A 28-year-old German man who spent the last 6 months in Thailand has suffered a heart attack after ordering a beer in a Surry Hills Hotel. “He ordered a schooner. He seemed fine, but as soon as I asked him for $8.50 he seemed to shudder, then grab his chest. He stumbled out of the pub and collapsed on the street” said John, Clock Hotel manager.
The man had been on a jaunt on the islands where he was a tour operator with a local company and ran a bar at night.
He walked into the Clock Hotel at around 4pm having just landed at Sydney International Airport and was due to stay with friends from the Surry Hills area he was meeting after work.
For a moment the bar collectively froze.
“No one knew what had happened,” said Clock staff.
Luckily Vanessa Bourne, a nurse from St Vincent’s Emergency Department had just finished her shift and was enjoying a well-earned Aperol Spritzer for $16.
“I’ve actually seen this before,” said Vanessa.
“I’ve actually seen this before,” said Vanessa. “Tourists suffer from it all the time. As soon as they discover the cost of things in Sydney they just collapse. It’s not uncommon. As soon as I saw the man’s backpack, I knew exactly what had happened. I’m surprised to hear he’s from Germany, but after spending 6 months in Thailand it makes sense.”
The woman immediately administered CPR and the man regained consciousness shortly afterwards.
Beer in Thailand typically costs between 50 cents and $2.
Beer in Sydney costs between $8 and infinity symbol.