Illness Strikes

Deb got sick today.

Something went against her. She was feeling a bit woozy this morning but thought she was strong enough to venture out to the Dayan Tower (also known as the Big Goose Pagoda).

Jane gave me a sheet of paper with the Dayan Tower written on it in Chinese, and the Bell Tower Hotel written in Chinese underneath that. With that, I could hail a taxi and just show the driver the paper. It worked very well. All five of us piled into what amounts to a subcompact four-door car (Abigail was on one of our laps in the back) and we took the trip across town to the tower. The taxi ride over was 12 yuan (just under two bucks).

The view of the city from the top of the tower is supposed to be magnificent, however, with the gloomy, dank, misty weather we've been having here, the visibility was down to several hundred yards, and the top of the tower would have afforded no advantage at all. So we walked around the grounds, not wanting to pay the extra 20 yuan a head for the privilege of viewing a fog bank.

When we got home in mid-afternoon, Deb was feeling really ill and laid down for a while before getting sick a while later.

David and Abigail and I ventured out around suppertime to get Deb some crackers to eat and a more substantial meal for the rest of us. We stopped at the KFC near our hotel to get some chicken for dinner.

Ordering fast food in China is always a trip, and this time was no exception. The staff could see we were lost right away and brought out the usual menu card with English words on it. When they laid it on the counter, Abigail immediately began chattering in Chinese and pointing to several of the items on the menu. She had a dinner entree, fries and a specialty drink ordered before I could convince the person behind the counter that I was the one doing the ordering and not her.

When I finally had convinced the clerk that I wanted the chicken bucket and four large fries, the total for the order came out to somewhat less than I was expecting. When they finally completed the order, we had the bucket, and one order of fries, with four ketchup packets. When I held up four fingers and pointed to the fries, they gave us more ketchup. I finally convinced them to add three orders of fries to the order.

After another few minutes trying to convey the idea that I wanted a bag so I could carry the stuff out the door, we were finally on the street headed back to the hotel.

Deb was feeling somewhat better when we got back, having purged herself pretty completely. She ate a few crackers and is now in bed, as she is feeling quite weak. She thinks the big difference in diet has really messed her up and right now has no desire for any more Chinese food.

At least the breakfasts have a more Western feel to them. We all tank up at breakfast, including Abigail. Her breakfast this morning included mixed fruit, part of an omelette, hard boiled egg (which I ended up eating), tomatoes, sausages, bacon, steamed bun, noodles, and orange juice. She has almost completely given up using chopsticks, even though she uses them so well.

Josh has been fighting a cold for the last few days, and now David seems to be coming down with it also. We purchased tickets to Guangzhou today, and Friday evening can't come fast enough. This gloomy weather puts a damper on everything. Plus, the only thing we're officially doing is waiting for Abigail's passport to be issued on Friday.

Tomorrow (Thursday), if everyone is feeling well enough, we'll try to make it to the Terra Cotta Warriors.