Well, the day Susie left me in Manila I was struck down with a headache of such monumental proportions I was barely able to get out of bed or eat. All I could think about was what happened to Natasha Richardson.
Me, drama queen? Never.
I was sufficiently worried though, and so was Bes, that she took me to see her company doctor. He prescribed some industrial strength paracetomol and sent me on my way with a list of symptoms I was to take myself to hospital with should they develop.
By that night the headache hadn't got any better and so Bes's family doctor rang me in my hotel room concerned that I had bleeding on the brain. He prescribed me a different, stronger painkiller, some beta blockers and calmed my fears about needing to be hospitalised.
Strictly speaking I needed to be monitored in case I lapsed into unconsciousness, but it's a bit tricky when you're travelling on your own in a hotel!
The next morning I'd developed stomach cramps and let's just say I needed to stay near a toilet. My headache had eased, so the threat of a CT scan receded - thankfully, as a) bleeding on the brian is scary and I'd not slept well with worry, b) CT scans are expensive, and c) my insurance had expired.
So my last few days in Manila were spent bent double in pain feeling very sorry for myself. My plan to go and see a cockfight, which Bes had organised for me, fell through (no sporting events in The Philippines for me!) because I was too sick, and was generally feeling miserable and homesick.
The day before I was due to fly to Singapore I was relatively mobile again and we travelled up to Lake Ta'al, about two hours outside of Manila, for lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the lake and the volcano within it.
I still wasn't right though and was only able to manage some grilled fish and plain rice.
It was a real shame as the plan had been to catch a boat across the lake and then hike up to the rim of the volcano, but, again, I was too sick so had to content myself with viewing it from the restaurant terrace.
Every day is a school day when you're travelling though, and because they grow a lot of fruit in this part of The Philippines I did learn that pineapples grow on the ground and not in trees.
Don't pretend you knew that.
It was such a shame that I'd been ill for my last few days in The Philippines, but I guess it had to happen at some point on this trip.
I'd still managed to have some real adventures here though and thoroughly enjoyed the company and hospitality of Bes and her family - they could not have been kinder or more generous in everything they did for me.
The Philippines is frightening and alien to a mollycoddled Westerner, but it is also exhilirating and vibrant. I couldn't have seen half as much of it as I did without the help of Bes and her family, and Louie of course. Thank you so much!
It feels like I have unfinished business in The Philippines because of being sick, so I think, like MacArthur, I shall return.
