The Liquid Muse

One Week in Bangkok

Day 5: The Accidental Bulimic

Thursday: Woke up at 6 am, with a sharp pain in my stomach. For the next six hours my body became a vessel for uncontrollable, incessant spewing of putrid waste, from nearly every orifice. By 1pm, Jason was advised to call Dr. Wiwat.

The good doctor came to the hotel room, administered a shot in my bum, to stop the puking, so I could hold down enough water to take some antibiotics. He surmised that I had a bacterial intestinal infection, surely brought on by some street vendor food, or unclean water. While millions of visitors come to Bangkok and don’t get sick, there is a percentage of unlucky ones who get the random germ, and I just happened to fall into that category.

Unable to move much, or think clearly enough to work, I slept all day. At 9 pm, I ordered some plain rice in broth. I’d barely gotten it down when it made its grand return. Nothing to do but go back to sleep.

Upside: I lost 5 pounds in 24 hours. And, I caught the Oscars on rerun.

Traveler Tip: Go easy on the street vendor food. Unless you're on a crash diet.