Thursday, June 28, 2007

Poo Poo Poison Poo

From the Great Wall, instead of Shanghai, I found myself headed to the SOS International Hospital. I woke up with a severe case of food poisoning yesterday, so severe the doctor I eventually saw kept insisting it had to be something else - either malaria that had remained in my bloodstream since April (when I last went to Lagos - apparently mosquitoes in Beijing do not carry the parasite) or... wait for it... pregnancy! I should've slapped him round the head for that latter suggestion but at the time I was too weak and too sick to contemplate anything other than lying down on a bed and groaning.

Now I am well, as I have consumed an alarming amount of medication, but on parental orders, and much to B's delight, I am to stay away from Shanghai. I am upset for two reasons. First, because I was looking forward to 'Riding the Iron Rooster' a la Paul Theroux as I have never before traveled by overnight sleeper train, let alone in Asia! Second, because I really wanted to give China's most fashion-forward city a go, as I fear I may have exhausted Beijing's boutiques! There is absolutely nothing left to buy here, and I've been from grotty shops selling copy-cat Chloe and Marni clothing, to massive malls, like the World Trade Centre. Shanghai would've provided a welcome change - Bitchy got bitten by the shopaholic bug when she landed on Chinese soil you see.

Oh and The Great Wall? We took the cable car to the top of the Badaling section of the wall, and then began the trek down. It would've been rather uneventful had B not been slipping and sliding all over the place (apparently she doesn't own a pair of trainers), and had I not rediscovered my fear of heights. Our guide Eva must've been peeing herself with laughter, as we really were a ridiculous sight, but she maintained a professional facade the entire time. Unlike us, she walked the entire thing without holding onto the railings, as she makes the trek round the wall several times a week with tourist groups. The 'trek' (it was more a crawl to be honest, as all the rail-holding meant we moved like snails) also exposed me to more adoring fans, who flagged me down at many a juncture for photos with my gorgeous self.

Bowels-permitting I will be visiting The Summer Palace and the Panda House tomorrow, or maybe on Saturday. I also intend to walk in a hamster ball from one end of the lake in the Chao Yang Amusement Park to another without falling flat on my face (which I have been told is impossible) before I leave on Sunday.

1 comment:

TheAfroBeat said...

LMAO @ the look on ur face when the doc suggested pregnancy!!

i await pics of Bitchy n B's Great Wall "Trek".