As a result, we had a couple of extra days on our hands, and chose to spend them in Kota Kinabalu, the biggest and most prosperous town in Sabah. We were planning on seeing the local sights and spending a day snorkelling off the coast in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, comprising a series of islands which offer the best chance of seeing marine life close up in SE Asia.
Sadly, fate intervened, and I returned from the jungle sporting a rather attractive red rash on my arms, legs, chest and neck. It seemed that my over-zealous application of a Tiger Balm-based insect repellent had resulted in a pretty sizeable allergic reaction, which left me feeling tired, sore and irritable. After a day of antihistamines gave no respite, we decided to pay a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to a) make sure I hadn't brought back anything serious from the jungle, and b) try and get rid of it as soon as possible. Malaysian hospitals seem a lot like British hospitals except they're more efficient, and A&E has a pet cat. Aside from this hygienic blind-spot, it was a relief to speak with a doctor (in English!) and within an hour and a half, I had been given a blood test, got the results (no dengue fever, hoorah!) and been given treatment, in the form of a hydro-cortisone shot.
James maintained that I was just being a hypochondriac, that it would've gone away by itself given time. He's probably right, but travelling when you're not feeling well is never much fun. Besides, this was the man who told me the cut on my finger was 'just a scratch' when I ended up needing 5 stitches, so I'm happier trusting my own judgment on such matters!
I was pretty tired and grumpy for the next
0 comments:
Post a Comment