Boti Falls - View 1
Boti Falls - Closer
At the base of the falls.
We went to Umbrella Rock (AKA Mushroom Rock). The hike took us through dense forest, over small creeks we had to hop stones to pass, through a cave like rock wall, then up and back down a very steep broken rock trail that was like a natural set of steep stairs.
View Early-On
Cross the creek. Climb the stones.
More Climbing
Rhoda, Carol, and "Mean" Joe Green coming down the other side
Beautiful creek we passed
When we got to the Umbrella Rock I was like “Really?... That’s it?” Until I climbed into it.
Most people took the latter to the top, I climbed inside the overhang and the view was breath-taking. The rock provided shade and the height made for an amazingly refreshing breeze on this hot African day.
Approaching Umbrella Rock
Money-Shot of Arjun climbing up
Me underneath the umbrella
What A View
Breath-Taking
I could have stayed here all day. Just read, nap, whatever. It was beautiful. So we went back to town, and went online for a bit. The power cut out (which is why my Republic day post was so short) and thank god it did. I was starting to feel sick, I think I may have let myself get dehydrated today. I got home, had dinner, said goodnight and passed out. It was only 7pm but I didn’t care, I was so tired.
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My eyes popped open at about 9:30PM and I felt like I’d been run over by a freight train. My head was pounding, I was covered in sweat, and my forehead and arms were “on fire, Maria!”
I sat up. Wow. Bad idea. A wave of nausea overcame me and I quickly laid back down. I can count on one hand the amount of fevers I’ve gotten in my life so when this happened I was like.. wow… I guess this must be what a high fever feels like.
Properly cautioned by my stomach I draped my left arm off the side of the bed and did the classic I’m too lazy to get up -"spider crawl/ spider hop” move with my hand across the floor to find my PCMO travel bag on the floor, in the dark. I opened my digital thermometer and got out my headlamp. The sweat on my body all suddenly got cold and my stomach started cramping really bad. I decided it would be best if I took my temperature in the bathroom.
See for me I have this stupid thing where if I get a chill or my feet get cold and I’m already not 100% it really messes up my stomach and my stomach hurts really bad. It’s retarded sounding, I’m aware, but It’s happened my whole life.
I sat down in the bathroom and I started getting that familiar pins-and-needles feeling running up from my feet to my head. My head felt like it had lost all of it’s blood and I started getting really nauseous. I don’t mind stomach cramps and digestive problems, but I absolutely cannot stand throwing up. So I lectured myself in my head.
“Dude. There’s seriously no way you’re about to throw up in this bathroom. Breathe, relax, and move past it. It’s not even an option.”
So when my nausea reluctantly subsided I put the thermometer in my mouth. Sweat running down my head, my eyes and temples pounding, I held the thermometer in my mouth with my right hand. My breath from my nose felt like a heater on my fingers. It must have been anywhere from 5-6 years before the device chimed that it was ready. It finally beeped. What did it say?
103.5 F
Well that explains a lot.
I went back to my room and laid down, but just kept feeling worse. The power is out in my section of the house so the fan wasn’t working. When I couldn’t stand it anymore I went to the living room and laid down on the guest bed and turned on the ceiling fan. I walked right past my entire host family, wave a weak “hello” and collapsed. They were all watching Kung Fu Panda together but after I laid down they turned it off and packed up for bed. I’m guessing it was so I could sleep. I would have said the customary “No, it’s fine, keep watching.” Line, but I was starting to get delirious and didn’t care to be polite.
When I laid down I got a text from Hannah, thank God.
"Hannah, you have been in country for a while, which of these medicines in my PCMO travel bag do I take if I have a fever, I have 2 pain-killers.."
She told me to take the Tylenol, the one that said non-aspirin on it. Cynthia our PCMO during a health session told us something about not being able to think straight if your fever is high. For those of you who know me you know I pride myself on being able to think and reason through almost any situation, but wow. Hannah very clearly said non-aspirin. So in my stupid state I looked at both wrappers. One said Aspirin on it, so I tossed it aside and took the other. Looking at the wrappers again when I spoke with Cynthia about an hour later, I saw it said non-aspirin but as soon as my mind saw Aspirin, it stopped thinking and moved on. So instead I took the ibuprofen. I took my temperature over the next hour or so. 103.5, 102.9, 103.3. At Hannah's insistence and against my stubborn preference I called Cynthia on the PCMO duty phone at 10:30PM. She patiently talked me through which was the Tylenol (NON-ASPIRIN...dumbass...) and I took that. She told me to call her again immediately if my fever either didn't drop, or got any higher. My fever hovered at about 102 F all night and wow what a night.
I had the trippiest dreams, I cant even explain them. I'd be delivering something, or something would be traveling to a set destination and I knew if I didn't make it in time, or arrive the right way I'd get sick. Every time it was a different dream with the same theme. One time it was as simple as 2 lines. One was a straight line and another was approaching it in pure darkness. The approaching line was coming in from the right, at an angle, like a plane approaching a runway. And every single time, my arriving manifestation missed it's objective, it's deadline, or it's target altogether. When I missed I would instantly wake up nauseous and hurting all over. It was sooo strange, I never slept more than 45 minutes straight, but I never really felt awake either.
I'd wake up, sip some water, and roll over to go to sleep. Before I thought I was really sleeping, I'd just get a mental image of a train missing a station and I'd hurt all over and get nauseous. I'd lay on my back, think of something else, and would be find until the end of my next dream about 30 minutes later.
What a shitty night to end such a great day.
(In retrospect it's a pretty sweet story to tell though...)
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