Another week of elective has passed. Well really half week if you take out the two and a half days that my husband and I spent learning about GI complaints from the patient's perspective. With a little time, a lot of water and some help from azythromycin we are back on track.

Last "weekend" (I have been taking Friday and Saturday off though Saturday is the only actual holiday day here) we set out on an excursion through the country side. I have developed a bit of a reputation with my husband for leading him on, what he refers to as "death marches", when we are vacationing. I thought I was prepared with my lonely planet map and description but we still ended up on an uncertain path with a mini-scramble up a steep hill to a nearly un-named town. Eventually we made it to the appropriate destination. He had said he wanted to venture off the beaten track.

While I am a bit of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed anomaly in the urban Patan, I am a near alien walking through the more rural towns a short 45 minute walk away, especially those with no real road to them. People are pretty friendly after a moment of open-mouthed staring. But a person can get used to just about anything, even being a two person parade. I thought I was doing pretty good getting used to the staring, the noise, the crowds, the garbage, the pollution and the lack of order here until Monday afternoon when my husband and I both came down with diarrhea, fever with chills (really bad for him; not too bad for me) and vomiting (just me). The result of some unidentified gastric transgression we had committed the Saturday before no doubt. Nothing makes you homesick like actually being sick.

But I was back at work by Thursday and, feeling a little bit of med student guilt, took today (Friday) off for another excursion). Hopefully this one won't make us pay the same physical price. We had a really good day visiting the Swayabhunath stupa (also called Monkey temple), the National Museum (interesting art, creepy taxidermy and lots of weapons) and then walking into Thamel in Kathmandu. My husband booked a trip out to Chitwan National Park to hopefully see some nature (other than stray dogs and crows).