DENGUE (Dehn-GAY)

What? You thought I could leave the tropics without at least one tropical disease? well sir, you were mistaken. I am not here merely to see the sights! I am here to experience life at the ground level, to live among the people. Well, maybe not live among the people, but I would say getting Dengue makes me an officially "rugged" traveler. It's all gearing up for the book: earthquakes, diseases and other misadventures of a ruggedly handsome traveler. (coming this summer).

Here is an excerpt from the Dengue Chapter:
This is my 6th day with Dengue. The name is pretty fun to say. And it impresses the hell out of people. It´s way more exotic than your typical travelers diarrhea. That is, when people actually believe me. which can be very frustrating especially when your energy level is too low to argue. What is the point of having a serious tropical virus if people respond with "oh yeah, I had that in bolivia, I had to be like 10 feet from a toilet at all times"... NO! that's DIARRHEA, nothing like Dengue, they just both start with a "D". And please stop telling people your horror stories of diarrhea, unless it was cholera, nobody is impressed, and I would rather not picture you doing that. Now Dengue, people DIE of Dengue! I got it through a MOSQUITO! and we all know only critical illnesses come from mosquitos!
But seriously it kind of sucks. 4 days barely out of bed. No major symptoms other than intense fatigue and bone soreness that is hard to describe. For some reason my appetite is normal, or even bigger. So I'e been  soothing my illness depression with pastries and trix cereal. Have I mentioned that in about every country there are at least two pastry shops on each block? Have I also mentioned that their pastries are delicious? And yet we are the fat country, I don't get it.

Oh yeah, by the way I have been in Medellin. The land of Pablo Escobar! Which actually I got to meet this woman through a friend who was in Medellin during that time, and the half of the conversation that I understood was fascinating. Like he (Pablo) would drive through the streets handing out money. Well, that was about the only thing I understood, but WOW! money. She probably explained that he laundered money through pastry shops, hence the 6 on my block.

Other than that I know very little of Medellin, but I can draw an accurate floorplan of every part of my hostel, and give you a run down of what will be playing on Colombian TV for the next week.

Headed to Bogotà tonight. Going to pick up my Brazilian Visa! (woohoo!) (knock on wood) (is that when you knock on wood? I always get that confused). And then on tuesday I board a plane for Bolivia! (thanks mom and dad) Where I am sure to get a whole new set of infectious bacteria.

Love you guys and miss you a lot,

Joe