Rambo's World Adventure

[lefty]

I picked up dengue while living in SE Asia.

Picture yourself curled into a ball with a screaming hot fever, measles-like rash, and a sledgehammer of a headache. The thin sheets of your cheap Thai hotel soaked with sweat, but your body won't stop trembling as you just can't seem to get warm. That's the easy part.

Now imagine a team of rugby players took ball peen-hammers and smashed every joint in your body. Repeatedly. There's a reason it's known as "break bone" disease.

Enjoy your trip.

lefty

 

[erdawe]

Thought this bit of medical news may fit here.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/03/08/cuba-to-test-dengue-fever-vaccine-on-humans/

Cuba at front of medical research? Wouldn't have guessed...
Probably a ways off time-wise.

 

[musicguy]

Hah, I picked up Typhoid on one trip to South America then South East Asia... NOT fun. It gestated for a week or two. Came up when I returned home to the states, thankfully. Worst pain in my life. I couldn't drink anything or eat anything. I alternated between extremely hot and extremely cold. Lasted weeks. I went down to 125 lbs. I'm 6'2". Really bad...

If you can take a vaccine for that do it. Although I hear the side-effects suck.

Having been to India many times, I never took a Malaria vaccine. And there were tons of mosquitos many trips. Although I never went hiking or to a forrest. I can imagine Malaria sucks too.

 

[lefty]

Quote:

I can imagine Malaria sucks too.

"Waiter, another gin and tonic."

lefty

 

[musicguy]



Quote:


"Waiter, another gin and tonic."

lefty

Ah, if only...

 

[acidboy]



The CDC list Malaria as a "possibility" for just about every damn country.

as impled above, I'd be more worried about dengue fever and gastro-intestinal diseases you might pick up after eating street food in some 3rd world country.

 

[Rambo]

Lefty - You're my favorite poster.

Musicguy - got the Typhoid vac. Other than feeling tired, I'm fine.

Got a combo HepA/HepB vac but I have to go back two more times to get the full dose. Polio too. ******* rabies vaccines are EXPENSIVE. 3 rounds at $225 a pop. Jesus.

 

[curzon]



So I was talking about wanting to go scuba diving in several exotic locales. Trouble is, I don't know how to scuba dive. Its ******* expensive to learn here so I was thinking about doing it internationally, hopefully on the cheap. Any suggestions for this?

You'll want the open water course. Philippines and Thailand are both good for this; I took courses in Cebu and Ko Lanta. The dive masters are westerners. The Red Sea has outstanding dives, and you can do PADI training in Egypt at Sharm el-Shiek. The certification course at any of these locations is $450 - 550. YMMV.

And another thing; you don't need to get the malaria meds. I think the rabies is overdoing it a bit. I recall hep vaccine's dose 2 and 3 are done 1 and 6 months after first dose, respectively. Won't you be on the road by then?

 

[Rambo]

There's a combo vaccine that you get a 1, 7, and 21 days that covers both A and B. Rabies is listed on the CDC website. For that money I'd rather froth at the ******* mouth.

$5-600 is more than I would pay over here. I know it'll come with a cool dive spot, but I'd rather train on the cheap (but still good) and then go diving in the beautiful locations.

 

[curzon]

That's a good development on the hep vac. I heard that infants are being given the hep vac nowadays. When I did my hep series I forgot about the 3rd dose. A couple years later I re-did the series... and almost forgot the 3rd dose.

Certainly do the PADI course where it's cheaper, and if that's the states... The tricky bit is learning the buoyancy control device (BCD), and that can be done in a pool.

 

[thats.mana]

seat61.com train travel info for the world over, really amazing site.

 

[hoozah]

how much cash do you guys recommend for a rtw trip?

 

[Rambo]

God damn it. All the Padi international sites are the same $450 fees that I can get here in the states. Fuckin standardized pricing.

 

[curzon]



God damn it. All the Padi international sites are the same $450 fees that I can get here in the states. Fuckin standardized pricing.

Then do the open-water course at a place you prefer rather than a swimming pool. When I did courses in Thailand and the Philippines they gave me a good deal on food and lodging, so you can maximise your cash that way.

 

[ledude]

Definitely want to see some Japanese baseball

On a Japan trip a few years ago, the ballgame was the coolest thing we did. We saw the Tokyo Yakult Swallows host the Chunichi Dragons. I wholeheartedly recommend going to the Meiji Jingu Stadium (I believe Babe Ruth played there as part of a Yankees barnstorming tour in the '20s!), sit in right field, and sing along with the rest of the awesome, enthusiastic supporters. Had a blast, and vendors come to your seats selling not hot dogs but alcohol (I think there was a whisky server, and there was one girl with a mini-keg on her back). I think that may be the coolest thing we did that whole trip, and we did a lot.