Friday, May 19, 2006
May 18: On dogs and alcohol
Yes, this entry is late. Access to computers is somewhat sketchy. So suck it!
Today I saw Katie, my friend from Beijing who I will be seeing in Delhi. She was in Chengdu. Why? Because of a medical issue!
Here's a word of second-hand advice: if you're in Kham (eastern Tibet), beware of the dogs. Katie was apparently walking down a street in the evening, dismissive of the good advice from her travel-companion Drolma that was essentially "beware of the dogs, they're mean and nasty". She saw dogs coming her way. The dogs were not friendly.
Result: dog bites to the legs and low back. Stitches. 18 hour car ride to Chengdu to seek medical treatment. Rabies shots and the works.
OWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
I feel very bad for Katie, she really got a raw deal. However, I gotta say I admire the attitude: "I don't wanna be here anymore, let me go back to Kham!!"
Anyway, we spent most of the evening cruising around Chengdu and catching up on what we've been up to in the past few weeks. Chilled in the park. Checked out the confucian temple. Drank tea at a very swank teahouse. Etc etc. Good fun. I see her again in the morning of June 2nd, in Delhi. Maybe she'll come on the trek with me, maybe not.
This whole incident rings a little bit close to home because I was agonizing for a while about whether or not to get a rabies inoculation before the trip, and in the end opted not to. I figured the risk is minimal. Well, it is minimal, except if you're in rural areas with wacko dogs. And, if you're in high-dog-risk areas, carry stones in your pocket, and a big stick. You could do the Churchillian thing of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, but given that dogs don't respond to soft speaking very well I think I'll just carry a big stick.
I came back to the Mix Hostel later in the evening to discover that Michal, my Emei Shan hike companion, as well as newfound friend and temporary roommate, had a bit much to drink. Apparently a group of Limeys were playing a drinking game and invited her in. They didn't explan that when you lose you don't have to empty your glass, but just have to drink a bit. Result: incredible drunkedness. I spent a non-trivial part of the night listening to the sounds of stomach contents being emptied. Ugh. Not fun..
I am currently in Lijiang, the capital of the old Naxi (pronounced na-shee) Kingdom. The Tiger Leaping Gorge is here, and the scenery is generally pretty amazing. Mountains, greenery, very swell. I'm going to spend today tooling around town, and intend to go on a 2-day hike through the Tiger Leaping Gorge tomorrow. Updates will come... later.
This week I have a bit of a tight schedule since I would like to be in Hong Kong by Monday at the latest. Apparently the day before I leave HK is the Dragon Boat festival or something - I'm in luck!
Today I saw Katie, my friend from Beijing who I will be seeing in Delhi. She was in Chengdu. Why? Because of a medical issue!
Here's a word of second-hand advice: if you're in Kham (eastern Tibet), beware of the dogs. Katie was apparently walking down a street in the evening, dismissive of the good advice from her travel-companion Drolma that was essentially "beware of the dogs, they're mean and nasty". She saw dogs coming her way. The dogs were not friendly.
Result: dog bites to the legs and low back. Stitches. 18 hour car ride to Chengdu to seek medical treatment. Rabies shots and the works.
OWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
I feel very bad for Katie, she really got a raw deal. However, I gotta say I admire the attitude: "I don't wanna be here anymore, let me go back to Kham!!"
Anyway, we spent most of the evening cruising around Chengdu and catching up on what we've been up to in the past few weeks. Chilled in the park. Checked out the confucian temple. Drank tea at a very swank teahouse. Etc etc. Good fun. I see her again in the morning of June 2nd, in Delhi. Maybe she'll come on the trek with me, maybe not.
This whole incident rings a little bit close to home because I was agonizing for a while about whether or not to get a rabies inoculation before the trip, and in the end opted not to. I figured the risk is minimal. Well, it is minimal, except if you're in rural areas with wacko dogs. And, if you're in high-dog-risk areas, carry stones in your pocket, and a big stick. You could do the Churchillian thing of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, but given that dogs don't respond to soft speaking very well I think I'll just carry a big stick.
I came back to the Mix Hostel later in the evening to discover that Michal, my Emei Shan hike companion, as well as newfound friend and temporary roommate, had a bit much to drink. Apparently a group of Limeys were playing a drinking game and invited her in. They didn't explan that when you lose you don't have to empty your glass, but just have to drink a bit. Result: incredible drunkedness. I spent a non-trivial part of the night listening to the sounds of stomach contents being emptied. Ugh. Not fun..
I am currently in Lijiang, the capital of the old Naxi (pronounced na-shee) Kingdom. The Tiger Leaping Gorge is here, and the scenery is generally pretty amazing. Mountains, greenery, very swell. I'm going to spend today tooling around town, and intend to go on a 2-day hike through the Tiger Leaping Gorge tomorrow. Updates will come... later.
This week I have a bit of a tight schedule since I would like to be in Hong Kong by Monday at the latest. Apparently the day before I leave HK is the Dragon Boat festival or something - I'm in luck!
# posted by Alex Perel @ 10:18 PM 
