Almost fatal in Borneo 2013

[feralpig]

EEK!
Nasty break.

 

[BOD]

Bad luck about the illness. One can never real plan for something like that. Glad you made it.

Actually the jungle is a reasonable environment as long as you work with it and not against it. Seeing it as a challenge and a test tends to be the Western way of doing things whether mountain or jungle or desert. Do it the way the locals do and it will be more pleasant.

I sleep well in the jungle better than at home.

 

[TallMikeM]

ayecarumbah, that sounds grim. Not a big jungle fan here (wombled a bit around Australias rain forest in Northern Queensland for a while many years ago, that was enough for me) and your tale totally convinces me to stay where it's cold.

 

[MORFY]

Swallow: I looked at adding a couple of pictures, but the tool button seemed to want a URL link. Is there another way?

 

[Ecoman]

Would you all be interested to know what kit survived the environment?

I'd be very interested to know.

 

[Swallow]

Swallow: I looked at adding a couple of pictures, but the tool button seemed to want a URL link. Is there another way?

Depending on what control you want over the pictures....

I don't know if non-full-members can upload direct to the site, so I can comment well on that.

When doing a post there is picture button at the top with what looks like a picture of a tree. FMs get two options for upload either "from computer" or "from url". I don't know if members only get the URL one.

What (I think) most people do anyway is set up a photobucket account (free) and use the URL option. e.g.

http://s1059.photobucket.com/user/swallow-bcuk/profile/

Copy the URL for photo from photobucket by going to the picture in photobucket.
At the side it says "links".
Click on the one called "Direct".
It'll say "copied".
Then paste that into the URL link on the photo upload dialogue box mentioned earlier.
Untick the box that says "retrieve remote file and reference locally".
Then hit OK.

With that you get full sized photos as part of the text like this.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118735

If you used the "Go Advanced" option when editing a post it also gives you a preview post button so you can see exactly what your post will look like, including any embedded photos.

Going with the upload to site option would make the pictures small and they need to be clicked to open up to bigger (but still not as big as the URL to photo hosting side/skydrive/gmail drive/whatever.

 

[MORFY]

Okay smoky here's a few, hope they work.

I'll do another post for kit. "Jungle kit experiences" since some worked, some didn't and others were OK but ....

https://www.dropbox.com/s/npi8vrzp4nrdvhb/P1030806.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ous0prns0i3thsu/P1030840.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ik0xadqsw7qlo53/P1030883.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hmp2c7zv6f8kwxh/P1030895.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h3299g9pd5ppd0g/P1040021.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/57bjufysjv8f2gq/IMG_0095.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3s5z73vpz6rt3pe/IMG_0336.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/26ya59f35c9cueg/DSCF3964.JPG

 

[Swallow]

Now with picture 5........ hammock sleeves suddenly make sense to me. Never have before.

 

[walker]

Thanks for the write up .
Don't let that put you off going again I've just got from north Australia the other week after spending some time staying and traveling around the rain forest there .
Wife was the victim this time ,it was me last time lol, it will happen but it all part of seeing these parts of the world .

 

[MORFY]

Yea, I was unsure when I first tried it.
However once the snake skin is on, it packs easily into the compression sack. Even better when it comes to setting up, nothing touches the ground and creepy crawlies cant easily get in when your out and about.

 

[Swallow]

From the looks of the picture it keeps it out of the way and from getting wet in that setup.

 

[MORFY]

For those who were interested I a kit review: I've posted a what worked what didn't thread
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120333

 

[ozzy1977]

Glad you're on the mend.

 

[steingis]

the way you first described the effects i was thinking dengue fever which is what i had but did not decend into the extreme effects it had on you, i went from normal to could not walk to delirious in about 4 hours got into hotel and rode it out for 2 weeks did not eat first 5 days then i managed to drag myself the 30m to get cornflakes on the morning and that was all i had along with some soda till about the 11th day everything tasted awful managed to smoke 1 ciggarette but always regretted it and was never awake for more than 1/2 hours at a time which was more pleasant the the "sleep" if you could call it that

 

[leealanr]

wow,

I sincerely hope you make a full and lasting recovery.

thanks for sharing, a very salutary tale.

Alan L.

 

[The Survivor]

Great report. Glad your on the mend.

 

[MORFY]

Thanks for that description. If that is typical of Dengue then I'm 98% sure thats not what I had despite its early symptematic similarities.
Pretty scarey to have that whilst abroad I should think.

 

[MMarshall]

Great report MORFY! How's your health now?

I'm curious if you were ever told (and remember) by the hospital what treatments they actually gave you? Your story is a very interesting one, not least because it reminds me very vividly of the experience of an old Jungle guide/expert friend of mine who brought a 'hitch hiker' back from Borneo himself which very very nearly killed him: visceral leishmaniasis.
I still vividly remember his account of the experience and your experience has some striking similarities.

One thing I remember him telling afterwards was that the disease is/was so little known/seen here in the UK, even the Tropical diseases hospital in London struggled to identify it, and it was only because of his own vast experience in the jungle (especially Borneo) that he was convinced it was visceral leishmaniasis and insisted that they test and treat for it. It saved his life!

 

[Dave]

That would definitely happen to me. [I think I was cursed by an evil gypsy when a baby, Im completely jinxed wherever i go]

Glad you're on the mend, and the NHS saved your skin. Thank god they're about when you really need them.