for the town of Chiang Kong. I was definitely surprised with how much I enjoyed my time in Laos. I especially liked the friendly and easy going nature of the people and the relaxed atmosphere. I think I would like to return to one of the smaller areas one day as a volunteer.
We spent the next few days in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. A couple of friends and I rented push bikes and drove around the city to see the sites. We went to Pha That Luang (the gold stupa and national symbol) and the National Monument/Gate (also called the vertical runway), which is a tower that was built with supplies donated by the French to build a runway. Instead, the Laotian people built the monument as a symbol of their independence. We were able to see a lot of Vientiane from the top of the tower.
From Vientiane, we went to the small town of Vang Vieng along the riverside, known for it's limestone mountains and caves. We only had a day there, but I went kayaking in the river (through rapids) and caving/swimming in one of the caves. It was dark in the cave, so they gave us little candles, which were quite impractical as I kept falling into deep water. Still, it was a lot of fun! In the afternoon, we went tubing down the river. It's a very popular spot for partying backpackers. I couldn't believe how many people there were. There are many bars along the river and they hook you in on your tube. The bars also have giant rope swings, slingshots and slides. I tried the slinghsot, but the wooden slides looked a little too unsafe/painful to me.
Our last stop was Luang Prabang. It is a small town that used to be the capital of Laos. It has many temples and Mount Phousi (mountain of monasteries) in the centre of the town. I got up at 5am to watch the monks procession down the main road near the mountain. All of the monks walk to collect food donations from the local people lined up along the street. While in Luang Prabang, we also visited an elephant centre, where we road the elephants down to the river and got to bath them. I had the most stubborn elephant, who didn't listen to any of the commands of the Mahout (trainer), which made for an even more interesting experience. She did make sure to completely drench me with a consistent blast of spray from her trunk during the bathing! Finally, we visited Kuang Si Waterfalls (a 3-tier waterfall), which we were able to swim in, jump off of, and rope swing into!
Before leaving Laos, we took a 2-day boat trip down the Mekong River to the Thai border. We rode in a traditional junk boat owned by a local family. We saw many people and animals along the riverside. We stopped at Pak Ou - the cave of 4,000 Buddhas and stopped for the night in the small riverside town of Pak Beng.
On December 10th we arrived at the Thai border, where we left our boat for the town of Chiang Kong. I was definitely surprised with how much I enjoyed my time in Laos. I especially liked the friendly and easy going nature of the people and the relaxed atmosphere. I think I would like to return to one of the smaller areas one day as a volunteer.
Rickettsia in Vietnam
Hello Vietnam!
I entered Vietnam from Cambodia on November 21st via the Mekong Delta area. The Mekong Delta is a large area of paddy fields, orchards, and streams/canals. The water is everywhere, it almost looks like flooding, but it's like that year round. Most of the people live on the water and the water is used for transportation and to make a living. Our first stop after crossing the border was the small city of Chau Doc. I took a motorbike trip up Nui Sam or Sam Mountain to watch the sunset over the Mekong Delta.
After leaving the Delta, we arrived in the city of Saigon or re-named Ho Chi Minh City. It's a very big and busy city! One of the first places we visited was the Ben Thanh Market. This market is insane! The shopkeepers will literally grab you and pull you into their shop. I only lasted about 10 minutes in there, a bit too aggressive for my liking. While in Ho Chi Minh City, I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Reunification Palace (originally the presidential palace before the war, re-named and re-built when Ho Chi Minh's army took over the building/city during the war), and Notre Dame Cathedral (gothic style church built by the French). The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground tunnel network built by the Viet Cong during the war. The tunnel system stretches over 250kms and is several storeys deep. We got to go down inside one of the tunnels, but most of us only lasted 50m or less because it is so compact and you have to walk completely bent over or crawl. It was actually a little bit scary, I can't imagine spending much time down there!
Our next stop in Vietnam was Nha Trang, a coastline city. We got one of the nicest days of the season at the beach. From Nha Trang, we went by sleeper train to Hoi An. Hoi An is a very pretty port town, made up of many markets, tailors and the old town. Unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy a day in Hoi An before beginning to feel extremely ill. I hadn't been feeling 100% in quite a while (I had already seen two doctors, who had prescribed me antibiotics), but my fever became so high that I was admitted into the hospital in Danang (the closest hospital to Hoi An).
I spent three long days in the Danang hospital with a diagnosis of "fever of unknown origin". During my time there, the doctors ordered 9 blood samples, a blood culture (from the foot.. oww!), urine and stool samples, a chest x-ray, an abdominal ultrasound and tracked my blood pressure, breathing rate, and temperature every hour. I was also hooked-up to an IV for fluid and antibiotic treatment. Despite all of this, my condition was not improving, and no diagnosis could be made. The blood tests seemed to show some sort of viral infection and the ultrasound showed that my liver and spleen were both greatly enlarged. So, I was flown to a hospital in Hanoi (the capital) to see a Canadian doctor who specialized in diseases of the liver. There I was finally diagnosed with Rickettsia, a bacterial infection (non-responsive to antibiotics) caused by dead ticks found on unclean fabrics. Both myself and the doctor assumed I picked it up while trekking in Nepal, but the bacteria were dormant (inactive) for a period of time. I was just glad to have a diagnosis! I spent two more days recovering and being treated in the hospital before being released in Hanoi.
Thankfully, since I had been flown to Hanoi, I was actually caught up to where my GAP tour group was and was able to re-join the group. Unfortunately I had missed the town of Hue and Halong Bay. I was also thankful that I had purchased good insurance and didn't have to pay a thing for my time in the hospital! Finally healthy, I was able to enjoy my last day in Hanoi. I explored the city, Hoan Kiem Lake (a small and beautiful lake in the center of Hanoi) and went to see the famous Water Puppet Theatre in the evening.
The next day, we headed for the border of Laos. I enjoyed my time in Vietnam, despite having to spend some of it in the hospital. What I saw, I liked! It's an extremely interesting country with a diverse historic background. I have come to the realization that being ill is a part of travel. I guess I am just unlucky enough to be as ill as I was. Regardless, I am thankful to continue on my journey feeling well and I am very thankful for the doctors and nurses that looked after me. Everything is an adventure!
I entered Vietnam from Cambodia on November 21st via the Mekong Delta area. The Mekong Delta is a large area of paddy fields, orchards, and streams/canals. The water is everywhere, it almost looks like flooding, but it's like that year round. Most of the people live on the water and the water is used for transportation and to make a living. Our first stop after crossing the border was the small city of Chau Doc. I took a motorbike trip up Nui Sam or Sam Mountain to watch the sunset over the Mekong Delta.
After leaving the Delta, we arrived in the city of Saigon or re-named Ho Chi Minh City. It's a very big and busy city! One of the first places we visited was the Ben Thanh Market. This market is insane! The shopkeepers will literally grab you and pull you into their shop. I only lasted about 10 minutes in there, a bit too aggressive for my liking. While in Ho Chi Minh City, I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Reunification Palace (originally the presidential palace before the war, re-named and re-built when Ho Chi Minh's army took over the building/city during the war), and Notre Dame Cathedral (gothic style church built by the French). The Cu Chi Tunnels are an underground tunnel network built by the Viet Cong during the war. The tunnel system stretches over 250kms and is several storeys deep. We got to go down inside one of the tunnels, but most of us only lasted 50m or less because it is so compact and you have to walk completely bent over or crawl. It was actually a little bit scary, I can't imagine spending much time down there!
Our next stop in Vietnam was Nha Trang, a coastline city. We got one of the nicest days of the season at the beach. From Nha Trang, we went by sleeper train to Hoi An. Hoi An is a very pretty port town, made up of many markets, tailors and the old town. Unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy a day in Hoi An before beginning to feel extremely ill. I hadn't been feeling 100% in quite a while (I had already seen two doctors, who had prescribed me antibiotics), but my fever became so high that I was admitted into the hospital in Danang (the closest hospital to Hoi An).
I spent three long days in the Danang hospital with a diagnosis of "fever of unknown origin". During my time there, the doctors ordered 9 blood samples, a blood culture (from the foot.. oww!), urine and stool samples, a chest x-ray, an abdominal ultrasound and tracked my blood pressure, breathing rate, and temperature every hour. I was also hooked-up to an IV for fluid and antibiotic treatment. Despite all of this, my condition was not improving, and no diagnosis could be made. The blood tests seemed to show some sort of viral infection and the ultrasound showed that my liver and spleen were both greatly enlarged. So, I was flown to a hospital in Hanoi (the capital) to see a Canadian doctor who specialized in diseases of the liver. There I was finally diagnosed with Rickettsia, a bacterial infection (non-responsive to antibiotics) caused by dead ticks found on unclean fabrics. Both myself and the doctor assumed I picked it up while trekking in Nepal, but the bacteria were dormant (inactive) for a period of time. I was just glad to have a diagnosis! I spent two more days recovering and being treated in the hospital before being released in Hanoi.
Thankfully, since I had been flown to Hanoi, I was actually caught up to where my GAP tour group was and was able to re-join the group. Unfortunately I had missed the town of Hue and Halong Bay. I was also thankful that I had purchased good insurance and didn't have to pay a thing for my time in the hospital! Finally healthy, I was able to enjoy my last day in Hanoi. I explored the city, Hoan Kiem Lake (a small and beautiful lake in the center of Hanoi) and went to see the famous Water Puppet Theatre in the evening.
The next day, we headed for the border of Laos. I enjoyed my time in Vietnam, despite having to spend some of it in the hospital. What I saw, I liked! It's an extremely interesting country with a diverse historic background. I have come to the realization that being ill is a part of travel. I guess I am just unlucky enough to be as ill as I was. Regardless, I am thankful to continue on my journey feeling well and I am very thankful for the doctors and nurses that looked after me. Everything is an adventure!
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