At about half past midnight, I wake with a start, knowing instinctively that there's something physically wrong with me.
Suddenly, I feel nausea grip me and I head for the loo. I sit down, unsure if I'm going to puke or shit. As it happens, I do neither, but my entire body breaks out in an ice cold sweat, running in rivulets down my arms, legs and back, and I find myself sliding on the toilet seat.
I recognise something that has happened to me twice before, and as scary as it is when it happens, I know it's going to pass in a few minutes.
They were about ten minutes but, at the time, felt like and hour.
I don't know what it is that causes the condition, perhaps it's a light case of food poisoning each time, but the last twice that it happened were both on airplanes, first time on our way back from or European holiday about eight years ago. The second time was about four years ago, also on an airplane, also on my way back to SA from Europe. I wonder if it's something that's going to happen every four years, or even happen again at all. I hope neither.
I towel myself dry, wait a couple of minutes for the shivering to subside completely and make my way back to bed, falling asleep straight away, and right through until the alarm goes off.
I still feel slightly nauseous when I get up, but force myself to go through the morning routine and eat something to settle my stomach.
It seems to work and I grab my stuff, and a cab, and head to the office. Sunday is say one of the work week and I have three days left here. then home. Out of hotels. Back to normality. Back to SWMBO and the girls.
I go for my usual lunchtime walk to Starbucks (we really need them in SA - their coffee is great), have my chicken wrap, then stroll leisurely back in the sunshine to the laptop for the last couple of hours of the work day.
Back at the hotel, I sign onto the web, check my Facebook page and decide to do something different for dinner. Burger King!! We need these in SA as well!!
These burgers are good for fast food. the chips are about the same taste as McDonalds but a Big Mac tastes like linoleum in comparison to a Burger King XXL. Two patties, two slices of cheese, tomato, raw onion and a bun that tastes like bread. Winner!!
Sated, I head for a "small" mall and buy a half dozen kewl t-shirts, some with excellent biker skeleton images. Photos will follow.
I also buy a new wallet which I've been needing for a while as m old, tatty one is about 11yrs old and falling to bits.
Retail therapy over, I head back to my room for the night, and the consoling glow of the TV. Two days to go...
Part 10 soon....promise...
5 comments:
I get that with airplane food too! Bringing my own food with us for the journey when we come over - 25 sleeps! xoxo
No too sure I like that "Sweating shivering" thing you have going on. I don't care if it's only once every years......
Did the shopping cost much?
Salagatle!
Shopping wasn't too expensive...about ZAR400 for the t-shirts and ZAR100 for the wallet...
@Tamlyn...I have a theory that it has something to do with gas bubbles in the blood system, almost like getting the bends after you go scuba diving and come up too quickly. In the airplane scenario, if you have a beer or two (or fizzy drink) on the ground and then go to altitude the gas in your system from the beer expands...like the bends. In the hotel scenario, I had a couple of beers in the basement pub, went to the 9th floor for dinner and then went back to the 3rd floor to my room...perhaps not as high as an airplane, but the bends can happen within just 10m of height...
Just a theory...
I don't usually drink a lot of fizzy stuff though, I get too bloated with it :o( I always thought it was just poorly prepared/stored/heated plane food that caused it, and the fact it's practically over-processed plastic :-S
Part 10 soon?
Salagatle!
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