Sunday, May 17, 2020
I’ve to admit that Pattaya is a bit on the depressing side. Especially when you drive around, see all the stranded creatures hanging around, sitting in front of 7-Eleven drinking beer (daytime at nearly 40 degrees), or the ‘slightly’ overweight foreigners on too small motorbikes, which sometimes really looks funny.
But on the end, you see quite often how you don’t want your life to end. And, really, that brings you down quite a bit.
There’s an old man inside the village, actually owning or renting the first house by the entrance. The gate of his car park is mostly half open and we see him sitting inside the carport with his Thai wife all day, cooled by a ventilator, observing who’s coming and going.
And even you go to nice restaurants where the average car in front has a US$ 150’000 price tag – you’re shocked about clothing and hygiene standards of the guests. I think Pattaya, when you live here for years, makes you careless: as a man, anyway you’ll find a young girl staying with you, no matter if you’re shaved or not, not matter if you wear proper clothes. I don’t know why you come to such a point, but I’m happy to wear long trousers, proper shoes… when going to a nice restaurant. It’s somehow a relief from the standard life in Thailand.
Anyway, it’s time to come back to the trip report.
Sunday started with packing my small trolley with the essentials for the next days – which will not be much in hospital.
At 12 we left Pattaya, Valentyna drove me to Bangkok where I checked in at Bumrungrad hospital.
The complete process at this hospital is extremely professional. From the moment you enter you’re taken care off. After screening and registration, I’ve been taken around, blood taken for tests, Covid-19
and antibody test done, X-Ray of the lungs, and EKG.
Everything was performed so effectively, that I’ve been ready an hours before admission to the clinic. So I took my trolley and walked over to Soi X, where Valentyna decided to have a Hookah before driving back to Pattaya.
At 1630 we made a pit-stop at ISAO, bought some Sushi to take away, before Valentyna delivered me back to the clinic and drive home to Pattaya.
I went to the admission centre
where I had to sign a lot of documents, pay my share, before I was picked up by a bellboy,
who brought me to my ‘Deluxe’ room.
Wow, very impressive for a hospital !
Also the small park in front of my window, nice !
After I got settled dinner was served from a choice of Spaghetti Bolognese, Salmon steak, Green Curry and fried noodles with chicken.
I really couldn’t complain.
After dinner I watched some movie, enjoyed the Sushi I brought with me – and some Toffifee.
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Monday, May 18, 2020
At 0400 I woke up – because my breakfast was served. I only was allowed to eat until 0430, that’s why I got my food in the middle of the night.
After I finished my omelette and some bread with jam, I went back to bed and slept until I was again woken up at 0730.
Now it was time to get started, to shave & shower, have a last cigarette, wait for the nurses to prepare.
The good news of the morning: no Covid-19
The bad news: I never had it, no antibodies.
And that leaves me surprised… with all my travels, all the hotel stays, buffet breakfasts, airport transfers, close contact to many people – how did I manage not to get infected ???
At the end, quite a bit of a funny story we were told by Vika about her traveling with 'Zar' (or 'Casanova', you name it):
when we were driving from Krabi to Pattaya she was with him in the car, the emotions not on the positive side. Since it was a long drive, she wanted to listen to some music - but it wasn't allowed to switch on the car audio system, because it would have disturbed him. Okay, that might happen. So she took out her iPhone, inserted her iPods and wanted to listen to music. But that wasn't allowed either, because iPods are connected by Bluetooth. And inside the car he wouldn't have allowed her to use either WLAN nor Bluetooth, because they were inside a car, and the waves couldn't go out, so they would somehow make them sick.
