Author: springagainrs

Mr Smith Visits Moscow

Posted on by springagainrs

You can read about my journey from Turkey and my day in Moscow on the Russia page:

https://robsroads.wordpress.com/russia/

This will be my last post for a while as at 13.50 pm local time (11.50 am UK) I catch (all being well!) the Trans-Siberian train to Irkutsk! I will be on it 4 days and nights. Wish me luck!

Another piece of exciting news, for me at least, is that with a fair degree of confidence I can now pass wind without having to immediately change my underpants. I can’t tell you what a relief that is! And how pleased my fellow passengers will be…

The doctor will see you now

Posted on by springagainrs

Four and a half days of ‘running’ and it was clear the Loperamide was having no effect and the bung was at bursting point. I took myself back to the pharmacy, who directed me to a doctor. Would he be open? When would I get an appointment? When would I get treatment? I need not have worried: arriving at the doctor’s at 4.50 pm, by 5.00 pm I had had a consultation, paid the bill and was lying down with a drip in my arm. 40 minutes and 0.5 lt of antibiotics, anti-spasmodics, electrolytes and probiotics later I was sent back to the pharmacy with a prescription for two different antibiotics.

Impressively efficient! Fingers crossed it does the trick, but just to be on the safe side, legs crossed as well for the time being 🙂

Awakening Early

Posted on by springagainrs

I woke up early this morning with a sudden urge to have a shower and wash some clothes. I shall say no more about that except that I now heading out with the rubber bung firmly in place.

Luxor Luxury Laxative

Posted on by springagainrs

Two more flights, Luxor to Cairo and Cairo to Istanbul, and airport security kept up the 100% record of finding something to object to in my luggage. At Luxor my small spray-on deodorant was confiscated; apparently it is a fire hazard on flights within or from Egypt, but not on flights to Egypt. Seems obvious now that I think about it. Silly me. At Cairo my small binoculars were the problem; it seems passengers might use them for surveillance of restricted areas. After much waiting around, and with translation from a kind and cosmopolitan young Egyptian (thank you Peter) I was allowed to take them on board, escorted by a member of staff to the plane door. Quite what that achieved I do not know because once on board I could have used them anyway (I didn’t). Or perhaps there were sensitive sites I could have seen from the boarding tunnel? Who knows? God moves in mysterious ways it is said, and so does airport security.

Presenting my passport and visa at Turkish immigration I was asked for reasons unknown to stand on one side and wait. What was happening? Had my name been confused with that of some terrorist? Was I about to be thrown into a Turkish jail? Whatever it was, it was eventually cleared up by a phone call and I was waved through. Phew.

My very pleasant hotel is in the old city, where the little streets are full of attractive restaurants. Not that I am eating big meals: the Luxor luxury laxative has accompanied me here and continues to work its watery wonders. I found a pharmacy and acquired more medicine but was still up in the night, making it to the loo by the seat of my pants, so to speak. Now I am going to venture into the city and visit the sights, wide-eyed and buttock-clenched. God bless my trousers.

Oh, one final thing before I head off, I have upgraded the WordPress plan and you should not get any more ads. Let me know if it is an improvement.