Tag Archives: Thailand

On the Road

The Paler Pee and Other Tales From Bumrungrad Hospital

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Nobody LIKES going to the doctor. But let’s face it. These ol’ bones are getting creaky, and there’s no telling what we’ve inhaled and ingested in our journeys (nothing illegal, I assure you). Better safe than sorry, right? In Vientiane, western-style medical treatment is limited to one doctor at one clinic. Expats generally cross the border into Thailand for comprehensive check-ups or major medical care, and Bangkok offers the crème-de-la-crème of healthcare options with several world-class facilities.

This was our third visit to Bumrungrad International Hospital, so we knew to show up early for our routine health exams. When the doors opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, we were there. The friendly nurses at the registration counter were dressed in starched white uniforms, complete with neat little hats. Other female staff members wore pale green silk uniforms with their hair pulled back into chignons; the men wore pants and jackets of the same classy fabric. Everyone greeted us with a smile and a slight bow with hands in prayer position.

After checking our vital signs and drawing a blood sample, a cheerful lady handed each of us a checklist and a locker key. We changed into cotton-knit pajamas and went our separate ways to proceed through the various screenings at numbered stations: EKG, abdominal ultrasound, eye exam, girl stuff for me, boy stuff for Tony. If ever we looked lost or confused, one of those kind silk-clad ladies would peruse our checklist and then escort us to the correct station.

Before long, the waiting areas overflowed with people of sundry shapes and sizes, with skin in all shades of pink, beige and brown. Men from around the world apparently sent each other an SMS calling “polo shirt and jeans day,” while the women took diversity to the catwalk: conservative older Asian ladies in business suits and low-heeled pumps, trendy young Europeans with tiny skirts and massive designer bags, Middle Eastern women holding their veiled heads high, slouchy North Americans in T-shirts and jeans, and so on. The hospital caters to a global clientele and takes steps – such as providing multi-lingual staff members and an Islam-friendly version of the patient PJs – to ensure they meet everyone’s needs.

Tony and I met up at the last station around 10:30 a.m., and the nurse called us in to see the doctor. By then nearly all our test results were available. With a few clicks, she called up ultrasound pictures, mammogram films, bloodwork, and other information. Plus, she had the results from our 2007 visit at her fingertips, so she could track changes. Very impressive!

That was yesterday. This morning we returned to Bumrungrad for routine dental appointments (two thumbs up) and then went back again in the afternoon to pick up the bound reports from our health screenings. With no Christmas presents to speak of, this was the next best thing. We tore into the manila envelopes and immediately flipped through the pages of our respective reports, calling out points of pride and comparing “scores.”

My urine was applauded as “colorless” (while Tony’s was merely “pale yellow”), and my “good cholesterol” was higher than my “bad cholesterol,” but Tony had fewer yellow flags, those minor concerns to monitor in the future. We even compared the sizes of our kidneys, which are remarkably similar. Weird.

“Face it!” Tony said, jabbing his finger into my chest. “You didn’t win in any of the categories!”

Fortunately, just then, we heard a voice ringing out from the Au Bon Pain bread shop in the hospital foyer. “Is that Tony Dent?” Tara emerged from the shop with a box full of goodies. I shrieked and gave her a big hug. Tara was our elementary librarian and upstairs neighbor in China, as well as a tech guru and lovely friend. She and her family now live in Bangkok, and she was meeting a friend at Bumrungrad. We only got to chat for a minute before she had to head home, but I felt so lucky to get a Tara fix.

Now that we’ve been poked, prodded and polished, it’s time for the real vacation to begin! We’re off to Krabi in the morning …

On the Road

One Night in Bangkok

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In the weeks leading up to the long winter break, children at school start getting excited. Their eyes glaze over during lessons, and when you toss a board marker at their heads to snap them back to reality, they often comment, “I was just thinking about our Christmas vacation!” Some will make the long journey back to their home countries for traditional family holidays; others will jet off to a tourist destination like a beach in Thailand or Hong Kong Disneyland.

It’s no different for the teachers. Shortly after school resumes in August, we begin the countdown to Christmas break. By October, most of us have already booked tickets and planned our get-aways. We share experiences from Christmases past, often following in the footsteps of our fellow travelers.

For many international teachers, long holidays kick off with a visit to Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok for a preventive care visit. Our insurance covers a comprehensive check-up, and Bumrungrad offers one-stop shopping for world-class healthcare.

Coincidentally, Tony and I are among a slew of teachers in Bangkok for our health checks this week. We were thrilled to meet up with friends from Shanghai American School – Jiff and Fay (whom you may recall from my posts about Lijiang, China – another serendipitous reunion!) and the Voges (Elaine, Dean, Callum and Owen). We rode the Skytrain to Ban Chiang Restaurant, a restored wooden house with quirky décor and tasty Thai food. Poor Owen left early with a bad headache (chaperoned by his dad), but the rest of us had a wonderful time catching up.

Here we are in front of the restaurant with Jiff and Fay.

Bangkok Reunion

We leave Thursday for some beach time in Krabi, where we’ll see the Voges again! Some other great friends – the Munnerlyns (who now teach in Abu Dhabi) and the Powers (SAS) – are vacationing in nearby Phuket, and they’ve promised to pop over to our neck of the woods on the 28th.

We would have loved to visit with friends who live here in Bangkok, but doctors and dentists ate up most of our free time, and the traffic here is so insane that we could actually fly back to Laos faster than we could catch a taxi across town. So, we’ll see you guys next time!

I suppose international teachers never really say “good-bye”; they just meet up again and again in Thailand.

Daily Life, Laos

Thailand or Bust

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Vientiane sits right on the Mekong River, which divides Laos and Thailand. It’s just a short drive (or a 39-minute bike ride) to the Friendship Bridge, which crosses the border. On Saturday, the school arranged a shopping trip for new teachers to see whether the grass is, in fact, greener on the other side.
We all met at school, where a convoy of school vans and personal cars awaited. We took off at 7:30 a.m. At the bridge, we handed our passports and paperwork to our drivers, who took them to the appropriate booths. Staff members who had never been to Thailand before had to wait in line to get their pictures taken, so the rest of us waited for them. Finally, we crossed the bridge with a big cheer: “Hoorayyyyyy…” only to have to stop again and repeat the process on the Thai side.
In Laos, people drive on the “right side” of the road (as in, the North American side), but in Thailand, they drive on the “wrong side” (as in, the Australian side). When you cross the Friendship Bridge, the road criss-crosses to get your car on the correct side!
Once in Thailand, we pulled in to the Mut-Mee Guesthouse in Nong Khai for breakfast around 9:30. (If you’re interested, check out the website: www.mutmee.com.) We sat in their tropical garden on the banks of the Mekong and sipped Lao coffee (strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk), freshly squeezed lemonade and egg sandwiches.
Finally, we drove the last hour to Udon Thani, home of many big stores and malls. We went to just one on this trip, a mall with Robinson’s Department Store. Our goal: Find pants for Tony, who has lost about 50 pounds this year. Just inside the mall, we discovered a store called Export, where we found heaps of clothes made in Southeast Asia and exported to the West. Tony even found the exact same shorts he bought at Target in July, only in a size that fits his new skinny butt (and for only about $10). He also found a few pairs of Dockers pants. Perfect!
Otherwise, we bought a trashcan for our kitchen, and that was about it. We didn’t really need anything. I compared prices of toiletries, and they weren’t any cheaper than in Laos. However, it was nice to wander through Watsons, Boots and even a little Body Shop. There are no Western fast-food restaurants in Laos, so we gorged on junk from KFC, Dairy Queen and Mister Donut at the mall.
In the parking lot, we were all ready to leave when our superintendent, Steve, discovered his car had been blocked in by a white van. A mall security guy showed up with a jack and prepared to haul the van away, but the owners came dashing out just in time. Of course, they were shocked that anyone would touch their car, but they grudgingly moved it so Steve could get out. Ha!
We’ve been told that better bargains are to be found at Tesco or Metro, but those explorations will have to wait for another time. When we first heard of the shopping mecca of Udon Thani, we thought we might head over there a couple times a month, but the border crossing makes the journey a little too time consuming. We’ll likely stick to our little village market until desperation hits.