Well this is a turn up for the books isn't it??? It sure bloody is.. a post after... well god it's so long i won't measure time.
So what the hell did happen to me??
What I am planning to do on this blog, is over the next week or two complete the story of my Africa adventure in little pieces.... then who knows. I guess some more photos can be uploaded, i can talk about other travel experiences and what I am up to....
For instance, I am trying to write me a book about my travels in 2004. If only I knew something about writing and publishing a book.... anyways -
Well, last time you joined us I believe i was in Bobo-Diolasso, a rather hot city in Burkina Faso. I am at home now, so a lot has gone on since then.
Well those days were rather dark. I hopped on a bus one day in February and was on my way to the next country, Mali. Fifteen minutes into the journey though I was feeling awfully sick. The bus stopped at a police check point, and I pulled the pin on the journey and decided to return to Bobo. I was helped onto a bush taxi like affair and bundled back to my hotel where the room had just been cleaned and I checked in again.
Then things got really bad. I have had a bad experience with Mefloquine before, also known as Larium. The doctor in Banfora has prescribed it to me to fight the Malaria, and being in a delirious state with fever i didn't even notice what i was taking, and once I did notice, well, I figured I should keep taking it as Malaria is a fucking serious sort of disease. Well this was the day I started to pay for taking the Mefloquine. I had a serious and lasting anxiety attack.
I didn't know where to turn. I spent time mindlessly using the internet and sending emails to my parents. There were some Aussies who had arrived at my hotel and I asked for help, but they really seemed freaked out by me, or didn't want me to cut into their group.
I stayed there for a couple more days, and decided I was going to get out of Africa and get to Europe. A nice guy I met at the internet cafe took me to see his brother who was a Doctor. I was at the point where i had a searing pain in my stomach, and swallowing even water was really hard for me. This coupled with nausia and anxiety was not a good combination. And I was still getting really hot at night as the fever hadn't died down.
The Doctor didn't really examine me, he listened to my story translated in French by my freind known as 'Web'. He said I still had the malaria, and prescribed something for that (not Mefloquine) and something for the stomach he thought was from the malaria also.
I struggled to eat half of my dinner that night, whilst an American couple talked to some others who had just arrived here on another table. I had bought my ticket back to Ouagadougou for the next morning, and I went off to bed, hoping for some sort of sleep....
TO BE CONTINUED.
2 comments:
I really feel terrible for you, that must have been so horrible!
There's not much worse than being sick a long way from home, but to be that sick, that far away from home all alone would be quite a frightening experience.
Hey, what you say about writing and publishing a book - first there is the writing, and then there is the publishing after that. Write first.
I find you interesting. Just set out what you want to say, in like, chapters or something, and say it.. I think you have some really great stories - maybe you'll need more than one book!
signing in under my blog name. Heh, I'm a silly pretentious girl so I have one too :-)
Oh my god. You're alive. You do know that the world wide blogging community had assumed you were dead. They almost had a funeral for you. Well it's good to know that you're still with us. I look forward to more tales of your misadventures in Africa.
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