I contracted Dengue last week on Friday (June 2007) and can truly say it’s the most awful illness that I have ever experienced. I’m through the worst of it and I can now sit up for as long as 5 minutes but really have to stay near the bed. The smallest exertion means a lie down.

On that Friday night, it was as if a cold was coming on except every bone in my body ached.

However, on Saturday morning my appearance had changed. My body was red and bloated and every hair on my head was standing up. My now bloodshot eyes were popping out of my head. I was sweating like a waterfall, all my bones ached and I had completely lost the will to move. I couldn’t talk, only mumble and mutter or burble. To make matters worse I had a headache, which was like someone pushing metal spikes in and out of my temples.

A neighbour was summoned who immediately whisked me off to Unimed. When I first entered the hospital, I was shirtless, red, swelling and sweating, my eyes protruding, my head lolling from side to side, hair standing on end and I was blubbering like a three year old. To boot, I was walking like a horse riding robot, sans horse. To cap it all, I exploded from both ends. I was completely without shame because I had no control so don’t be embarrassed when the unspeakable happens. (more…)

Chevrolet Blazer

We didn’t drive straight into João Pessoa, rather we stopped just on the outskirts at a little roadside restaurant serving fish, beans and rice. The cars thermometer read 34c but it felt hotter. Have you ever opened the oven door to check the roast and felt a blast of heat on your face? Well that’s what it was like when we alighted from our air conditioned car. I’m from Minas, you know and of late that sort of heat has been uncommon. Infact, it took me about three days to acclimatize to the heat which was more or less the same day and night. That said, there was always this gentle constant cool breeze to offset the effects of the heat. Fed and watered, we headed for the city

It was a Sunday, but even so the roads were eerily deserted. We easily managed to find Epitacio Pessoa, the main road to the beach area and to our pousada. The roads reminded me of English roads.

They were tarmaced and level with lane markings. There were traffic lights and speed cameras, even zebra crossings. I just wasn’t used to it all. All the roads we saw had road signs, we would get to the pousada using a map which was just as well as there was no one around to ask. Arriving at the beach area of Tambau and Cabo Branco I was amazed to find how deserted it was even for early afternoon. The beautiful beaches stretched off North and South into the distance. We turned South off the main road and followed the beach front road stunned by the turquoise waters of Cabo Branco. Plenty of free car parking spaces, surely that wont last; and virtually empty beaches. After such a long time in the car the children were going crazy to play on the sand but we had to find the pousada. (more…)