More random travelling pics

5-10: Did the hospital thing again today. I was feeling better so I had hopes my blood count would be up, but it wasn't, which means another day here unfortunately. Watched the last english movie in the city: Passengers. Had dinner at an indian place across from an american expat who used to live in the philippines but now here in penang. He's a financial writer and was full of bad doom and gloom news about the US economy and other things related to the US. Though he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He showed me his articles where several years ago he had predicted the collapse of lehman brothers and citi group. He told me when I get back home I should put all my savings into gold. He said by 2010 the us economy will be completely crashed and inflation will be huge and I'll probably be living in Asia if I'm smart. He asked me which world stock market had the biggest positive increase in the last 5 years. I didn't know. He said Zimbabwe. Increased 1000%, but inflation rose 100,000%.

5-11: Another long day at the hospital. Blood levels even lower today. Finally found a hospital that has the rabies vaccine, but they won't give it to me while my platelets are low. Moved into a nicer hotel that doesn't reek like smoke and doesn't have a bathroom that is 200 feet down the hall (one of the affects of this disease appears to be terrible bladder). Very, very, very, very, very tired of doing this hospital thing. SO much waiting in this cramped hospital. It can be kind of freaky too b/c you see some of the strangest peoples and diseases you can think of and of course there is the paranoia of swine flu. The hospital is an interesting place, half of it is open air and it's right next to a huge prison and prisoners are often seen being drug through it for their hospital visits are whatever. THe hospital, like the city is very multi cultural full of Indian, Malay, and Chinese doctors, nurses, and patients. I saw a current map up of swine flu. The US had more than half of the cases of swine flu and mexico had about 1/3, but of the 58 deaths reported, the US had only 3. Statistically that's astonishing. We can have over 1/2 the cases but 5% of the deaths. Makes you really appreciate our hospitals. Obviously our nutrition and lifestyle has a lot to do with the amount of deaths, but I was also thinking that if I was really sick with the flu and had to go through the rigamaroll they have here, I would probably get sick too with how tiring it is (I did have the added issue of trying find another hospital for rabies). THe hospitals I've been to in the US, which are few (Estes Park, Longmont, Sun Valley, and Vail) have all been so quick and smooth that you're on your way back to bed to recover in no time. But not here. I leave my guesthouse at 8am and don't get back til at least 3pm, not really eating the whole time and only drinking water. Moved itno a nicer hotel from my nasty, dumpy guesthouse that stinks of smoke, has no sheets (usually not a problem in the tropics, but when you have a fever)

5-12: FInally showed improvements in my WBC and platelet counts. Celebrated with an overdose of ice cream. Took the ferry to butterworth again to buy my bus ticket. Went to an interesting chinese food night market where there are food stalls surrounding a stage and dance floor. Some of the chinese couples on the stage could really move to ballroom swing.

5-13: Getting my rabies shot and then going to Pulau Perhentian (perhentian islands; pulau=island) on an overnight bus. I think I've had more needles in me here in asia than I've had all my time back home. Hopefully from here on out I can stay away from biting creatures