It smells like summer

Undertook an epic journey today as I walked from the heart of Kemptown to farthest Hove (almost into Shoreham). Took an hour of super-fast left-home-too-late walking to get there, and then a delightful two hour stroll back along the seafront.

It's a beautiful day by the sea today, and as I walked past Brunswick Square I got a waft from the cut grass on the squares communal lawn. Being a bit of a country boy originally this particular aroma really fires my 'scent association' to 'summer time'.   After getting a lung full the next association kicked in; fucking hay-fever. 

I wonder, will I get hay-fever in SE:Asia?

Jabbed in Hove

The reason I was in Hove was to get some more jabs at the travel clinic. Although my local GP is just round the corner you can't get everything there; Japanese Encephalitis and my Malaria tabs are dished out by the travel clinic and are not NHS sanctioned.

So,  had a second round of jabs; I am now 1/3 inoculated against Japanese Encephalitis. Joy. 

I just know I'll get all my jabs done, get to SE:Asia feeling invincible and get hit by a bus. 

The travel clinic staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and then I realised that it was a private clinic, which totally explained why the service was so good. Hmm... funny how not dealing with smack heads but paying customers can improve your disposition. 

Malaria

There appears to be two options for my malaria tabs;

1. Doxycycline 

Doxycycline is an antibiotic that prevents the development of parasites in the blood that cause malaria. You need to take it 1 or 2 days before you enter the malaria zones (for me this is Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and border areas with China) everyday you are there and then 4 weeks after you leave. The 4 weeks is paramount. It has a few side effects, mostly making you feel a bit rough and that. 

This costs circa 29 quid for 50 tabs

2. Malarone

Malarone is a better drug, a combination medication that stops the development of parasites in the blood that cause malaria. It has no really unpleasant side effects (in comparison to Doxycycline) and you only need to take it a couple of days before you enter the malaria hot zone, every day you are there and a couple of days after. 

However, it costs circa 40 quid for 12 tabs!!!

Now, my problem is I don't know exactly how long we'll be in the malaria areas, it could possibly be anywhere up to a few months which means if I take Malarone (which everyone has recommended) it'll cost a fortune. 

I think the thing is, most people that have recommended Malarone only stayed in malaria hotspots for a few days or a couple of weeks, in which case 100 quid on meds doesn't seem too bad.

Loulou reckons the Bermondsey Mission is dishing them out to her free. Hmm... 

How much?

This travelling lark ain't cheap. It's already starting to cost a fortune; I know once I get there everything is dirt cheap, but getting there may skint me out.

What kind of food do you suppose they serve here?

A gem of a restaurant I walked past this morning in Hove...

I immediately snapped the place with my phone and sent it to my Frenchie flat mate, who previously had been asking me about decent places to eat in town. 

Obviously I was being well cheeky... 

Her reply?

'I hear it's quite good'...

You may feel a bit of a prick...

Captain America juice

I’ve just had the first round of vaccinations for my trip. The nurse at my conveniently placed local practice (literally 30 seconds from where I live) has given me an extensive list of potential hazardous illness I will need to be protected from if I’m to emerge at all from my hermetically sealed suit whilst in South East Asia.

This feels like the first real step to going traveling, before it was all talk, now I’m getting dosed up with drugs – yeah! 

So, today I had Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio in one arm and one of three syringe full of Hepatitis B in the other, presumably both arms were used so that I don’t become unbalanced with all the extra fluid in each arm – not sure you can tell, but I’ve had no formal medical training.

I now have the following to look forward to over the next two months – 

Typhoid

Hepatitis A

More Hepatitis B

Japanese B encephalitis (I asked for the British one but it wasn’t available)

Malaria (actually just tablets)

Yellow Fever (an absolute must and a pre-requisite for freighter travel through the Suez Canal)

And good old Rabies

Had a discussion with my Girlfriend, Loulou, who suggests that we give Rabies and Japanese B a miss on the basis that it would cost us to get the jabs despite the fact that we probably don’t need them and in the event of a bite from a rabid beastie (you’re okay-ish if you can get medical treatment within the first 24 hours of a mauling) the Rabies jab would only give us an additional 24 hrs to get help.

I had a think about it then I pointed out that we rarely if ever complain about the cost of stuff we routinely waste our money on, like over priced meals, ridiculous hotel rooms or indeed socks (more on socks another time), so to give the jabs a miss - these things that would potentially protect us from illness and death, due to the cost was a bit daft.

“Hmm…” was the reply.

It’s so rare that I’m this logical or rational, think maybe the DIP/TET/IPV + Hep B are having an effect already.