Living Virally- It Ain't My First Quarantine - Part 1

Living Virally, Episode 1, Part 1

It was the last few weeks of February, 2020  and reports of a new virus currently raging in Wuhan Province, China were making their way back to the rest of the World. As I had some travel plans coming up,  I was off to Vancouver at the beginning of March for a rugby tournament with 40,000 other guests and at the beginning of April, Nonie and I were  off to the US to catch up with some friends and end with a cruise through the Panama Canal.  The news triggered a “been there, done that” moment. 

It was February 2003 and the Cornell’s were in the midst of preparing for a new adventure. Our youngest son freshly graduated from university had packed up and moved to Korea with a friend to teach English for a year. It was a perfect excuse to plan our first excursion to the Far East starting in Hong Kong and ending in Korea.  

Feb. 10, 2003: An online service that tracks emerging infectious diseases posts a report of the mysterious pneumonia-like illness in China. Chinese health officials say the outbreak is under control.

npr.com -Time Line SARS 2003

Departing March 15, 2003 we arrived in Hong Kong unaware that it had become the world's epicenter for a new and dangerous virus which would became known as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

Arriving in Hong Kong and unable to read or understand Chinese, we remained blessedly unaware of what was occurring while we explored Hong Kong with abandon.

Ours first day had us climbing  to the top of Victoria Peak then hiking down the back side before hiking over to Victoria Harbour.

March 13, 2003: An American suffering from breathing troubles dies in Hong Kong after being transferred from a Hanoi hospital. Soon after, health workers in both hospitals develop similar symptoms. 
npr.com - Time Line SARS 2003

While we wore silly  sampan hats cruising around Victoria Harbour, we did notice that most inhabitants including our cruise director were all wearing masks, We assumed it was because of the smog that perpetually enveloped Hong Kong. 

Our next stop was the city of Guilin.  We had a day to explore this small city of 3.5 million. The smog was minimal here compared to Hong Kong so masks were not as prevalent. No signs of panic or concern.  We did notice that where ever we went, we tended to attract a crowd.  Not a lot of Western tourists currently visiting Guilin. 

March 15: CDC issues first health alert and hosts media telebriefing about an atypical pneumonia that has been named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). CDC issues interim guidelines for state and local health departments on SARS. CDC issues a “Health Alert Notice” for travelers to the United States from Hong Kong, Guangdong Province (China).

cdc.gov - Time Line SARS 2003

The next day we were up early to catch a local bus to Yangshuo. On the bus we made friends with a group of young kids, all employed at the same hotel in Guilin and traveling to Yangshuo for a holiday weekend. They were thrilled to have someone to  practice their English on and kept us busy for the 2 ½ hour drive to Yangshuo. 

Arriving, they invited us to a lunch at a local restaurant where the sign  stated that it served fish, beef, chicken, snakes and rat. 

Much discussion over what to order, rat, snake or fish.  Just kidding, fish was the only choice considered. Leaving the women at the table, the boys wandered into the back of the restaurant to find dozens of plastic buckets, each holding a live fish. After much back and forth the boys chose a nice frisky one  caught the day before from the Li River which flows past Yangshuo. 

Yangshuo is home to the most beautiful karst landscape and attracts thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists each year.   

March 17, 2003: Canadian health officials report 11 cases of SARS in Toronto, British Columbia and Alberta.

npr.com - Time Line SARS 2003

Photo- wikivoyage.com

Karst is a general term for surface and underground morphology formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks (mostly limestone) by water or so says Wikipedia.  However it occurs, it is very beautiful.

Renting bikes the next day, we rode out into the countryside to get a closer look at the stunning limestone hills that dotted the landscape. Our goal was to find and hike up Moon Hill.

March 20: CDC issues infection control precautions for aerosol-generating procedures on patients who are suspected of having SARS.

cdc.gov – Time Line SARS 2003

Moon Hill achieved its name by the semi-circular hole that has been carved through the apex of the hill by the wind and rain. We were followed all the way up and down the hill by an older Vietnamese women carrying water for sale. She wore a hat with giant brim that she would rip off her head every time we stopped and use it as a fan to cool us down. She spoke some French so we were able to communicate with her. We tipped her big time.

Each night. at every restaurant we would be greeted by this gritty little 3 foot grandmother who wandered the town selling oranges to tourists. She was a hard nosed salesman who would not take no for an answer. She sold them in lots of 6, not two, not four just six. Her price was as firm as the wrinkles on her face. She would loudly count them out on to the table, yi, er, san, xi, wu, liu before collecting her money. As a repeat customer, she granted me this picture, but just one.

Our last night, as we enjoyed our after dinner oranges we were approached by four young Chinese girls. They explained that they worked for a new hotel and had been tasked with translating the hotel menu into English and could we proof read their work. Always wary of scams we tentatively agreed. It was our first introduction to Chinglish. For the next 2 hours we laughed and joked and translated the menu with the help of a young American/Chinese couple from Hong Kong seated next to us.  We did learn that tofu translates to bean curd which greatly assisted our future meal orders. 

March 24, 2003: Health officials in Singapore quarantine hundreds of people possibly exposed to SARS.

npr.com - Time Line SARS 2003

Photo: www.english.com

We did struggle on one translation; “large fruit with thick skin”. We guessed it might be a pomelo, similar to a grapefruit.  Done, the girls invited us to their dormitory and try a  “large fruit with thick skin”. They lived in a large dormitory building located on the edge of Yangshuo. The place was filled with hundreds of young Chinese who worked at the various hotels and restaurants. In the room that they shared with 4 others, we tasted our first "large fruit with thick skin".  

Yangshuo was a wonderful introduction to rural China. It was here, we developed our first thoughts of following in our son’s footsteps and becoming English teachers, perhaps in China. Sadly, today's Yangshuo is not the same place that it was in 2003. I wonder if they offer McRat or  McSnake on the menu.

Photo: Kingston Images

Our next stop was Xi’an, a small Chinese city of 12,000,000 known as the ancient terminus for the Silk Road. It is claimed to have a history that extends over 6,000 years and was home to 13 dynasties. 

March 24: CDC laboratory analysis suggests a new coronavirus may be the cause of SARS. In the United States, 39 suspect cases (to date) had been identified. Of those cases, 32 of 39 had traveled to countries were SARS was reported.

cdc.gov – Time Line SARS 2003

The first of our two planned visits in Xi’an was the Great Mosque. During the Tang Dynasty, Islam was brought to Xi’an by Arabian merchants traveling the Silk Road. The site that the mosque sits on has been home to different religious complexes since the 8^th Century while this mosque has been around since the 14^th Century. Wikipedia.

Our last stop was the funerary of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.  We were the only non-Chinese tourists aboard with only the guide speaking English. We fast became the talk of the bus. Lots of smiles and nihaos. We sat behind two small children, who previously had been the talk of the bus. With the "one child rule" in full affect, it was uncommon to meet two siblings from the same family, especially twins. . 

The site is better known to Westerners as the home of the Terracotta Soldiers. A collection of warrior sculptures that depict the armies of Qui Shi Huang and constructed for the purpose of protecting him in the afterlife. The figures date back to the early 3^rd Century. What we can see is only a small part of the tomb which according to ground penetrating radar extends over 98 sq.kms. It is estimated that the entire  tomb contains more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots over 670 horses. 

I bought a large 36” terracotta “official” from the museum and had it shipped home. My plan is to have him join me in the afterlife to deal with any relocation problems that may occur. You know paperwork and such

March 27: CDC issues interim domestic guidelines for management of exposures to SARS for healthcare and other institutional settings.

cdc.gov – Time Line SARS 2003

The statures were discovered in 1974 by three farmers who were digging a well. The farmers became instantly famous and on the day we visited, one of the farmers was in attendance. We had purchased a commemorative book celebrating he 20th anniversary of their discovery and were lucky enough to have him sign it. Back on board the bus, through our guide we told everyone the story of getting the farmers autograph. Everyone was very impressed. On the spur of the moment we asked everyone on the bus including the bus driver to also sign the book. Once again, we were the talk of the bus all the way back to Xi’an. 

March 27, 2003: Officials in Hong Kong quarantine more than 1,000 people and close schools. Singapore also closes its schools. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong report they have evidence SARS is a corona-virus. WHO requests that airlines screen passengers for SARS on flights leaving from Hong Kong, Singapore, Hanoi, Toronto and parts of China. 

npr.com - Time line SARS 2003

Arriving at the airport in Xi’an for our flight to Beijing, we were greeted by security guards armed with thermal imagers checking each person’s temperature before being allowed into the terminal. Entering the security area for the departure gates, we were once again scanned and a final time before we were allowed to board the plane. This was our first real inkling that something was up, thankfully it was not our basal body temperatures. 

We were booked into a Days Inn, one of the many international hotel chains that were opening up in Beijing. It was located in a small hutong (alley) only a few blocks from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden Palace. . As one of the first western guests to use the hotel and they were interested in our feedback.  Be prepared for hard beds in China. If I was to describe their comfort level, plywood would come to mind. We mentioned this and before too long, maids showed up and laid down three extra futons to soften our mattress.

March 28, 2003: Chinese officials report a ten-fold increase in the number of SARS-related deaths in Guangdong province; 10 new cases surface in Beijing.

npr.com - Time Line SARS 2003

Our first adventure of the day, a climb up the hill in Jingshan Park . We were told it would provide a fabulous view over the Forbidden City and Beijing. It was here we were introduced to the famous Beijing smog. Face masks were being worn by most Chinese. Along the way we ran into Horiki, a young Japanese student on a gap year, backpacking around China. We first met him, while driving from the airport into Xi’an and again later at the Great Mosque.

Horiki joined us for the day. While he did not speak Chinese, he had studied Japanese hieroglyphics which are very close to the Chinese characters so he was able to read the informational signs in the Forbidden Palace. The signage in the Palace had little or no English descriptions so he was able to provide valuable information into what  we were looking at.

March 29, 2003: Dr. Carlo Urbani, the doctor who first identified SARS, dies of the illness in Thailand. Health officials in Ontario, Canada, report around 100 probable SARS cases in the province.

npr.com – Time Line SARS 2003

We finished the evening in Tiananmen Square watching the changing of the guard at Mao’s Tomb. We talked to Horiki about the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. While it had happened only 14 years previously, Horiki had never heard of it. But I guess when you are only 20 years old, 14 years is an eternity ago.  

Day 2 and we were off to the summer palace. This gave us a chance to ride the new Beijing subway that had been built to impress the IOC to award Beijing with the Summer Olympics.

The Summer Palace in some form or other has existed on this site since the 12^th Century. The site is made up of 4 lakes, gardens and palaces covering an area of 2.9 kilometres. 

The main lake, Kunming takes up 2.2 square kilometres and was entirely man made with the excavated dirt used to create a large dirt mound called Longevity Hill.  

March 29: CDC extended its travel advisory for SARS to include all of mainland China and added Singapore. CDC quarantine staff began meeting planes, cargo ships and cruise ships coming either directly or indirectly to the United States from China, Singapore and Vietnam and also begins distributing health alert cards to travelers.

cdc.gov – Time Line SARS 2003

Day 3, found us searching the back streets of Beijing. Using information from an old copy of Lonely Planet that told us to go to a specific street location where we could find Chinese tour buses that made trips to the Great Wall. We found a dozen small 20 passenger buses lined up on the street waiting for customers. We went from bus to bus till we found someone who could speak English. About the fourth bus we found a guide with basic English, at least enough to bargain for a fare. Entering the bus we found it almost full, with seats only at the back of the bus. Here we found a young French Canadian man clutching an old copy of the Lonely Planet.

April 1, 2003: The U.S. State Department authorizes all non-essential employees and their families to leave the province of Guangdong. Hong Kong health officials say the city now has nearly 700 SARS cases. WHO advises travelers to stay away from Hong Kong and China. In Canada, the death toll from SARS reaches six.

Npr.com – Time Line SARS 2003

Chinese tours are not as expensive as ones arranged for foreigners. But they include stops not advertised. Stops at a jade museum (store), a traditional Chinese medicine clinic and an amusement park. At the jade factory, we discovered that most of the jade was sourced from British Columbia. We quickly made our way through gift shop to wait outside. We were approached by the guide to ensure that we really did not want to buy any jade. She left us alone when we explained that the jade came from our home. We have been told that the guides get a small kickback for all sales.

Next stop, the clinic where we were greeted by young girls dressed in white scrubs We were quickly moved to the front of the line to meet the Doctors. They were older men dressed in a pristine white gowns with a stethoscopes hanging around their neck. The doctor (?) first listened to my heart then took my hands and placed his thumbs over my wrists while he stared into  my eyes for what seemed like forever. Through his assistant, he asked three questions. Did I have to get up during the night to urinate? Did I suffer from stomach gas?  Did my joints ache?  I answered yes to all. He pulled out his prescription pad and wrote down 4 items which he explained would help me deal with my problems and at only a cost of 190 RMB ($40) At this point I thanked him for his diagnosis but said no thanks after which I found myself being quickly ejected from the hall into the arms of our guide, who was becoming a little surly with us.

After lunch, we were on our way to the Wall. Arriving to the small town of Badaling, we were directed to a rickety old toboggan ride that would haul us up to the top of the Wall on steel tracks and when done we would take the toboggan and ride back down. The toboggan consisted of a plastic bucket seat on a steel sled with a bar stuck between your legs which I guessed was the brake. All this for the small price of 24 RMB. ($5 CAD) We got into a pissing match with the guide as we insisted she show us where the stairs were so we could walk ourselves up on to the wall as we did not want to take the ride. After some heated conversation she first made sure all her other customers were signed up for the toboggan and then begrudgingly led us to the stairs. We have pretty well lost our cool factor her  and she was starting to regret her decision to let us join her tour.

From the wall, we were driven to a cheesy amusement park just outside of Beijing. Entry fee was 45 RMB per person. We made our guides day when we told her that we would not be entering but would wait outside with the bus. Seems our attitude was starting to rub off on the bus as quite a few others decided to join us and wait outside. The ride back to Beijing was down right chilly. The deal was we were to be driven back to our original location but she kicked off the bus at the first stop. A little lost, we jumped into a cab for a ride back to the hotel.








April 2, 2003: China reports 361 new cases of SARS for the month of March; the total number of cases in Guangdong province rises to 1,153.

npr.com - Time Line SARS 2003

Once we arrived in Beijing, were able to get into our emails as well as obtain  copy of USA Today. This was providing us with a better understanding of what was occurring around SARS although the Chinese were still not providing the entire truth of what was happening.   I  received an email from my boss informing that I was not to come to work for another two weeks upon returning to Penticton.

Spring was starting to blossom in Beijing and along with that so was my seasonal allergies. Eyes weeping, nose running and a sore throat. Symptoms that mirrored those of SARS.

Time to move on to South Korea and Part 2.