So Friday night after the Rotary meeting I really wasn't feeling well, I had a fever and was achy all over, all i wanted to do was to make it to my bed. The trip home became quite the trek...40 min on train, then the walk home from the train...usually about 15 minutes home; however the walk home is usually a short cut through the National Stadium area...well this is the night I find out that there are gates and they get closed on this short cut. So I now had to go all the way around, and also had my first experience of seeing rats in the streets...a lot of rats. Anyways, I make it home and fall into bed.

Well I didn't get any better through the night and I was in pretty rough shape by Saturday morning. I was sure I had Dengue Fever. I called and spoke with our Deputy Director here and she advised me to get to the hospital. So I enlisted the help of my friend Zuleika to come with me to the hospital and off we went in the taxi. I was a little nervous on what the hospital was going to be like but I can say I was pleasantly surprised! Our hospitals could learn a few things from here in the area of "customer service" immediately upon arrival, it is obviously clear that I am a foreigner so I am greeted by a man in a suit that speaks english. He is very pleasant and gets me settled in where I need to go and helps me with the paper work. He then stays with me taking me to each respective area I am required to go. The nurses are all in traditional nursing and uniforms which just makes it just seem so much more professional. The nurses were all very nice and polite. While in the waiting area, a lady came around and was serving free tea, coffee and water. There was also a guy singing and playing guitar (he was singing John Denver Country Roads). It was the nicest atmosphere for an emergency room I have ever experienced.

There was no long 8 hour waits to see the doctor. I think I was in and out with all tests, bill paid and medication in about 3.5 hours and an hour of that was waiting for the blood test. I was very impressed by the efficiency and the professionalism.

I spent the weekend in bed and in pretty rough shape but my friends here took great care of me bringing me food and water and making sure I was ok. Three others ended up sick with the same type of thing, but we at all on the mend now..but just in time to start our anti malaria meds which has its own issues as we will be heading to Mae Sot on Sunday. It's on the border of Burma and Thailand.