Day 320: August 14, 2025 – Yokohama, Japan
I don’t want to wander the world anymore.
A week ago, I was all bright-eyed and bushy tailed with stars in my eyes about my first visit to Japan. World’s Fair! Bullet trains! Disneyland! Tea ceremonies! Shrines! Baseball games! Colorful kimonos! Mt Fuji! Oh my!
But as the saying goes, we plan, and gods laugh. Those non-existent (to me) gods, seem very powerful and vengeful. Because here I am a week later exploring Japan from the window of a hospital.
It all started with a case of bacterial pneumonia, which the ship medical center was able to quickly manage. Yes I did get the vaccine for pneumonia before I left, because I had heard pneumonia could be dangerous for us seniors, but as we know, nothing is 100%. I understand the symptoms would probably have been much worse if I hadn’t gotten it.
Things seemed to be improving, until they were not. By the time we made it to a major port, my total lack of energy had friends urging me to visit a hospital in port. My friend Steven says he was trying to gently persuade me, but he’s a doctor so what I heard was: get your stuff, get in the cab, I’m taking you to the ER. Which was a good thing because by the time we got there my oxygen was down to 84% . Which Dr. Google tells me is organ-failure territory.
The hospital has been tinkering with me since, trying various tests, IVs, antibiotics, steroids, to figure out the complications and why my body was not managing my oxygen level.
And I am sitting here feeling homesick. I’ve never really felt homesick much before. Wherever I lived, felt like home. And besides, homesick for which home? Odyssey, which feels like home, or my previous home life?
I guess what I’m homesick for is the comfort of the familiar. Having an uncomplicated day, starting my day off with a cuppa Dunkin’ and some fresh sourdough with whipped Philadelphia cream cheese and lemon curd. Yes, I could eat that stuff three times a day. And just chilling and thinking about nothing and planning nothing.
Instead I will be waving good bye to the Odyssey tonight as they sail away without me, while I stay behind at the hospital for another week to figure out what’s going on. In the end it wasn’t an earthquake or tsunami or sinking ship that brought me to my knees. It was a tiny Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
One giant silver lining has been the astonishing level of support, love, and offers of help from my Odyssey community. It makes me want to keep going, even though part of me is screaming: enough.
So the Japan stars have disappeared from my eyes as I grieve this disruption to my adventure. They have been replaced by bleak starless night and enormous discouragement.
Perhaps the stars will return when on I’m no longer on a cocktail of antibiotics and oxygen and steroids and insulin and who knows what else.
But tonight I am just raging at those non-existent gods toying with my silly little plans. Because, who else can I rage at?
23 responses to “Don’t Want To Wander the World No More”
O Basia!!! I’m so sorry. I just saw this post. I can’t even imagine. I will say Prayers.. because that’s what I do. Sending you healing energies…
I mean if you have to be stuck somewhere… Japan isn’t so bad!!!
Basia, you deserve the time to rage and grouse – and heal. You will start feeling better and your drive, curiosity and love of travel will return. Turn that laser focus and patience of yours on self-care to assist all that the medical experts are doing. You’re tough as nails. You will beat this nd come out stronger and even more determined to see the remaining ends of the earth that you haven’t put on a calendar page yet. 🤗
Hoping there will be someone to assist you at D/C, as you will be weak. Know you are not alone as lots of people on and off the ship are thinking of you and wishing a full and fast recovery. Please let us know how you are improving. Godspeed Basia!
Oh No! This is terrible news. I’m so sorry Basia. I hope you have a speedy recovery and are able to join your friends soon.
So sorry to hear about your hospitalization. It must be so scary to be alone in hospital in a foreign country. As others have mentioned, Japan’s medical services are top notch so hopefully you will fully recover soon. Focus on getting well first. Sending you best wishes.
So sorry to read your post Basia. Rest up in a top knotch hospital (thank goodness) and get better soon for the rest of the world is awaiting you. Xxx
This is so awful Basia I am so sorry this happened to you and I know what you mean about being homesick when you never usually are. Even a few days with gastroenteritis in a foreign country makes you wish you were at home. I hope the doctors can fix you quickly and you can get back on track with the trip. You can do this xxx
Dear Basia, sending you wishes for a speedy recovery. It’s hard to be in a place that isn’t home at all when you’re unwell. I hope you feel better soon and can get back to exploring the world or sipping coffee and eating toast from your own home.
Oh Basia
Being sick like that is horrible but cooped up alone a world away from new friends AND old friends sux a big one! Rooting for you, tootsie! We’re all counting on you getting back to your healthy self. That camera of yours can’t take pictures by itself; there are a ton more birds waiting to be cataloged and there’s a cabin on the Odyssey longing for it’s bespectacled occupant to return once again to plot and plan. You’ve come too far to let a GERM…. an EFFING Germ scuttlebutt this adventure. You still owe me a Peace Prize 🤓
We want you to continue wandering the world because you enhance our wandering so much. Get better soon.
Concentrate on doing what it takes to recuperate, the rest will work itself out. Listen to yourself, your inner desires will make themselves known. For now, know that we all are sending our love and support to you. And thanks go out to you, Steven, for watching over Basia and making sure she got the medical help she needed.
Oh Basia, I feel for you and your pain. I sure hope you will feel better and the doctors can find out more why the oxygen level was down to 84%.
I have loved seeing your journey so far and am grateful that you have shared it with so many including me, a total stranger. I am glad that you have had the fun, unique experiences you’ve had, and maybe that’s plenty and you’ll continue adventuring from a stable spot or maybe you’ll choose to return to your villa. The point is you’ve made amazing friends and memories and even if you stop residing on Odyssey, I bet you’ll still visit or keep up your best relationships while changing the mode of your adventures. Thank you for all your posts. I do hope you recover quickly and with no complications.
Best wishes.
Thank you for taking the time to post. I take that as an excellent sign of upcoming recovery. Your post while on meds is still 10,000 percent better than
anyone else’s post written sober. Oh, lemon curd with PCC –you introduced me to that combo many years ago. What do you usually have for breakfast on VVO? That’s your current grounding anchor. You are longing for the known and the familiar after processing new and unknown for almost 2 years. I know that you have reminded me over the years that new experiences create new synapsis, and you have had so many new synapsis, so maybe your brain just needs a bit of time with the old, boring and known because it has been producing new synapsis for about 700 days now. Some of your fellow mates on the cruise have taken some time away from the journey. If you think old , boring and known is what is called for at this time, consider a brief sabbatical in the state of your official address. DD and LC with PCC included.
Oh my, oh dear, the one who adventures the most has been stopped in her truckS. I always believe their reasons for everything, but I’m trying to figure this one out. I am glad you are in a good country that I would hope has a good medical care. You are on to another adventure of another kind. Lots of love your way.
Rest and recover well.
Oh Basia!!! My heart aches for you ! I hope soon to hear you are healed and back on board your floating home . Saying prayers for you my friend .
Awful, strange, insidious, unfair… I can only hope it resolves as soon as possible. Keep raging – I’ll do some for you too! xo
Gute Besserung! So sorry to hear about this setback and I pray to my God for a speedy and complete recovery! Sending hugs!
So sorry to hear you’ve been laid low by pneumonia! It’s fortunate that you happened to be in a place where hospital care is excellent. Here’s wishing you a full recovery before too much longer so you can get back to “the comfort of the familiar” in whatever home that will come from. Stay strong, stay positive, and get well soon!
Speedy recovery Basia. I love Japan and trust they will do their best caring for your health.
Sorry to hear you are at war with the Gods. Now the cavalry has arrived in the form of a top notch Japanese hospital. You could not do better than to have them on your side. Yes fortunately you had the jab and it gives you a fighting chance of a full recovery.
Of course we wish you good health and a full recovery.
Hoping to see you back on board when you are fit and well.