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borrowedbackpack · 5 years ago

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That Time I Got Very Sick in Nepal

Hello from the Hong Kong airport and welcome back back once again to Borrowed Backpack. I apologize for the interruption in our regularly scheduled trekking content, but a) trekking is kind of boring (how many different ways can I say that I walked, ate, and petted dogs?) and b) I have exciting tales from a real live Foreign Medical Emergency! Let me walk you through it:

September 5th, 2019, Morning

I am living my best air-conditioned Kathmandu life! My hair and skin love the humidity! My mouth loves the pancakes! My body loves the coffee! Hooray! I go to a nice café where I eat my Last Meal. I cannot describe this because, while I don’t believe it was what made me sick, thinking about it makes me gag since it was the last thing I ate before becoming Very Sick. I even have a picture of it because it was very pretty, and I think I’m going to have to get someone to go into my phone and delete it because if I look at it I will die. You probably understand this I don’t have to explain it to you.

I enjoyed a couple games of cards and the café because I am an Old Person and then went for a walk around. On my walk around my legs started to hurt and I started to feel hot and tired. So I pounded a litre of water and embarked on a food tour. Of course.

A dog I met on the tour.

The food tour guides were very nice and sweet and knew everything about Nepal (one of them was a guide and one of them was a guide in training). Once I told the guide-in-training that I loved dogs he started pointing out all the dogs to me which I appreciated. Also he knew facts about some of the dogs. Like which ones were related and such. Which I also appreciated. I made it through 2 stops on this tour although it definitely was not my Best Eating Work because at this point I was not feeling amazing and was in survival mode. I had some tea and then a lentil pancake (the lentil pancake was so heckin good even in my horrible state). Then they took us to momos and I tried to persevere because I love momos. And these were high quality ones in sauce. But 1/3 through my first momo I was like “I can’t do this everyone I am so sick” and then immediately zoomed (probably didn’t zoom) to a nearby pile of wet garbage to gag into. I would like everyone to know that at this point I was basically actively throwing up and the tour guide came over and PATTED ME and tried to reassure me. The level of service and attentiveness these people provide for like $10 is wild. Then they went to the trouble of locating a taxi and negotiating a reasonable rate with the driver and trying to explain to them where my hotel was. Amazing.

Anyways then I had to survive the taxi ride to the hotel, which, in case you have never been in a KTM taxi before, is very treacherous. “There are much bumps” the driver told me apologetically.

“Yes” I said.

Several eternities later and after near misses with countless people, dogs, motorbikes, and other cars, we arrived back in AC land. I limped up the stairs and collapsed directly on my face into my bed. The only times I moved for the next several hours were to barf or to try to move my body into a more comfortable position so that all my limbs didn’t feel like they were exploding.

At some time during the early afternoon or evening, I started saying things that didn’t make sense/were unnecessary.

“how many people even live in Australia? Why are they all here?”

Then I saw the Zipper Octopus. It is like an octopus, but he has zippers on his tentacles so he can go from a uni-tentacle octopus to a normal octopus to change up his look. Innovative. I believe he also had a hat.

Then I slept a little bit. Then at 1:30am I started screaming for medical attention and also that I wasn’t going to survive the night. I think Chris agreed with this sentiment so he found a hospital, the kind I wouldn’t die at (I’ve seen some YouTube videos about hospitals in the developing world). But then I fell asleep again. 3:45am or something I woke up and did some more screaming/howling (P.S. I am so sorry to all of the other guests on the first floor and probably the other floors of the Timber House Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal. I truly thought I was dying and I guess my final wish was to go out screaming). So then a taxi was summoned and I inexplicably donned my bright orange GoreTex jacket in preparation. I put in an absolutely massive effort to walk down one flight of stairs, out the door, and into the taxi. I then slumped in the taxi for like 3 years while Chris, the taxi driver, the hotel security guard, and the hotel front desk guy all tried to figure out where the hospital was. I guess it was eventually decided upon because we soon drove away on a Very Much Bumpy road. “careful of the dogs” I mumbled to myself.

When we arrived at the hospital a guard had to let us in through a big gate. Sadly I was too ill to appreciate this moment of exclusivity. I used my final strength reserves to basically tuck and roll out of the taxi and get into that hospital as quickly as I could.

“Hi” I said gravely to the reception dude “I am very sick”

“Okay!” he said cheerily. “Let’s go to the emergency room then!”

So then I got to go to the emergency room where I blessedly was able to lie down under a lot of blankets (I was very chilly despite my GoreTex gear). Immediately a nurse started attending to me. First she took me temperature and was like “whoa! High fever!”*

*I prefer if medical professionals don’t remark about my Condition but okay.

Then she remarked about my low blood pressure, high pulse, etc etc etc basically I was in rough shape. Then she drew some blood and started an IV to rehydrate me but that was a bit of an issue because I have bad veins. Eventually she got a good stab in and I began hydrating.*

*I would like to take this time to thank modern medicine. As soon as I had a bag of fluid in me I started feeling a lot better. I think a lot of my problems were compounded by the fact that I had been too tired and nauseous to drink water for a lot of the night.

Then the doctor came in and he was very nice and apologized about the IV. Then he started asking me about my trip to Nepal, etc etc. When trekking came up, he was like “oh! How was the Lukla flight?” and I was like this is not the time to discuss the Lukla flight. Anyways, I guess between the doctor, the nurse, and the nice receptionist it was decided that I was sick and could stay. So I got to go in a wheelchair upstairs to a nice room overlooking some embassy (there was a guy with a big gun pacing back and forth there all day).

They proceeded to give me lots of drugs through the IV, which contributed to me feeling a lot better in a relatively short amount of time. Again, modern medicine is a miracle. Also since there were no other patients there in the early morning/night, I think everyone was kind of bored so I got waited on a lot, especially when a bunch more nurses came in the morning. Like I got tucked in once and hour and stuff. This was a nice touch.

I legit don’t remember taking this disgusting picture but in case you’re wondering what you look like after they pump fluids into you for 30 ish hours while you lay in bed...it’s this.

The rest is not too terribly interesting. In the afternoon I started feeling sick again and my fever went up so the doctor decided I should probably change my flight (I was supposed to fly back to Canada that night). Happily my mom and sponsor Jen took care of that for me back in Canada. I slept through most of the rest of the stay, started to feel better in the mid-morning of the next day, and was freed from my IV line to go for a walk around the hallways (the nice nurse freed me even though the nice doctor told me I didn’t look very good and should stay another night). I went for a nice walk and saw a white guy downstairs requesting a rabies vaccine. Hopefully it was the pre-exposure one.

I was trying to walk around shoeless and the nurse came chasing after me like “Anna! Anna! we have the shoes for you!” Sadly I did not get to keep The Shoes.

After that I got to go on an outdoor walk, which was weird because I hadn’t seen the light of day in like 30+ hours. Chris took me on a tour of the fancy embassy/ex-pat neighbourhood that he had wandered around for many hours looking for the “plain noodle soup” I had kept requesting during my illness. I even got to make a triumphant appearance at the home of the soup:

“Here’s my girlfriend! She’s still alive!”

“ah ha!” said the soup guy “how was your soup?”

After passing all the walking tests (I am an excellent walker), I was officially freed from the hospital. I would like to note that my entire stay at this bougie* hospital didn’t cost any cash money at all, thanks to my parents’ sweet Canadian travel health insurance and also the hospital for being good at dealing insurance companies.

*100% nicer than any medical facility I have visited in Canada

And this is what you look like after you walk a little bit and the fluid relocates. And when the hospital lobby has good lightning. Highly recommend the selfie lightning at CIWEC.

So thank you CIWEC Hospital in Kathmandu for bringing me back from what I thought was the brink of death (but probably wasn’t), thank you to my parents insurance and my parents for remaining calm, switching my flights, and dealing with all that stuff on the other side of the world, and thank you to my boyfriend Christopher who doesn’t read the blog but sure dealt with a lot of screaming, located the noodle soup, put my hair in a horrible bun, found out how many people live in Australia for me, and otherwise waited on me day and night for quite a while. All absolute legends.

#nepal #travel #dangerous illness #dogs

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mynepalstuff-blog · 7 years ago

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Nepal Travel Guide

Nepal is sometimes bypassed by travelers because they figure it’s an extension of India; it’s not. Nepal has a beautiful, fascinating, long history. The Nepalese are incredibly friendly and fun — learn a bit of Nepali and they will love you for it. Nepal is a mecca for outdoorsy type travelers because of the Himalayan mountains that offer up some of the best trekking opportunities in Asia. In fact, Nepal boasts eight of the 10 highest peaks in the world. The country is generally safe (check out the political situation with the Maoists, it can change rapidly) and Nepal attracts both outdoorsy types and volunteers in equal measure. The power situation makes working remotely from Nepal tricky (there can be as few as eight hours of power every day).

I loved visiting Nepal and I loved learning about culture and language. I highly recommend a visit, but that being said, post-earthquake Nepal is a very different place than it once was. The April 2015 earthquake had a devastating effect on the people of Nepal, on the country’s transportation infrastructure, and on the tourism industry. Now, it’s still a place you can travel and have a wonderful time. In fact, I am a firm supporter of responsible tourism as a way to help Nepal rebuild. But the impact, death toll, and the level of destruction mean that travelers should be keenly aware that the country will take years to rebuild. Some posit that it will take decades to recover from this earthquake. All this to say, be sensitive to the fact that this country is facing a long road ahead. Tourism is one part of a solution, but only when tourists are committed to a responsible approach to helping the country come out stronger on the other side of this quake.

Nepal’s history dates back more than 2,500 years. But much of that ancient history is unknown. Many of the UNESCO sites worth visiting date back to the 1400s. It’s worth knowing a bit about Nepali politics, as it’s an unstable and ever-changing topic. A monarchy ruled Nepal until 2008, at which time a democratic republic and a constitution were established and adjusted over the next several years.

As Nepal developed, unlike many countries it remains about 80% rural. It’s also one of the least developed countries in the world according to the U.N. This means travelers will see drastic differences between life in the cities and life in the small villages. As a result of this mix, lifting the rural areas out of extreme poverty has proven difficult. The political climate is often tense, and the lack of education in these rural areas has had a direct impact on the preservation of Nepal’s natural resources. As tourists come to Nepal, the country struggled to meet tourism demand. This has resulted in poorly maintained transportation infrastructures and the use of natural resources in unsustainable ways. It’s a bit of a tough situation, as the tourists are both the core issue, and yet also the only way to bring money into these areas.

Modern Nepal is a fascinating, diverse place. Neighboring countries have had a marked influence on modern Nepali life. Travelers will see influences from India, Tibet, China, and even Mongolia. The country has 30+ ethnic groups, and with these a large variation in the number of religions and dialects. With all this diversity, the country has a mixed bag of religions as well. Predominantly Hindu, the country integrates Buddhism and animism too. All this to say, the mixing of cultures over the years have given Nepal a history as beautiful as the landscape.

The Fast Facts About Nepal Travel

Currency: Nepalese Rupee (NPR) (current exchange rate)

Electricity: 220V/60Hz (multiple plugs as they have retrofitted many to fit American and European plugs. Be careful of plugging in some electrical devices as the the U.S. runs at 120V)

Primary Airports: Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)

Water: Not safe. Drink bottled, or consider the merits of a SteriPen or LifeStraw for your trip.

Internet Situation: Kathmandu and Pokhara have extensive access to internet shops filled with computers. There are also restaurants and cafes in both of these primary cities that offer free WiFi. The internet is decent in both of these very tourist-heavy cities. You can do most anything you need to on the internet, uploading information, photos, emails. Video calls likely only in the bigger cities. Outside of Pokhara and Kathmandu, it’s fair to non-existent. Beyond the internet, it’s the lack of consistent power that will foil your plans. You have to carefully plan your internet time if you’re running a business, you will surely want to buy a SIM with data as a backup.

Local SIM: Travelers can easily purchase a SIM card as well as data. And it’s quite affordable. Read this SIM card guide for tips on how to get one, how to top up, and what that whole process will look like.

Visas: Nepal issues visas on arrival for citizens of most countries. These can be purchased for 15, 30, or 90 days and range from $25 to $100. Check your visa requirements here. You must bring a passport-sized photo, or stand in line and pay for one when you arrive. Volunteers technically require a visa arranged by the place they are working with as volunteering on a tourist visa is expressly forbidden, though harder for them to enforce.

Festivals of Note: Phalgun Festivals, Kathmandu (Feb/March). Dashain, country-wide (September/October). Indra Jatra, Kathmandu (September).

Safety: One of the most common issues facing travelers is gastrointestinal issues. There is very poor sanitation in Nepal so you will need to be careful with your food and water consumption. You must carry a medical kit; make sure you have several courses of antibiotics as well as a decent supply of oral rehydration salts. These ORS can save your life in the case of diarrheal illness. Anything can happen on the road. I am a firm advocate of travel insurance; here are my tips to pick a good travel insurance.

Budget: Nepal is very budget-friendly and cheap to travel. Hiking and trekking will add some expenses, but even those are reasonable. A solo traveler can anticipate rock-bottom budget of $15 per day if traveling around. If you’re volunteering some daily rates are in the $10-15 per day range to cover food and board. A little extra budget goes a long way here and you can upgrade to nice digs and eat decent food on just $30 per day per person when you are not trekking. Once you add in trekking fees, that gets a bit more. Baseline though — it’s cheap. You can scale up and have a very nice couple trip too, like this woman did.

When to Go: You’ll need to plan your visit around your planned activities. If you’re hiking, the trails are closed during monsoon season, which runs from June through August. Trekking season is September through May. Autumn and spring are beautiful; lush and green in the fall and flowering and cool in the spring. Winter can be chilly at altitude, but is pleasant in the Kathmandu Valley.

Food Considerations: Vegetarians will love traveling through Nepal because the national dish, dal bhat, is lentil soup and traditionally served with rice and veggies. Warning though, don’t be fooled into thinking that the food is similar to India — there is much less variety and the Nepalese do eat meat (unlike most of India). The Tibetan momos (dumplings) are fantastic and a staple of any vegetarian diet in Nepal. Also, many travelers get gastrointestinals issues as there is very poor sanitation. Avoid unpeeled fruits and salads. Please always sterilize your water, and follow these food safety principles.

Accommodation: Nepal has a huge range of options. From cheap, basic rooms for backpackers to much nicer hotels. And even some eco-lodges and fun things like treehouses and such. While the links in city guides below go to a hotel booking site, many are also found on AirBnB if you are member. (A Little Adrift readers get a $20 AirBnB credit here to give it a go.) For backpackers, Hostelworld is perfect for pre-booking hostels; in high season the bigger towns book up fast. Consider Agoda for researching hotels as it’s one of the best sites for Asia travels. And if you buy a local SIM (which you should), you can easily call ahead and directly reserve spots en route. Hotel owners are often on Whatsapp, and you should use that if trying to get a quick response in-country. If none of these will do, check out my detailed guide to finding good places to stay.

Transportation: Transportation between cities is easy to organize and takes the form of buses. If you’re faint of heart, don’t watch as the buses careen around curves and the rusting carcasses of other buses dot the bottom of the hillsides. The buses are the main form of transportation, but Nepal has serious infrastructure issues so be careful. But, the buses are effective and they’re virtually the only budget option. In more recent years, there has been a rise in micro-buses of 10-12 people — a bit more but likely a bit safer. If you’re in a group, it’s fairly affordable to hire a private driver or taxi for longer distances. Bicycle and taxis are great for navigating around Kathmandu.

Possible Issues: Women should not trek alone in Nepal, not under any circumstances. Go with a guide, or use a one of the buddy trek sites to find a trekking partner. Be particularly cautious as a woman hiking in the Langtang area. Transportation issues are a serious safety threat. Landslides and road accidents are high all year round, but particularly during the summer monsoon rains. I highly recommend travel insurance as health care quality is low and you’ll likely need to be airlifted out of Nepal if something serious happens.

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hoteles5estrellas · 8 years ago

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Hey /r/ travel! I’m a 19 year old dude from the US starting a 4 month long trip in Asia and I’m planning to be in Nepal for 24 days starting April 5th. I’m really looking forward to doing some proper trekking with a mix of mountain views, wilderness adventure and getting a feel for local Himalayan/Buddhist culture and rural life. I’ve got about 46ish nights of wilderness backpacking experience and have traveled internationally before, on a definite budget but willing to shell out for really important things. After that in torn between going to Chitwan (love wildlife but will be doing rainforest stuff in Malaysia too) or Lumbini.

I’ve been researching a lot and I was wondering if anyone had any advice about which if these treks might work best, what do you all think? If anyone is in Nepal around then (I’ll be in KTM through the 9th) I’d love to get in touch!

Option 1. 14 or 15 days trekking Annapurna circuit. I’ve seen so many jaw dropping photos of it and love the variety of terrain, but worried about being in a “trekkers highway” and recent road building, would try to skip some road sections but not sure how dangerous chame road is. Would I need a guide? Would love to do some side trips and tillicho Lake.

14 days trekking the Manaslu trek- I love all I’ve read about it, seems like a real adventure with incredible views and still with teahouses. This would be borderline unaffordable without a trekking partner to split guide costs, but a guide would also be cool to learn more about local stuff. Is it still doable after the earthquake?

Option 3- 9 days trekking Mardi Himal followed by a shorter 4 dayish trek, hopefully somewhere really unique. Heard good things about mardi Himal but a little in the short side for me.

What do you all think about what could work best? Would you think a guide is worth it and who might be a good guide based in KTM? I would love to learn more about unique things to do around the country or KTM outside of the trekking! And if you are in Nepal (or in Mongolia at any point in the summer when I’ll be travelling there) and interested in trekking or meeting up or sharing information feel free to give me a holler! Thanks so much!

Random note too – I’m not normally into drugs but is the Himalayan hallucinogenic honey a thing one can do in the Annapurna region? Saw this from vice haha: https://youtu.be/wDOvmhqvIA8

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