The fevers are beginning to clear. Jenny seem pretty much better. Ben and I are still in a bit of a daze but the real suffering has ended.
I am convinced it was Dengue Fever. We haven't actually gone to the doctor to do the blood tests and confirm it. However, I had Dengue last year and this was exactly the same. One of the problems with Dengue is there are four strains and even when you have had one it does not give you immunity from the other strains. It is therefore possible to have Dengue four times - I'm halfway.
The main symptoms are the high fever which comes and goes. A vicious headache which is what really knocks you off your feet. Then there are the acheing bones. You also completely lose your appetite - I have been trying to force myself to eat but its not easy. You also get a red face and red flushes on your arms and legs. The three of us have been through all the classic symptoms of Dengue.
There is no treatment apart from to ease the symptoms with paracetemol and drink plenty of electrolyte rehydrating fluid.
So I did my visa run on Thursday. 12 hours on a minibus and boat was absolutely the last thing I needed. The guys I usually use weren't going last Thursday so I had to try a new company. Eve have two minibuses. They run one to The Andaman Club which I think is a nice bus - unfortunately it was full. I had to do their standard Ranong run on a cramped 15 seater minibus. Strangely, all the other passengers were Filipino. Apart from the minibus being cramped, there wasn't anything wrong with the run. It was just my physical condition that made it so crap. I had cold chills and was acheing all over by the end of the trip.
I am so looking forward to fully shaking off this thing.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Fevers All Round
Ben, Jenny and myself all have a very nasty fever. Jenny came down first. It hit her really hard. She was burning up and shaking. We took her to the hospital on the second day. I was a little worried it might be Dengue Fever. I had Dengue last year and it really is nasty, you would not want to see your 2-year old go through that. The doctor felt it was a virus and gave us medicine to ease pain and fever.
The next day Ben and I came down with it. Now I know what Jenny has been going through. This horrible fever comes with a vicious headache and an aching back. For two days I could hardly move. The three of us have been spread across the sofa while Pon tends to us. Not that you actually want that much attention. When you feel that miserable you just want to bury your head in the pillow and wait for it to go away.
Jenny has had the fever for a week now and looks like she is starting to shake it off. Ben and I feel a little better but I guess we have another couple of days to suffer.
It feels like we have lost a whole week. What is more frustrating is I have to do my visa run tomorrow. Normally you know I like to make a trip out of this chore. Take the family along and spend a couple of days somewhere nice along the way. This time I had it in mind to try a couple of days at Khao Sok National Park. Of course that isn't going to happen now. Instead I am forced to book myself onto one of the many minibus visa run trips. I hate this trip at the best of times but tomorrow I am going to have to do it while still suffering a fever.
Still I think it gives me an excuse to take the family for a treat somewhere special once we are all better. I was looking at Phuket Hotels for Children. It is the low season and rates are good at the moment so we might give one of them a go.
The next day Ben and I came down with it. Now I know what Jenny has been going through. This horrible fever comes with a vicious headache and an aching back. For two days I could hardly move. The three of us have been spread across the sofa while Pon tends to us. Not that you actually want that much attention. When you feel that miserable you just want to bury your head in the pillow and wait for it to go away.
Jenny has had the fever for a week now and looks like she is starting to shake it off. Ben and I feel a little better but I guess we have another couple of days to suffer.
It feels like we have lost a whole week. What is more frustrating is I have to do my visa run tomorrow. Normally you know I like to make a trip out of this chore. Take the family along and spend a couple of days somewhere nice along the way. This time I had it in mind to try a couple of days at Khao Sok National Park. Of course that isn't going to happen now. Instead I am forced to book myself onto one of the many minibus visa run trips. I hate this trip at the best of times but tomorrow I am going to have to do it while still suffering a fever.
Still I think it gives me an excuse to take the family for a treat somewhere special once we are all better. I was looking at Phuket Hotels for Children. It is the low season and rates are good at the moment so we might give one of them a go.
Friday, 4 July 2008
Phuket Stunt Show
There is a new show on the island. The Phuket Stunt Show has just opened in Chalong so I took the wife and kids and along we went to take a look.
The show starts at 7:30pm. It is 1,200 baht but they have discount for residents and Thais so I only had to pay 600 baht each for Pon and myself and the kids were free. That makes it quite a bargain for the quality of the show. We arrived early so we had time for burgers (100 baht but good), beer (90 baht and okay) and popcorn.
It is an impressive set up. A big stage area and water pool for the stunts and plenty of seating. As the name suggests, it is a show with lots of stunts. They do a lot of diving including a scary looking 27-meter high dive. It made me feel quite giddy just watching it. They mix all this up with some jetskis and boats buzzing around the water and in the second session they do treasue hunters and pirates fighting.
Ben absoultely loved the show. He couldn't stop laughing and kept saying 'that's a funny one'. Jenny was a little unnerved to begin with but she eventually got the idea that it was just play acting and started to enjoy it.
I think they could be on to a good thing with this show. It is not often that there is a genuinely good addition to Phuket's tourist attractions but this is one. It is a good idea and now they have it set up, their running costs can not be that high. The place was less than half full when we went but once high season arrives and they start filling the place, it has the potential to fairly rake the money in. Best of luck to them.
Their website does need quite a bit of work - Phuket Stunt Show
The show starts at 7:30pm. It is 1,200 baht but they have discount for residents and Thais so I only had to pay 600 baht each for Pon and myself and the kids were free. That makes it quite a bargain for the quality of the show. We arrived early so we had time for burgers (100 baht but good), beer (90 baht and okay) and popcorn.
It is an impressive set up. A big stage area and water pool for the stunts and plenty of seating. As the name suggests, it is a show with lots of stunts. They do a lot of diving including a scary looking 27-meter high dive. It made me feel quite giddy just watching it. They mix all this up with some jetskis and boats buzzing around the water and in the second session they do treasue hunters and pirates fighting.
Ben absoultely loved the show. He couldn't stop laughing and kept saying 'that's a funny one'. Jenny was a little unnerved to begin with but she eventually got the idea that it was just play acting and started to enjoy it.
I think they could be on to a good thing with this show. It is not often that there is a genuinely good addition to Phuket's tourist attractions but this is one. It is a good idea and now they have it set up, their running costs can not be that high. The place was less than half full when we went but once high season arrives and they start filling the place, it has the potential to fairly rake the money in. Best of luck to them.
Their website does need quite a bit of work - Phuket Stunt Show
Thursday, 26 June 2008
More about work
What a shame, it looks like Huwy's DJ career has come to a rapid end. I think the radio station management recognised that they really couldn't afford to pay that much for a show that only covered 2 hours airspace. As much as it was a decent show, it just does not make financial sense to pay a full time wage for a 2 hour show. They tried to work out ways to get more from Huwy's talents but nothing else really fit. They were willing to pay a nominal fee for the show but Huwy was putting a lot of hours into it and was not willing to work on the cheap. So at the moment it looks like they will be going their seperate ways.
In the meantime I have been considering my work position. I have come to the conclusion that I will wait and see. If an opportunity comes along then I will take it but for the moment I am not going to chase anything. I have enough income to live comfortably enough so I will sit back and see how it develops. There may yet be a little bit of work from England. I also feel that if in a few years time my financial position is struggling then I always have the last resort of returning to England to do some work. That would be a much easier option once the kids are bigger.
I can't play football at the moment. I had been playing quite regularly but my old achilles injury flared up again. I at least had the sense to stop immediately so i think few weeks rest should put it right. Well as right as it ever will be.
In the meantime I have been considering my work position. I have come to the conclusion that I will wait and see. If an opportunity comes along then I will take it but for the moment I am not going to chase anything. I have enough income to live comfortably enough so I will sit back and see how it develops. There may yet be a little bit of work from England. I also feel that if in a few years time my financial position is struggling then I always have the last resort of returning to England to do some work. That would be a much easier option once the kids are bigger.
I can't play football at the moment. I had been playing quite regularly but my old achilles injury flared up again. I at least had the sense to stop immediately so i think few weeks rest should put it right. Well as right as it ever will be.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
To Work or Not To Work ?
Well Huwy's show finally went out last week. It is a good rock show. Huwy's taste in rock music is very much on the heavy hardcore side and that comes through in his show but he also plays some more commercial and classic stuff. It should now be a regular show on Wednesday evening from 7pm to 9pm on 91.5FM.
Gil's break from work has been a short one. He is going back to the North Sea today. We have done a few little drinking sessions but nothing too heavy. This week has also been go-live for my work project in England. It all seems to have gone well and they are going to start using the system today. There will be a few more pieces of work for me to do to finish the project off but I think this is basically the end of the work from England.
All this work talk brings me to a quandary that has been at the back of my mind for a while. Do I want or need to find new work? I saw a couple of job advertisements
The work from England has been fantastic for me. It is part time, working from home and mostly at times that suit me. It was always my plan that once it was finished I would just live off the money I get from renting out my flat in London. However, it has to be said that the cost of living in Thailand has gone up considerably and looks like it will keep on going up. What previously looked like a comfortable financial situation is now much tighter. In addition, we now have the extra cost of educating the kids and I have to think that if they are to go to university then I will need to find this money for the next 20 years.
I can still live in Thailand well enough but I don't have the spare money to do a lot of the extra things I would like to do. You also have to consider the unexpected such as health problems or other unpleasant surprises. I have always paid our hospital bills as we go and they have never been a problem. Still I do feel a little exposed without some proper health insurance and I would like to have the family covered.
So there is my quandary. It is a quandary many other ex-pats in Thailand also face. How do you balance your quality of life with your money needs and long-term financial plans. I love not working. I have such a great lifestyle in Thailand. I love the time with my kids, going out and enjoying all that Phuket has to offer.
On the other hand, you have to be realistic. I have the time to enjoy Phuket but not always the money to do everything I want. I am still at the age when I should be trying to make money. It is no use waiting until I am in my fifties and then suddenly realizing I don’t have enough money to educate my kids.
Then again, if I do go to work, I have the money but I don’t have the spare time to enjoy it and I don’t have the same time or energy to spend with my kids.
It is a tough one to call. I need to spend a bit of time doing my sums and decide just how badly I need to work.
Gil's break from work has been a short one. He is going back to the North Sea today. We have done a few little drinking sessions but nothing too heavy. This week has also been go-live for my work project in England. It all seems to have gone well and they are going to start using the system today. There will be a few more pieces of work for me to do to finish the project off but I think this is basically the end of the work from England.
All this work talk brings me to a quandary that has been at the back of my mind for a while. Do I want or need to find new work? I saw a couple of job advertisements
The work from England has been fantastic for me. It is part time, working from home and mostly at times that suit me. It was always my plan that once it was finished I would just live off the money I get from renting out my flat in London. However, it has to be said that the cost of living in Thailand has gone up considerably and looks like it will keep on going up. What previously looked like a comfortable financial situation is now much tighter. In addition, we now have the extra cost of educating the kids and I have to think that if they are to go to university then I will need to find this money for the next 20 years.
I can still live in Thailand well enough but I don't have the spare money to do a lot of the extra things I would like to do. You also have to consider the unexpected such as health problems or other unpleasant surprises. I have always paid our hospital bills as we go and they have never been a problem. Still I do feel a little exposed without some proper health insurance and I would like to have the family covered.
So there is my quandary. It is a quandary many other ex-pats in Thailand also face. How do you balance your quality of life with your money needs and long-term financial plans. I love not working. I have such a great lifestyle in Thailand. I love the time with my kids, going out and enjoying all that Phuket has to offer.
On the other hand, you have to be realistic. I have the time to enjoy Phuket but not always the money to do everything I want. I am still at the age when I should be trying to make money. It is no use waiting until I am in my fifties and then suddenly realizing I don’t have enough money to educate my kids.
Then again, if I do go to work, I have the money but I don’t have the spare time to enjoy it and I don’t have the same time or energy to spend with my kids.
It is a tough one to call. I need to spend a bit of time doing my sums and decide just how badly I need to work.
Friday, 6 June 2008
Show No Show
Well after all the build up, Huwy's show didn't go out. A storm took down the radio station's antenna so there was only dead air. Oh well, all you excited listeners will just have to wait another week for his debut.
Huwy's birthday booze up did go ahead and it didn't stop until 6am. That made yesterday a bit of a write off for me - I was in a half daze all day. A good 12 hour sleep has sorted me out so I am back to life, and just in time. Gil has arrived back early so my hope that I could cut down on the drinking sessions is looking a bit forlorn.
Huwy's birthday booze up did go ahead and it didn't stop until 6am. That made yesterday a bit of a write off for me - I was in a half daze all day. A good 12 hour sleep has sorted me out so I am back to life, and just in time. Gil has arrived back early so my hope that I could cut down on the drinking sessions is looking a bit forlorn.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Huwy Goes Live
It is an exciting day for Huwy. His first rock show goes out live tonight - well it is not actually live. They recorded his first show but they did it as if it was live. They will let him go live when he is up to speed. I have heard a preview of the show and I have to say it is very good for a first effort. The rock schow suits Huwy's personailty much better than the little teaboy bit he has been doing and he comes across much more comfortable in the role. Huwy is a big rock fan and used to be a drummer in a band so he knows his heavy rock.
If you like rock you can catch his show from 7pm to 9pm, Wednesdays on 91.5 Phuket Island Radio.
It is also Huwy's birthday so a few drinks could be on the cards this evening.
In the meantime my life is in the usual routine. There seems to be quite a lot of drinking at the moment. I'm not knocking it but it does leave me feeling a bit rundown. Still Nick has gone back to work and Gil will be away for another couple of weeks so maybe things will slowdown a bit. On the other hand it is Huwy's birthday and Pon's birthday later this month.
If you like rock you can catch his show from 7pm to 9pm, Wednesdays on 91.5 Phuket Island Radio.
It is also Huwy's birthday so a few drinks could be on the cards this evening.
In the meantime my life is in the usual routine. There seems to be quite a lot of drinking at the moment. I'm not knocking it but it does leave me feeling a bit rundown. Still Nick has gone back to work and Gil will be away for another couple of weeks so maybe things will slowdown a bit. On the other hand it is Huwy's birthday and Pon's birthday later this month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
