Beijing: How to manage being sick while on the road

Post date: Oct 02, 2016 6:52:34 PM

I have only once been really really sick while traveling. And it was in Beijing in 2010.

I had three flights from Kathmandu to Beijing. First one was Lhasa and I felt weird (See the note about altitude sickness), then Xiangang, where I started feeling really sick. By the time I landed in Beijing I needed to put my pack on a trolley to get it out of the airport.

There was no rhyme or reason to the taxi line outside. And the few times I got a cab to stop they wouldn’t pick me up because I didn’t speak chinese. So I started crying. Out of sheer exhaustion and tired body. And magically, a solution appeared. A really nice Indian business man came over, flagged a cab, got his interpreter to give the driver my address and instructions and paid for the cab.

The next day I slept and had no energy to do anything. I don’t like to feel sick far away from home. But being sick, while in a hostel, when you do not have the ability to take care of yourself… I have never in my life been more in need of my mommy.

By day three I was able to get out of bed, and along with two other people in the hostel, split a ride to the great wall of china. I also walked to the forbidden city. It took every ounce of energy I had.

Beijing, I’ll be seeing you again some day. For real this time.