HONG KONG — I arrived safely back to Hong Kong Friday afternoon, after a week-long research trip in Zhejiang. I got a lot of work done. Met a lot of people, made a lot of contacts and learned so much. There’s still so much to do.

But before I continue, the first step is getting my health back.

I’m sick. It started off, like it always does, with a sore throat. Then sneezing. A stuffy nose followed. And then, the coughing.

It is truly amazing how strong the mind is. The symptoms began to surface last Monday, just days into my trip. But I surpressed them. There was just too much work to be done and I didn’t have time to have my body fail me. Tylenol Cold pills kept my runny nose and sore throat at bay as I went out for interviews.

On Friday, after getting to the Wenzhou airport for my flight home, I began to let my guard down and my symptoms, like a sudden hail storm, hit me hard. The worst part is the green chunks of phlegm I’ve been coughing up.

Every time I go to mainland China, I get sick.  In Beijing, I put off going to see the doctor, thinking I could fight a simple cough and cold on my own. It got so bad that I developed bronchitis and had to go to the local hospital. Not something I want to repeat.

I can’t say what it is that got me sick. Was it the busy schedule? The pressure I put on myself to get the story? The air? The garbage? The wholewheat/handsanitizer/toocleanforChina Canadian in me? I’m just not used to it, I suppose.

The next trip will be better. For now, sanitized Hong Kong is very much a relief for me.

And oh, there’s plenty of quality whole wheat bread to be found here. You’ve just got to pay 22 -30 Hong Kong dollars (about $3-$5 USD) for it.

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