Adventures In Asia With A Baby
THE SUNDAY AGE
Saturday July 30, 1994
Touring the tropics with a six-month-old baby is not the easiest way to travel, but it is a great learning experience. Linda Hunt reports.
THE hospital bed was hard and uncomfortable but what could you expect in a regional Thai hospital? The overhead fan chilled me, despite the tropical heat. I held my seven-month-old son away from the drip in my hand he so desperately wanted to play with. The only other patient was a seven-year-old boy, gravely ill with fever. As the doctors and nurses fretted over this child, I fretted over mine. How, when I was so ill I could barely stand, was I going to care for my baby? For two months, my partner, Mark Cutler, our son and I travelled through Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. My hospital drama was but a fraction of the greater journey. Our son, Declan, was the most popular baby in South-East Asia, and we were the proudest parents.
When we first heralded our plans to travel in Asia with a six-month- old baby, friends and family invariably responded with two reactions: Disbelief and envy. We were going to do what so many people only dreamed of. Disillusioned wiith nine-to-five jobs, daytime television and mothers' groups, we decided to take the ultimate risk and live our dreams. It was not an easy decision to make. What about the health risks? What would we feed Declan? And how would he cope with the heat? Declan slept on the six-hour flight to Singapore. While standing in line at customs, a group of Chinese women were so shocked to see a fair, blue-eyed baby in the flesh, they posed for photos with him. It set the scene for our travels. We were continually amazed by the number of people who wanted to touch and hold Declan.
We decided to catch the bus from the airport. We would do it tough and to the budget from the start. Well, the bus was crowded, late because of traffic and Declan was restless and hungry. An hour later, we arrived at the hotel, tired and disillusioned. Had we fooled ourselves to think we could travel with a baby? But a new day brought renewed faith.
We stumbled across the Bugis Street Market. The hawkers' stalls touted for our business, and when they offered a high chair and babysitting, we were sold. What a luxury to have a meal, uninterrupted by baby's prying and inquisitive hands. The staff were happy to take Declan and parade him. At one point, we lost sight of him for a good five minutes. We learnt early to let go of our natural inclination to distrust.
In Singapore, my dilemma began with breastfeeding in public. In Singapore and Malaysia I did not once see a woman breastfeeding. I was conscious of offending the Muslim religion, but many a time I had to ignore the disapproving stares and feed him in public.
After three days in Singapore, we caught a bus to Malacca, on the south-west coast of Malaysia. The six-hour trip was exhausting, and when we arrived, touts were waiting in the hot midday sun. We discovered that a baby comes in handy when bargaining - we got a room with double and single bed, fan and balcony for about $9. (We always stayed in rooms with an extra bed for Declan, and when he learnt to roll we barricaded the edges with bags and pillows.) THERE are naturally some places where travelling with a baby is not a pleasure. Kuala Lumpur's streets were crowded, narrow and run-down.
The air was smelly, hot and oppressive. We found ourselves wading through Chinatown desperately searching for a place to stay. When trying to get a room in the cheaper Chinese hotels, we were constantly asked if ``baby urinate in bed". We finally convinced someone that our baby wore ``paper" to bed and he wouldn't ruin the mattress. Our room was the last available in a hotel that had so much character, you could almost ignore how filthy it was. We were woken at first light by workers dragging boxes in the corridor outside. The early morning chorus of spitting began soon after, and the sound of vomiting in the nearby toilet was the final straw. We packed our bags and hurried out, laughing all the way to the next hotel.
Declan cut his first tooth that night and four days of pain and crying followed. At one point, his temperature reached 41 degrees, and we entertained thoughts of dengue fever or malaria. But just when we decided to call a doctor, the fever broke.
Our travels in Malaysia had been hassle-free. As a rapidly developing country, hygiene is good, and clean food plentiful. Declan had not much of an appetite in the first few days, but as he adjusted to the heat, he regained his hunger.
Fresh fruit was always available, and we often bought a watermelon or cantaloupe to feast upon. We had brought with us a few packets of Farex cereal for breakfast. Unfortunately, green vegetables were not readily available but, ironically, baby food in jars was. So in Malaysia we stocked up with Heinz and Gerber. Declan was thriving! We headed into Buddhist Thailand and were immediately struck by the difference. While waiting for a connecting bus in Hatyai, I fed Declan in view of staff and strangers. No cold stares here. The women came over to watch and cluck while the men smiled in understanding.
On the way to the islands, we stopped overnight in Trang, a provincial city in southern Thailand. Quite possibly, Declan was the first Western baby many there had seen in the flesh. People craned their heads out of car windows to see our white-haired, blue-eyed baby. As we walked down the streets, people ran out of the shops, stared and dared to touch his snow-white skin.
Soon after arriving on the island of Lanta, we found the perfect place to stay. We bargained a rate for three weeks - 90 baht a night, that's about $5. Our quaint thatched bungalow came with double bed, mosquito net (no holes), and Western bathroom. They also provided a small mattress for Declan (on which he slept very little on account of teething).
Each morning we arose to the sound of the ocean 50 metres away, and the faint smell of salt in the air. When we arrived at the restaurant for breakfast, the staff would jostle for first hold of Declan. Every meal was eaten in peace. If we wanted to swim, there was always someone to take him for half an hour. The bungalow chefs, Sinong and Bupa, had a son a few months older than Declan whom they had not seen for six months. They had been forced to leave him with family, and travel south to the islands for work. So for three weeks Declan became their surrogate son.
We had not been in Thailand for long when Declan's food stocks ran out. We had no choice but to feed him whatever was available, from fried rice and pad thai (fried noodles) to coconut and curries. On one occasion, Bupa in her eagerness to please, fed Declan fresh cockles and mussels from the nearby ocean. My panicking was short-lived, as Declan had no reaction. Bupa, naturally was indignant. Thai babies ate everything, including chilli, as soon as they could chew. Our practices often seemed so pedantic.
A few days after arriving on Koh Lanta my throat began to hurt. I developed a raging, delirious fever. I was taken to the local hospital an hour away, to be promptly told by the doctor that I had tonsillitis. My throat had become badly infected, and the poison had begun to riddle my body. I would need a two-day course of penicillin and had to stay in hospital. I was taken to a bed, hooked to a saline drip and in broken English told to rest. But how could I? I was still feeding my baby. How could I feed him, when I couldn't even hold him? Mark had no choice but to return to the bungalows to fetch food and clothing. And so I lay in a Thai hospital bed, helpless and alone, but for my restless baby. I looked to the young boy who had been brought in soon after me. The doctor was pulling out the drips, and tubes, and performing mouth to mouth. I bundled Declan up in one arm and IV stand in the other, and made my way to what I supposed was reception, and tried to make them understand that I could not care for my baby alone, I was too weak to hold him. Eventually they understood and I returned to the ward. As I passed the bed where the little boy was lying, I realised he had died. The women in his family gathered around his bed to mourn. His mother stroked his face and hair, then gently closed his eyes. I was acutely aware of my intrusion as the elderly grandmother looked up at me. Only minutes before she had been admiring my fair baby. But instead of anger in her eyes I could see only compassion - after all, I was a mother, too. And so I laid my head on the hard pillow, closed my eyes, and cried for the soul of a stranger's child.
The hospital was primitive, the beds and other facilities were basic, and the bathroom was filthy and mosquito ridden, but the nurses wore gloves every time they administered needles, which always seemed to be taken from sealed plastic bags.
Declan and I were great entertainment for the villagers. Word spread quickly and we had many visitors who came and stood at the end of the bed staring, sometimes smiling. The nurses were absent at night, but during the day they spent much time playing with Declan and I recovered quickly.
It is every mother's fear, I am sure, to be unable to care for her child. It was the one thing I had not considered when preparing ourselves for travelling. I never entertained the thought that Mark or I could fall ill, it was only Declan I had been concerned for.
After the relative quiet of Lanta we moved to a more commercial island Phi Phi, an hour's boat ride away. It was simply stunning with its sheer cliffs and sunny, emerald bays. This island is renowned for scuba diving and snorkelling. We were desperate to take a snorkelling trip but were not convinced we could take Declan on a longboat for a whole day, exposed to the sun. Nothing could be worse than being stranded in the middle of the ocean with an unhappy baby. We had decided that Mark would go alone, when two Australian women arrived to sign up for the same trip. With their promises to help and the guarantee of an umbrella on board for shade, we resolved to take the plunge. A risk, no doubt, but it proved worthwhile. The salty sea breeze and the sound of lapping waves stimulated Declan to the point of exhaustion, and he fell asleep in the arms of the boatman as Mark and I snorkelled nearby. The day was one of the highlights of our trip.
As we boarded the plane in Singpore for home, I felt a great sense of achievement. We had set out to travel with our baby in South-East Asia, and that is exactly what we had done. And we survived! But it's a different kind of travel experience when a baby tags along. Don't expect to go trekking in the jungle or to spend drunken nights on a Thai bar stool. For us it was, well, moderation! We did frequent the bars on the islands, but Declan was always with us, often behind the counter playing with the barmaid and the empty beer bottles. We did take long walks, but only on terrain suitable for a stroller. And Mark and I did watch many a romantic sunset, arm-in-arm-in-arm with Declan.
We returned to Melbourne after months on the road, all healthy, happy and wise. The baby we had gone away with, had returned as an extroverted little boy. His now cheeky, confident smile sported five new teeth. Most significantly, he seemed to have gained an awareness of himself as part of a greater world than his own back yard. Declan was not happy for the first few weeks. Slowly though, he returned to his old self, happy to play with his Western toys and eat his Western food, but I'm sure we see a glint in his worldly eyes whenever we talk about Thailand! WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID.
For our trip, Declan required no shots, as fully-breastfed babies are virtually immune. But, Dr Robert, from a nationwide medical travellers' clinic, says if solids are being eaten, the best way to prevent illness is by following the strictest of water and food hygiene. Travellers' diarrhoea is the most common illness, followed by typhoid, cholera and hepatitis A. A cholera vaccination is recommended for babies in some developing countries, and anti-malarial tablets need only be taken in specific problem areas. Dr Robert believes that when travelling with a baby it is advisable to avoid areas where you may need a lot of medication and to consider upgrading accommodation and meals. ``Properly prepared, properly assessed as to what your risk is, the health aspects should really be a minor part of your holiday," he says.
HOW WE TRAVELLED.
We flew from Australia to Singapore during the high season costing about $1100 each and 10 per cent for Declan, but the fares can be as low as $650 in the off season. (Make sure you request a bassinet.) Once there, we travelled mostly by train and bus, to keep costs down.
Train travel was the most comfortable by far, particularly in Malaysia where their system rivals ours. Travelling by air-conditioned bus was also comfortable, but there wasn't a great deal of room to move - not ideal on a six-hour trip with a teething infant. And, of course, there were the more simple forms of transport, such astrishaws, tuk-tuks, trucks and motorbikes. When you have no choice, you simply have to abandon any previous notion of safety, and leave the baby car seat in the Holden back home.
WHAT WE TOOK.
Light cotton clothes; long-sleeved shirts and pants for night protection against mosquitoes; a few items of warm clothing; two cotton sheets; cotton blanket; reclining stroller (with mosquito net); a container with lid for sterilising juice bottles; sterilising tablets; disposable nappies (available everywhere); infant Panadol; teething gel; nappy rash powder; a Swiss Army knife; a length of thin rope; ribbon to tie his toys to the stroller; a floatie ring; and extra teats.
© 1994 THE SUNDAY AGE
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