A few weeks ago, I went to a yoga class here in Shangri-la. It consisted of 2 of the LONGEST sun salutations I’ve ever done in my life, plus some time in boat pose and a couple of others. My yoga mat was not really something I considered packing, so I ended up using one there…against my better judgment. One can’t really do yoga in socks, so yeah, you can probably see where this is going.
Two nights later I woke up with intense itching and burning on my feet. I have been coating my feet in various creams and sprays both brought from home and purchased here ever since. It was gone for a while and came back with a vengeance 4 or 5 days ago, and I wrote to my MIL to make sure I was treating it with the right stuff. It’s never been so persistent before. If I had enemies, I MIGHT be cruel enough to wish this upon them. It is so distracting at all times of the day.
Last night, in search of powder to keep my feet dry on the days when it’s too cold for sandals, I took my lovely hubs into a pharmacy. I had already tried searching and miming at two places, so his help was necessary. There was no powder, but there were 2 things I could soak my feet in. They would supposedly help my feet stay dry. The “better” of the 2, which was the one with all the commercials on tv, went home with me for the equivalent of $2.
The hubs also had to read the directions for me, and they stated that I had to mix the whole bottle of solution in an appropriate amount of hot water and soak for half an hour. If the problem persists, I have to wait 20 days to repeat.
I have no idea what is in this stuff. It stinks. And I’ve managed to misjudge the cold-to-boiling ratio, so I’m soaking for half an hour in lukewarm water past my ankles. And I keep having mental images of my Kindle sliding off my lap and into this bucket, so I grip it extra tight while I read.
So let me set the scene – I am in the bathroom, on the toilet lid, reading with my feet in a bucket of stinky, green, barely warm liquid. The hubs is at the desk, using his computer. It’s about 9pm. The lights go out, and we hear a huge smash. We still don’t know how or why, but a fuse had blown in our building which caused our light to break. Or maybe it broke, causing the fuse to blow. Either way, we ended up with a live wire dangling from the ceiling, glass all over the floor, and a searing hot light casing in the middle of it all.
The painting instructor who lives below us came up and peeled the wires apart to prevent a short circuit (the fuse was out so it wasn’t live then…I assume it is now) and lent us a broom and dustpan. I had emerged from the bathroom dripping green liquid (the hubs said, “what stinks?”) and wearing flip-flops to help with the cleanup, but went back in to complete my soak after it was over.
I wasn’t timing the soak, so I pulled my feet out when the burning started to become a bit worrisome. The tops of my feet and ankles were bright red, but my toes and soles looked like zombie leper feet. They had taken on a greenish-grey pallor and were enhanced by peeling and bubbling areas that I hadn’t been aware of. I dried them with the blow dryer, and the burning on the previously normal areas of my feet became actually frightening. I scratched, which removed some skin, so I decided a cold wet washcloth would be better. It was.
Wet again, I had to blow dry my feet a second time, then coat in the aforementioned cream. I went to bed, hoping I would still have feet in the morning. Now, they are…normal. All night, the itching was confined to a single toe, and was quite manageable. I am not afraid that people will run away in tears if I wear sandals.
What are you, noxious green wonder liquid?
The earthquake took place around 500 miles away from us, and we didn’t know about it until my mom called me in a panic. I hope they can get rescue crews out there quickly. Please keep the affected people in your thoughts.
Dealing with this gluten-intolerance thing has made me a less adventurous eater while traveling. Without the language skills needed to make sure food is safe, I get scared when I’m fending for myself.
This was the situation I found myself in yesterday — the hubs was off making vital connections, and I was hoping some people would meet me at one of the cafes for a little yarn play. Lunchtime rolled around (nobody showed) and I decided to walk to one of the foreign megastores to look for a couple of imported necessities. I left the cafe (which offered the safe option of a cheese omelette) with the full intention of stopping at a noodle joint or something along the way. The further I got from the area where foreigners tend to congregate, the less sure I was of finding safe food. Eventually, I recognized where I was, looked to the right, and saw Wal-mart. I cringed, since this was not the foreign megastore I was intending to visit, but where there is Wal-mart, there is surely KFC. Where there is KFC, there are…french fries.
So my very first meal without my lovely husband’s help was a large order of fries and a strawberry sundae. It was also 3x the cost of a far more filling meal at any of the restaurants I passed on my way there.
I continued my walk toward the central square where I was told a Carrefour loomed large. It’s a beautiful area with lots of landscaping and some welcome shade, mostly provided by the triangular New Era hotel. I got my shoes shined for 5 kuai, but passed up the blind masseurs since I can never remember how to ask “how much?” and my usual gesturing wouldn’t have worked. I don’t know why, but I never found the Carrefour. While speaking to the hubs on the phone, I told him where I was and he told me to turn around. Perhaps I should start giving massages in the square…
That night, we ventured to a restaurant near the apartment and ordered a dish called Grandma’s potatoes. It’s been said that there are as many varieties of this dish as there are grandmothers, but we were thrilled with the version we got: fried, half-mashed potatoes with ample spice. Add steamed eggs and a cold rice noodle dish (yes, I know…pictures. Sorry) and we were both stuffed. The hubs declared it the best meal he had had so far this trip, and the restaurant delivers!
Note to my mum-in-law: They had a waving cat.
The hubs and I have arrived in Kunming as of this afternoon. My first non-airplane meal was tiger-skin peppers and Japanese-style tofu, and I am currently reacting to the soy sauce in the peppers that John instructed them to leave out. Once I figured out it was in there, it was too late, and WAY too good!
I will begin updating more regularly soon, but I just wanted to let people know that we are here and safe, with all body parts and luggage bits intact.
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