Day 43 & 44 (Pokhara)

My goodness, my cysts of E. histolytica! That's what I've got...a parasite in my system. Nice to know what the problem is, but not so pleasant having it...

We arrived in Pokhara after an Immodium filled bus journey for me. I hadn't made a fuss about being sick, because I knew an awful lot of the group were either feeling crappy or had already been and we'd all survived this far without there being anything seriously wrong. I'd been unwell on and off since leaving Iran so was trying to keep a stiff upper lip and breathe through the cramps that I reckon were pretty close to labour pains. After we'd checked into our room and I'd got myself into a semi-comfortable position there was a knock at the door..Super-Kim to the rescue. She obviously got wind of how bad I was feeling and was on the case suggesting that if I was as bad as I seemed then a doctor would be advisable as it could be something pretty bad. The doctor was gonna cost a bit and might end up referring me to the hospital, but if I went direct to the hospital they would see me for an A&E fee of triple what the locals pay what with me being a wealthy foreigner..the admission cost me a whole 900 ruppee...or €9! I couldn't believe how cheap it was! Because I was a VIP I was rushed by all the waiting locals to see the doctor who reckoned I might need to be kept in overnight for a drip to get my fluid levels back up given the number of bathroom trips I'd had, how I was looking, my temperature of 101 and the fact I felt weak, dizzy and sore all over. They did a blood test and stool analysis (never been through anything quite so disgusting in my life..why they give you such a small pot I will never understand) which took an hour to analyse (costing the grand total of €19)! I was given drugs to bring down my temperature and the doctor explained that I'd managed to get a parasite in my system and that's what was causing me the grief (and more pills to deal with that). I had an amoeba not a worm as Una was thinking! The doc said it could be contagious (which he later retracted) so we got Una a new room and for the first time on the trip I had space to myself for two whole nights...BLISS (even with feeling crap)!

The plan for our full day in Pokhara was to get up really early to go watch the sunrise at Sarangot, but the weather wasn't cooperating..rain, rain, rain!! This was bad news because we were also booked in to give paragliding a go later in the day. This was my preparation for the skydive my colleagues kindly set me to do in New Zealand, and I was pretty excited about it, but unsure if my tummy would hold up for the whole hour. I was debating on and off and on and off, but in the end it was cancelled because of the weather so we went shopping. Later in the evening we went up to Sarangot to see the sunset which was spectacular. The visit to Pokhara wasn't a waste afterall, though it would have been great to get the paragliding done and I'd love to have tried my hand at kayaking if I'd been feeling up to it.

Verdict, if you get the chance for a stop in Pokhara, it's beautiful..go there!

For photos from Pokhara click here.