Swine Flu

I knew we were in trouble when I saw the booties. Anyone can wear a body suit, a face mask, gloves, and goggles - but when you think it necessary to cover your feet, you're taking something pretty seriously.

We'd been docked in Shanghai for over an hour. They wouldn't let us off the boat. I had my temperature taken, was asked whether I'd been in close contact with pigs recently - I had to suppress a rather strong desire to ask whether they considered digestion close contact -, and was made to sign a form stating I had not had any physical symptom of any possible illness for the past two weeks.

But Amy - poor Amy - wasn't feeling well. She'd complained of a headache and dizziness our second day aboard, but I didn't attribute it to anything but the stuffiness of our room and the fact that we were out at sea. She left in an ambulance with the man wearing the booties, a mask over her face. Poor girl.

After she left, we waited. Those quarantined by the Japanese had been all over the news. I really didn't want to spend another week on the boat, so I sat in the lobby with the other foreigners wondering what the heck was going on. Half an hour later, as if by some announcement - probably in Chinese - everyone filed off the boat.

Welcome back to China.