tikus island

This post is long overdue thanks to my recent war with dengue (which, by the way, I'd say I'm 95% over - just working on getting my energy back now), but here it is finally.

A couple of weeks ago, back when Jerushah was still here, we got a group of friends together and went to the little island about an hour off the coast called Tikus Island, or Mouse Island. It definitely deserved its name; the place was tiny, but it was beautiful. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.

We first had to get a group of 15 people together because you can't just take a normal ferry over. No, that'd be too easy. You remember those fishing boats from a couple of months ago? The long, wooden, brightly-colored ones? Yeah. We took one of those. Somehow, two navy guys joined our excursion, and they were a huge help climbing into the boat as we waded in and fought the waves (sadly, my phone was a casualty). One stood at the front of the boat; the other in the back. It felt so official. There isn't really anything on the island itself, only a couple of buildings, but there is a tower you can climb up. I've overcome many of my fears, but I've decided I'll always be afraid of heights, particularly climbing up high ladders with no sort of protection at all.

The water was crystal clear thanks to the corral surrounding the island, and a beautiful shade of blue... so gorgeous. We borrowed snorkeling gear from some friends and went snorkeling... if only my camera could take photos underwater. So many fish! It was unbelievable...

Sadly, I don't have any pictures to share of snorkeling, but here are some from the rest of the day:

Can you tell I can't keep a straight face?

Just a little excited

 

 

 

 

breakbone fever

"Maybe it's malaria. Or even a bad viral infection. Anything would be better than dengue."

I never thought I'd find myself wishing I had malaria, but this week, I did because at least if it was malaria, I could take medicine and be feeling better the next day. Not so with dengue fever. No, this horrible monster of an illness was going to be drawn out for three weeks.

What is dengue fever? Dengue, also known as "breakbone fever," is an infectious tropical disease spread by mosquitoes. Symptoms include high fever, headache, muscle aches, bone and joint aches (hence the nickname), nausea, vomiting, and later, an itchy rash on your hands and the bottom of your feet. I could barely move all week - one, because I had no energy (lifting my water bottle was a chore), and two, because it hurt. They weren't kidding when they called it breakbone fever.

There are no vaccines. There is no medicine. My instructions: Drink lots of water. Sounds easy, right? Drink water. Stay hydrated. The thought of water, though, was not appealing. The thought of anything food or drink related, actually, was sickening. It became an act of discipline to make sure I drank water. There was no hope when it came to food though. Everything had this disgusting, metallic-y aftertaste. I am living proof that you can last a week on five saltines.

All my other symptoms have died down now, and I'm now nearing the rash on the hands and feet, which I'll take any day over the body aches. And then it's 1-2 weeks of no energy.

I was very lucky that I started getting sick at some friends' house. They let me take over one of the bedrooms for the week, and so I've done pretty much nothing all week but lie in bed in an air conditioned room. My wonderful caretakers have constantly checked in on me, making sure I have water or that my washcloth is cold, and I am lovingly called "sicko," haha.

And I've received so many sweet messages and emails, and I am so, so grateful for them. They have been so encouraging for my heart. This past week, I've been the sickest I've ever been, and yet I feel so blessed. Thank you. :)