Jeff's Travel Stories
Travel can be tough, different food, different bugs, different diseases. To me this is what makes travel interesting.
Malaria and Malaria stories are rampant. Realistically south east asia seems to be rather minor compared to Africa. I only met a couple a people in SEA who had claimed to have malaria, however in Africa, I saw a few, and malaria bouts are not a pleasant event to watch. On the other hand, I met a couple of girls in SEA who had lost their hair temporarily due to using malaria medicines for a long time, and had to stop. Generally I simply took Chloroquine and Proguanil. In Africa I used Lariam. Only noticed slight side effects with the lariam. It would give me such vivid dreams it would wake me up wondering if I had awakened the camp (I hadn’t). Not recommended for the slightly psycho. I didn't bother with malaria medication for India, South and Central America and even Egypt. Trouble is doctors will simply look at the malaria map and prescribe for any in-country occurrence, thus travellers get told to take it in countries that have cases of it one month a year in swamp lands/rice paddies, where they will never go. They really should use some judgement here.
I had the misfortune to be spend a month on China smack in the middle of SARS.
Quite an experience. Everywhere we went , every hotel, on/off and in the middle of every form of transport we were checked for temperature. All extremely intrusive. Worst part was that the local Chinese media 100% blamed foreigners for SARS. Thus the locals looked at us with some trepidation. The censoring of all the major foreign internet sites (BBC, CNN etc) of all SARS news didn’t help us much either. We were most worried about getting a slight non-SARS related flue or temperature, as the first thing they would have done is drag us to a local hospital where we would really have a high chance of getting SARS!Another interesting concern was Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia). After hearing the horror stories of how it buries into your skin and travels up towards your heart I made every washing sessions very quick in Lake Malawi and I avoided peeing while in the lake, at all costs (I won’t get into details why - you figure it out). I met infected travellers and you could see the path of the bug under their skin. Crazy.
Altitude sickness. From the moment you arrive in Cusco Peru (3400 meters) until La Paz (4100 meters) you are aware of the altitude. By the time we got to LaPaz Bolivia, we had been at altitude for a couple of weeks, and Tuire started to feel ill. She remembers it as the sickest she had ever been in her life. She couldn’t leave her bed in the hotel. She was aching, had the most throbbing headache and nonstop shivering. Her temperature was at a scary level. We were reluctant to go to a Bolivian hospital. At one point it seemed to break slightly, so we made a dash for lower altitude. We got to Pisco Peru within a day, and almost immediately she got better. My mother thinks I have a cast iron stomach. I don’t agree but it does seem to handle bugs quite well. Diarrhea is a story by itself. I have had the honour of getting proper Diarrhea in four counties, although in 2 or 3 of the cases, I deserved it.
I had the opportunity to go to Jordan 3 times (2 times were unplanned). Each time I had very bad diarrhea. Not sure how, as I used all my regular precautions. Perhaps it was something in the excellent Shawarmas! Never figured it out but it happened almost first day every time.
We found a great hostel in Dali City, Yunnan Province, China. It came with a nice balcony and they supplied hot water in big thermoses for the guests. Twenty minutes after have some tea on the balcony Tuire started to become very sick, flowing out both ends. She was worried and began talking hospital. We figured it out 10 minutes later, when I also suddenly began “cleansing” my body. They obviously didn’t boil the water. We told the staff they had an issue with the water, so they wouldn’t get anyone else sick, however the clerk seemed more interested in chewing on her pile of chicken feet then reboiling the water. Took us a couple of days to recover. Too bad because Dali has some good restaurants
Bali is a great place. I have been there on 3 separate occasions and loved it every time. One time, I found a great fruit juice restaurant in Ubud. It was so good I spent 3 days overdosing on every juice drink they made. Whoops. I pushed my luck too far I guess. I began gushing non-stop. I regularly drank juices everywhere with no effects. This included the second best place, after Ubud, for juices - Damascus (believe it or not). I even regularly drank drinks containing ice. No problem. I just avoided local water - straight up and washed salads, but I pushed my luck in Bali.
The worst self-induced case happened in Delhi. Delhi is famous for its “Delhi Belly”. Before I backpacked around India, I went there on business. One night in Delhi involved a large amount of customer entertaining and alcohol. In Delhi I stayed at the Holiday Inn. One thing about Holiday Inns - every room looks the same no matter where you are in the world. About 4am I was so thirsty from the night of drinking I got up, went into the bathroom and chugged back a glass of water. Half way through, I remember looking at myself in the mirror and thinking “Oh sh$t I’m in India”. So began 4 days of many Indian toilet visits.
/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crimelist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crimeBe careful out there!CustomTagSidebarCustomTagSidebar?sort=modifiedDate&sortDirection=reverse&tag=crime0/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/CustomTagSidebarmodifiedDate5CustomTagSidebarreversecrimeBe careful out there!custom/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?tag=hotWhat’s HotHotListHot!?tag=hot5/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/HotListjeffjeff2011-01-25 20:57:02+00:002011-01-25 20:57:02updated4Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-12 20:49:16+00:002011-01-12 20:49:16addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-12 20:48:44+00:002011-01-12 20:48:44updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-12 20:48:29+00:002011-01-12 20:48:29created1weblog2011-01-25T20:57:02+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/6ec66FalseSome Favorite Travel Photos/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/6ec66/Some_Favorite_Travel_Photos.htmljeff4 updatesSome Favorite Travel Photos
Falsejeff2011-01-25T20:57:02+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-09 18:13:44+00:002011-01-09 18:13:44updated9jeffjeff2011-01-07 15:33:10+00:002011-01-07 15:33:10updated8Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-07 15:33:08+00:002011-01-07 15:33:08addTag7Added tag - turkeyjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:26+00:002011-01-05 21:44:26addTag6jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:48:03+00:002011-01-01 16:48:03updated5jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:47:48+00:002011-01-01 16:47:48updated4jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:46:03+00:002011-01-01 16:46:03updated3jeffjeff2011-01-01 15:58:42+00:002011-01-01 15:58:42updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-01 15:57:33+00:002011-01-01 15:57:33created1weblog2011-01-09T18:13:44+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/a5bc0FalseTurkish Drunk Driving Test/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/a5bc0/Turkish_Drunk_Driving_Test.htmljeff9 updatesTurkish Drunk Driving Test
A Tourist Steam Engine in Turkey
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[image]While living in Istanbul, I need...Falsejeff2011-01-09T18:13:44+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-06 23:02:06+00:002011-01-06 23:02:06updated17Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:05:34+00:002011-01-06 01:05:34addTag16Removed tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:45+00:002011-01-06 01:04:45removeTag15jeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:45+00:002011-01-06 01:04:45updated14Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:44+00:002011-01-06 01:04:44addTag13Added tag - indiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:09+00:002011-01-05 21:44:09addTag12Added tag - south americajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:44:05+00:002011-01-05 21:44:05addTag11Added tag - illnessjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:46+00:002011-01-05 21:43:46addTag10Added tag - sarsjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:35+00:002011-01-05 21:43:35addTag9Added tag - asiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:32+00:002011-01-05 21:43:32addTag8Added tag - africajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:43:28+00:002011-01-05 21:43:28addTag7jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:44:28+00:002011-01-01 16:44:28updated6jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:26:37+00:002011-01-01 16:26:37updated5jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:26:01+00:002011-01-01 16:26:01updated4jeffjeff2011-01-01 16:24:41+00:002011-01-01 16:24:41updated3jeffjeff2011-01-01 15:58:18+00:002011-01-01 15:58:18updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-01 15:57:45+00:002011-01-01 15:57:45created1weblog2011-01-06T23:02:06+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/678d9FalseOf Lice and Flem (Phlegm)/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/678d9/Of_Lice_and_Flem_Phlegm.htmljeff17 updatesOf Lice and Flem (Phlegm)
[shapeimage_1.png]Travel can be tough, different food, different bugs, different diseases. To me this is what makes travel interesting.
...Falsejeff2011-01-06T23:02:06+00:00jeffjeff2011-01-06 22:22:29+00:002011-01-06 22:22:29updated10Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 22:22:28+00:002011-01-06 22:22:28addTag9jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:25:05+00:002011-01-05 21:25:05updated8Added tag - indonesiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:25:02+00:002011-01-05 21:25:02addTag7Added tag - lesothojeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:58+00:002011-01-05 21:24:58addTag6Added tag - visajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:54+00:002011-01-05 21:24:54addTag5Added tag - bribejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:50+00:002011-01-05 21:24:50addTag4Added tag - central americajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:46+00:002011-01-05 21:24:46addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:24:26+00:002011-01-05 21:24:26updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:17:23+00:002011-01-05 21:17:23created1weblog2011-01-06T22:22:29+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/01cf1FalseEntries, Exits & Bribes/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/01cf1/Entries_Exits__Bribes.htmljeff10 updatesEntries, Exits & Bribes
I have been involved with quite a few bribes while traveling. I remember always having bribe money tucked in my sock for the year I lived in Turk...Falsejeff2011-01-06T22:22:29+00:00Added tag - hotjeffjeff2011-01-06 01:04:56+00:002011-01-06 01:04:56addTag7jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:41+00:002011-01-05 21:36:41updated6Added tag - zimbabwejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:40+00:002011-01-05 21:36:40addTag5Added tag - coincidencejeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:21+00:002011-01-05 21:36:21addTag4Added tag - australiajeffjeff2011-01-05 21:36:14+00:002011-01-05 21:36:14addTag3jeffjeff2011-01-05 21:34:09+00:002011-01-05 21:34:09updated2First createdjeffjeff2011-01-05 21:31:02+00:002011-01-05 21:31:02created1weblog2011-01-05T21:36:41+00:00groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/3cc1eFalseTravel Coincidences/groups/jeffstravelstories/weblog/3cc1e/Travel_Coincidences.htmljeff7 updatesTravel Coincidences
Everyone has their travel coincidence stories. It was quite common to meet someone on one side of a continent and then not knowing anything abou...Falsejeff2011-01-05T21:36:41+00:00hot/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/jeffstravelstories/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/jeffstravelstories/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search
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