Melting

The first night in Chengdu was an early one, and I fell asleep almost instantly, only to wake up in the middle of the night having to run to the bathroom. Uh oh. Something other than my rash was also going on now, and I went back to bed hot and sweaty, making repeated trips to the bathroom throughout the night. Surprisingly, I felt okay in the morning, and though my rash wasn’t completely gone, it had definately improved. Determined to accomplish something that day, we set out after breakfast to book our Yangzi river cruise and transportation to Hong Kong. But in the heat of Chengdu, I started to feel more ill as the morning progressed, and needed to constantly find a bathroom everywhere we went. My rash was still itching, and I just felt weak and slightly dizzy. After making a few inquiries about cruises and flights, I felt I needed to either go back to the hostel and sleep, or go see a doctor. Since I didn’t want to be stuck on a boat for 4 days feeling ill, Chris and I decided I should see a doctor just in case, and after what seemed like an endless amount of time getting a taxi to take us, we made a stop at the No. 3 Hospital in Chengdu. [read on]

Tourists in foreign countries invariably start comparing their own country to the place they are visiting. What is better, what is worse, what do you really miss from home, etc? When I was in Amsterdam, a girl in my hostel loudly complained about the different electrical sockets in Europe. “Why can’t everyone just use the same kind.” Understandable, I’ve often wondered the same. But presumably, she would want everyone to use her type of plug, not the other way around. So the question then becomes, when does comparing things turn from observation to criticism? I think it’s probably human nature to compare new things to old ones, but when those comparisons stop you from enjoying and experiencing the new ones, then you need to take some time to refocus and look at things a new way. [read on]

Well, as you've probably guessed by the title, I'm off on a Round-the World (RTW)adventure. After 6 years of looking around and only seeing beige cubes, I decided I needed a change. Whereas most people would maybe just change jobs, ... [Continue reading this entry]