Hi Gram,
I’m still not feeling great today. I woke up with a brick in my belly again and no energy. I decided to skip the morning walk and get some rest. When I woke up a few hours later, I didn’t have much more energy, but I know that just lying in bed all day doesn’t solve anything. I walked over to Palapon, the fitness camp, to fill my water bottles and have breakfast. Everyone asked me how I was feeling and wished me well. Klaus suggested I go see a doctor and although I thought it would just pass with another day or two of rest and fluids, I agreed.

Soon the taxi came and hauled me away. The doctor Klaus and his family have been using for years is a pediatrician, so I felt a tiny bit silly walking into the waiting room with cartoon owls on the wall. Only a tiny bit though – I mostly felt comforted like a little kid again having my tummy ache tended to. I got in and saw the doctor right away. He was friendly as he poked and asked questions. A tenderness in my lower abdomen caused him to suggest I head to the hospital for testing of my appendix that he couldn’t do at his office. I headed back to the apartment, had some lunch, packed a bag of things I might need at the hospital, then rode the green truck/bus over there.

As I walked in, there was a little robot for delivering medication and supplies rolling nearby, chirping like R2-D2. I checked in, converted my measurements to metric (73 kg, 173cm), and tested for temp and blood pressure, all normal. So far, it’s been an easy, pleasant experience. Before I could even get bored or sit for very long, they ushered me into the doctor’s office. He poked and prodded a little, asked me some questions, and said it’s probably not the appendix. On one hand, I feel vindicated since I didn’t think it was anything serious. On the other, I’ve heard plenty of stories of men who insisted it’s nothing, so they put off going to the doctor only to find out that it was something major that could have been treated more easily if they had caught it sooner. Also, I got to see the inside of a Thai hospital and experienced a non-American healthcare system. The best part, though? When I went to the pharmacy/ cashier to settle up and get my meds, the total was 3,100 Thai Baht. That’s $87 USD to walk into a hospital, get diagnosed, and receive prescriptions. It took a total of about 45 minutes. I barely had to wait between admission, getting my blood pressure taken, having a nurse pre-screen me, seeing the doctor, and receiving my medicine. I only imagine that would have taken hours and involved dozens of unnecessary tests “just to be sure” back in America.

With that behind me, I walked out of the hospital and realized I was near the Village Market, the larger and better mall. Since I needed a couple things and had some time before dinner, I walked over and did some shopping. An added bonus is that I got some steps in, too, since I missed the morning walk. At the discount store in the basement, I bought some hangers, a lens cleaning cloth, and an umbrella. Almost everything there costs 60 Baht, about $1.70 USD. The cashier warned me that the umbrella was 100 Baht and wanted to make sure that I wanted it. It’s not a super high quality umbrella, but for less than $3, I assured her that I was willing to pay that little bit extra. I found a backpack that I liked at a luggage kiosk, but put off buying it so I could think about it.

One thing I’ve noticed here is that prices are cheaper, but oftentimes they have a “no return/ no exchange” policy. Once you’ve bought it, it’s yours. Buyer beware, and I’m okay with that if it means lower prices. I’ve noticed that in SE Asia, there’s an attitude of “watch out for yourself” much more than in the states. There aren’t really traffic laws, more of a “drive by feel” – I mean, there are actual laws, but they’re not enforced unless you are being dumb. Someone was telling us that in the mornings, the police won’t stop you if you’re rushing your kid to school, because they have kids too. Once school is in session, you’ll get busted for speeding. After school, they understand you have to rush your kids home or maybe to some extracurricular activity, plus clean and prepare dinner. As long as you’re not dangerous, speeding is understandable. If you’re building a house, it needs to be stamped by an engineer – but city hall has a pile of already stamped plans that you can build from. If an engineer approved the design for someone else, why shouldn’t you be able to build that same design? There are flaws in the system, for sure, but overall it feels good not to be babysat by a police state so much.

Anyway, I tired of shopping and decided to catch the green bus/truck back to the apartment to go through my wares. It was a little more crowded than usual, so I got to stand on the back deck. I rang the buzzer at just the right point to get dropped off in front of the hotel. Upstairs, I sorted through everything and chatted with David for a few minutes before he had to take off for his last foot massage of the trip. Soon it was time for dinner, a delicious take on a Tom Yum soup but with more chicken. Everyone said their goodbyes to David and Robbie, who are leaving tomorrow, then a group of us headed over to the Tamarind market for dessert and conversation. I was feeling rather full from dinner, so I was able to resist the crepes and fruit – mostly.

Eventually, my butt started hurting from the concrete stool enough that no amount of shifting was helping any more. I said goodbye, got up, and walked around the stalls in this market and the Cicada market next door, slowly wandering and perusing. The mix of bands playing set a nice audible background to the experience, the music changing every few minutes as one band’s reach would fade away and another band would fade in. Not finding anything interesting enough to buy or explore further, I crossed the street and wandered down to the apartment. A quick elevator ride later, I was back home where I headed straight to bed.