Trip Monthly Update

Apr. 9 2011 – May. 8 2011

Summary of the sixth month of our trip

Number of countries visited: 4

Number of flights taken: 2

Number of posts added to our blog: 15

Number of marital conflicts: 0

Best overnight stay: definitely Batad in the Philippines. In previous posts I already raved about the beautiful views from our room and the restaurant. The atmosphere was great too - starting with the manager Casey and ending with different but always interesting fellow travelers we met there. The first night was particularly special: the electricity went off so we spent the evening with candle lights, which allowed us to see hundreds of fire flies around us. We also saw the bonfires from the village below. An unforgettable night.

Worst overnight stay: I'm not sure if this counts as a "stay" but what the heck I made up this category and I decide what I can include:-). So the worst overnight stay for us was the night we spent on the boat from Koh Tao to mainland Thailand. We were stuck like sardines on mattresses too narrow to fit one reasonably sized person. This means that I not only touched Marc's arm but also the arm of the guy lying on my other side. I should also add that the sea was very agitated that night so the boat was jumping on the waves like crazy. Every now add then it also made interesting cracking noises, as if it was going to cut in half. All in all, this is one night I am not eager to repeat.

Best call we made: deciding to go to a public hospital in Thailand instead of a private clinic. I got a severe cold in the Philippines and staying in polluted cities of Manila and Bangkok only made it worse. At some point we decided that I needed antibiotics. We were planning to go to a private clinic nearby but Jenny, the owner of our favorite restaurant in Bangkok (who kind of generally took care of us), convinced us to go to a public hospital instead, claiming that it was equally good but over 10 times cheaper. We were a little hesitant but what can I say - he was right.

Hardly anybody spoke English in the hospital, but somehow we managed to communicate with the hospital staff. There was always somebody making sure that I was waiting in the right place and that I had all the necessary check-ups done. The conversation with the doctor was a bit funny because he had a very thick accent and wore a facemask and I wore a facemask and spoke with a fading voice that even Marc could hardly understand. But we understood each other.

The doctor made the necessary prescriptions and I was then sent with a nurse to the hospital pharmacy where my medicines were already waiting for me with English instructions. I felt touched. All of this (including registration, check-ups, visit to the doctor and the pharmacy) took about an hour and cost just a couple of dollars - not even enough to claim to the insurance. I don't know to what degree I was given a special treatment because I was a foreigner but I must say that I was quite impressed. And just to finish he story - three days later I was as good as new!

Worst call we made: staying only 10 days in the Philippines. Traveling anywhere in the country takes a long time so we didn't see half of what we planned. We loved the Filipino people and we also loved what we saw of the country. We didn't think beforehand that we would like it so much and when we realized that, it was too late to change tickets. Philippines - watch out! I'll definitely be back!