Today’s might-have-been disaster

Well, I’m in Shanghai. It’s quite smoggy, a bit overcast, but our host, Choo Beng, is very gracious. We went shopping last night and the prices are quite reasonable. We haven’t bought anything yet, but DVDs and the like, even licit ones (as opposed to illicit pirates ones) are very cheap.

What isn’t cheap is medical care. My toe got to the point yesterday where I decided I needed to see a physician. So today we found ourselves at the Expat Doctor’s office. It’s quite posh, very up to date care, and a very nice Chinese woman doctor. Yes, my toe is slightly infected. They dressed it for me, gave me loads of stuff to keep it dressed, gave me an antibiotic to take for two weeks, and a bill for 2035 yuan. That is about GBP 130. Not that my toe is not worth 10 times that amount.

I took the opportunity to ask her why I seem to be prone to this problem when I come to the tropics, and she thinks that, even though I bring the most comfortable shoes I have, my feet swell up enough in the humidity to make them too tight to wear. So, it’s diabetic crocs for me from now on.

We went to a Hong Kong restaurant for lunch, and had duck, chicken, tofu, and broccoli, with rice. A bit of mango ice to end with. It was quite nice, even though the rather sharp-faced woman at the next table was chatting away at her mobile phone all the time while eating, which was kind of distracting. They also had a very bizarre kind of rack, which I will be showing you all later on and asking for a guess as to what it is.

I’m staying at home keeping quiet, while HWMBO and Choo Beng are traipsing around. Tonight we’ll be dining with their friends Jane, her husband, and their family. Should be nice. Then another antibiotic pill, and to bed.

I have discovered that LogMeIn works from China as well. This is interesting, as I cannot access my livejournal directly.

5 Responses to “Today’s might-have-been disaster”

  1. nicekit says:

    maybe you should try sandals instead?

  2. am0 says:

    I’ve moved around after being in one place for a long time and have found that the first two months in a new environment is the period I’m most prone to infections, especially skin infections. You adapt to one set of bacteria and when you move where other critters rule, they own you for a while.

  3. besskeloid says:

    shatting away at her mobile phone

    That’s quite an image.

  4. chrishansenhome says:

    I have now corrected the typo. I was typing on an unfamiliar laptop so my typing was a bit bizarre and my proofreading wasn’t the best.

  5. besskeloid says:

    I have now corrected the typo.

    Oh, you’re no fun anymore!