Dalama Adventures Tale of two corporate types ditching their jobs and traveling the world for 14 months... check out all photos, blogs & interesting tid bits at http://www.dalama.net

After nearly 20 days of stomach illness since eating pork in Hoi An, Vietnam, I finally have a strong referral for a local Egyptian doctor.  One who is trusted and is frequently used by locals and expatriates alike, and a huge bonus, he even speaks English!  Dr. Mohammed Byumi, in Mansoura, keeps office hours after 8:00 p.m.  This is typical in Egypt, where MD/academicians and researchers hold their private practice, after a long days work.  It's these office hours that put food on the table for themselves and their families.  We just showed up to the office after 9:30 p.m., after having called earlier for an appointment and told that he was already fully booked.  The receptionist gets me in within five minutes of our arrival, and I pay my whopping $10 consult/visit fee.  This guy is great.  He's more thorough and hands on than any doctor I've been to in the US.  After asking me a battery of questions, and taking the time to review all the prescription medications I'd been taking since Vietnam, he has me lay down and gives me a physical exam.  Now... if I were in the US, they'd either tell me to come back in a few days to provide samples, or just prescribe me some antibiotic and tell me not to contact them until the supply of meds was fully taken.  This doctor gives me an antibiotic/antiparasitic, and confirms that my pack pain is only muscular, ruling out concerns of appendicitis, kidney or liver issues.  He gives me a prescription for nausea and muscle spasms and also gives me his cell phone and commitment to address any of my concerns by phone while he's on vacation in the next week in Alexandria with his family.  All this great service and personal commitment to follow up, for only $10!  And the 4 prescriptions he wrote for me were total cost of under $4!  I left a very happy customer.  It was also reassuring to have my friend Kim there during the entire appointment, and I'm feeling like I will soon now recover from my Vietnam stomach ills.